F . A . Q
TIER 'A' & TIER 'B' : is a 2 step production set-up. TIER-A for those needing their film ASAP and not concerned about cost savings. TIER-B continues to our regular rates with no price increase. The B-rate runs on volume. Turn time will vary with this service, 5 ~ 20 days depending on the time of the year.

Is the dr5-lab the only Quality B&W transparency [scala film] lab? Yes !

Why does production 'turn around' vary - TIER-B? This was the simplest solution to complicated quality-control, financial & technical issues. The dr5 line is a custom designed in-house produced process. In other words, we have our own chem lab in-house, to mix our chemistry, as well as a one-of-a-kind made-for-us processor. Today's lab production needs to be managed differently. Besides our standard QC house policies [We will not run film unless the line is spot-on], the huge cost increases of running the lab & process, forced us to make some drastic changes in our practice. If we did not take these measures our clients would be looking at a rather large rate increase. So, we made these changes FOR YOU! Simply, we have found the line much easier to maintain the higher the volume run is. Some weeks we run everyday. But on the slower weeks or months we gang the film orders up to have a higher volume runs, making dr5 more consistent for you and easier for us to maintain quality without much down-time for QC reasons. Film volumes have gone quite haywire since the digital takeover of commercial imaging. We can no longer guess when our busy or slow months will happen. As a cost saving measure our turn time will depend on volume. We can always run your film anytime that is required. Rush fees will apply.
AN ADDITIONAL NOTE ON PRODUCTION: dr5 is a highly specialized photo-process. We give absolute attention to excellence. On some occasions you might experience delays in service. There are reasons this might occur. Our leading amount of delay in services is Quality control related. WE WILL NOT sacrifice getting orders out if Quality is compromised. Please be patient if this occurs.

Why are the other labs cheaper? Best that you go there, If the lowest price rather than quality is your concern. Our profit margin is very low.
B&W NEGATIVE DEVELOPMENT: You will not find a higher quality more custom service. In order to provide the highest possible quality service we had to switch our negative processing to rotary-line processing. This by-far is the most consistent for negatives today. This is not economical for a lab to offer. For the extra effort and cost we can offer the ultimate in negative development. It's like doing it yourself. We do not gouge our clients.

My film is showing damage: Because dr5 is a unique process -[like Kodachrome]- each film has been rigorously tested before we offer to process it as a chrome. As sad as it is to acknowledge, none of the film companies have endorsed dr5 even though it is time-tested for well over 15+years as a service, producing superior image quality over the negative counterpart. Because dr5 is so stable, we can now be certain, if there is a film related problem instead of a process related one - be it from damage, age, operator error, condition or manufacture defect. Part of what we do here in QUALITY-CONTROL, with no help from the film companies or suppliers, is acquire films to test on a continual basis. This is a costly proposition for us. To-date, we have burdened the effort to inform our clients when there is a film issue & notify the manufacture or supplier of a film problem. From this date forward: If there is a FILM issue - we will only notify our clients that there is a FILM problem and that it was not process related - if that was the case. Clients will have to contact the manufacture or supplier about sub-quality product.
dr5 does not put films it accommodates in further jeopardy - dr5 improves them.
ENVIRORNMENTAL DAMAGE: Like ALL films even dr5 processed film is susceptible to environment. We recently discovered RADON damage on dr5 processed film - RADON-TEST - Because of the variables involved, care should be taken to protect your images as you would protect all of your B&W film - even though dr5 has an intense archive wash-system. NOTE - DEV2-sepia has proven to impervious to any damage the environment can dish out to date.

Why is dr5 so expensive? Simply put, dr5 is NOT expensive. We would be happy to fully explain any and all aspects related to our production costs. We feel that ignorance in this regard hurts us as a service. Rest assured that dr5-lab does not gouge our clients. We have made many sacrifices for our clients to keep down our rates. @ dr5-chrome we are doing our best to keep expenses down,of which our costs have gone up some 200+% since 911. If you value our traditional services, this mentality will surly cause us to discontinue our services altogether.
dr5 is Less costly than most other forms of film development and simple questions & math will answer most all of your cost related questions. The dr5 lab provides superior result, better customer service, at a substantial cost savings [film+print+processing]. PLEASE do not call us to say dr5 is too expensive. We can not help the folks that don't take the time to understand dr5's benefits, cost advantages and superior quality over other means of processing. Questions are always acceptable and welcome but there is little tolerance for blatant Ignorance here at the lab. Yes, you could likely find film processing services for less, you get what you pay for in this world.

Why do i need a B&W transparency? There are many answers to this question. Truth is, if you have a bathroom-darkroom and you want to make B&W prints in your spare time, dr5 may not be for you. IF YOU ARE GOING STRAIGHT TO SCAN a transparency is a must! Your best film scan will be from the positive, not a negative. dr5 has a unique high image-quality, the best possible quality from most all current B&W films. There is a great misconception that you will have a difficult time printing a B&W or color slide, NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH ! The new style photo-machines, like the FUJI FRONTIER, LIGHTJET, ETC.. are able to print from ANY medium, negatives, positives or digital files. Small prints are as easily obtained from slides as they are from neg's, AT THE SAME COST. Though R-prints no longer exist, CIBACHROME is still the best direct from positive print available.

If you are a contact printer dr5 is a must for shooting originals! Producing enlarged neg's from a dr5 original bypasses an entire step for the contact printer. If you have negatives already the dr5 process produces the best "interpositive" you will ever see. Also high-end LVT, LIGHTJET or CRT digital negatives can be produced. This procedure has proven to be the best reproduction quality for producing negatives from the scanned film, and the good ol' INTERNEG is always an option. Only you can determine how best to capture your images. dr5 offers an extremely versatile archival image that is easily translated to any forum.

I'm having trouble scanning dr5 chromes. This statement simply doesn't make sense. If you or the digital-lab are having problems scanning dr5 chromes, something is defiantly NOT wrong with the chromes! The biggest culprit/issue is the color management, it is best TURNED OFF. Labs like WESTCOAST IMAGING or other similar shops that say there is no advantage to dr5 chromes, or they want to charge you extra, its just as well you go somewhere else,, THEY DONT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING in this regard. The major perk of dr5 chromes is how easy they are to scan over a standard negative. A negative cannot compete with a correctly exposed dr5 image.
Negatives or chromes: There are a few debates across the web about which is best in post. In our eyes and just about everyone else's eyes, Transparencies are hands-down your best bet if you are going to scan your film! There really is no debate or argument. Sure, there are folks out there that can scan negatives well. Even so, A positive will be your best translation to digital from film, without question, color or B&W.

WHY DONT YOU HAVE MAILERS ? I know we are going to hurt some feelings here. If you are watching Little-House on the tube then you are likely upset that we don't have mailers. This is 2011. While shipping your film to process has become the norm, "mailers" are very bad! ANY envelope you ship film in is bad. ALWAYS send film in some sort of box. I cant tell you how many times we see films damaged from the modern shipping equipment sent in unprotected "mailers" or envelopes. Please be smart! Send your film in some sort of box.

Digital or dr5 ? There is no debate in this regard. Digital capture has it's place. Digital is not dr5, film or photography.

About outdated & improperly stored films: Do not use out dated or improperly stored films. There are several reasons; Out of date films sometime render a low dmax. the same holds true for E6 films. Out of date or improperly stored films should be avoided. Also, the following problems can be attributed to dr5; Film swelling, causing reticulation or very soft emulsions causing easy scratching, or the emulsion to let go of the film base. Spotting, white or black: Films that render these problems have emulsions that are damaged in one way or another. Spots are caused by the emulsion becoming too old & tough for the chemistry to properly process. Mottling in some emulsions can also occur.

About Cibachrome [Ilfochrome] & scanning/RGB-cymk reproduction: This is one of our biggest questions & client issues. dr5 monotone images reproduce without any color-crossover problems. Ilfochrome, a color material, will print dr5 chromes without color cross. If you have shot scala in the past and have experienced greens in the blacks or magentas in the highlights of the print, it is likely a Light-reversal-AGFA machine + poorly maintained chemistry, the same issues apply to scanning. If you are having difficulties with a dr5 processed chrome scanning in RGB/CYMK and can not get "complete gray", your scanner or computers color management must be off, this will usually solve all color issues. dr5 itself does not and will not produce these problems.

About shipping: go here. An unfortunate necessity.

Is SCALA a slide film? NO. Scala-film, made by AGFA, is not a "slide" film. It is sold as such for marketing only. Scala-film is a "TRUE" B&W orthochromatic clear-base film. It is a B&W neg-film optimized to be reversed. Is dr5 the SCALA process? NO. dr5 like the scala process, is a TRUE B&W reversal process. the differences in the 2 processes are extreme. SCALA-FILM is processed to a higher standard in dr5, a 10-15% QUALITY IMPROVEMENT over the AGFA process and 20% over old SCALA-labs using a replacement chemistry. Is the dr5-lab an official SCALA processor? There are no "official" SCALA labs, regardless what MAIN-PHOTO or any other scala only lab says. No one is using the official AGFA chemistry, it is no longer is available. We will leave it up to you who processes SCALA film best. Besides, you don't have to use SCALA film to obtain B&W slides !

Is dr5 the Kodak kit process? The SCALA process? NO - both processes are now discontinued.

This is now chrome: The films you shoot for dr5 are totally new films in every sense. They are now chrome films. It is important you understand that the negative films you normally use are no longer to be thought of as those factory films! How you know ANY B&W film you have used in the past, if you are using if for dr5, you must forget past use, THE PROCESS TOTALLY CHANGES THEM FROM THEIR NEGATIGE COUNTERPART. Your normal NEGATIVE exposure compensations do not apply here. If you are not certain of exposure. See the FILM REVIEW section of this website for film by film info.

About different emulsion #'s: As e6, dr5 is as sensitive to emulsion changes. B&W films actually have a higher rate of shift in different emulsions, you just don't notice them processed as a negative.

What makes dr5 better? The dr5 process produces the best tonal range you'll see on film, up to 12 stops (some films). Its formulation produces extreme detail in the blackest blacks and the whitest whites, while utilizing the panchromatic properties and enhancement of orthochromatic B&W film. Another key is the superior D-MAX. At normal development, TXP will produce a 4.70 d-max. E6 will read apx. 3.10. The scans from the processed film are superior and sharpness is 4-5 fold its negative counter-part. There is also an infinite range of custom possibilities, over 25 film choices,, with all giving individual unique exceptional results. Chromes that can be duped printed & scanned with superior quality. A general reminder; dr5 is a totally new process. It is not like anything currently on the market. There are some generalities when comparing dr5 to other processes. Push or pull, or increasing and decreasing contrast. Besides this, all other comparisons do not apply. Go here FACT FILLED TECH PAGE for more info.

Archival qualities. dr5chromes are totally archival. More so than the best B&W fiber based prints or negatives.

Why doesn't dr5 push and pull like e6? & exposure index.. This is a good question but complicated to answer,. dr5 is formulated to enhance 'existing' B&W films. Though reversible, these films were not designed to be reversed, they are negative films. Each film type that can be run through dr5 reacts differently not only to normal development, but especially to pushes and pulls. Some films will increase and decrease evenly. Others will only lighten or darken in the highlights & increase or decrease in contrast and dynamic range. Our best advice is to test the film types you are interested in. Shoot several rolls all normal. Push some of them and pull some of them. Try increasing or decreasing the ios's. Development times are established for normal, push & pull. Your exposure index may differ from ours depending on how you meter for exposure, shoot as a transparency, not a negative. Pushes and pulls will also differ depending on; the film type you use, your iso, your subject i.e.; high or low key... Each film tested has its established process numbers. The iso you use, "is" the iso that film becomes.. We strongly urge a thorough test of the film type you decide to use, As with establishing where normal is for you [if that varies from our numbers]. You must also discover where and how your film type responds to iso changes. The process never changes, only you can determine what film type and shooting iso will be satisfactory for you. Example: if our ½ stop push does not seem ½stop to you than simply say you need it pushed more.

What is Developer-1 & Developer-2 ? There are '2' developer choices, developer 1-neutral & developer 2-sepia. The neutral developer 1 renders a near B&W image. The ilford films tend to be cooler than the Kodak films. The developer 2-sepia developer renders the cooler films a mild sepia/brown while the warmer based films are golden-brown/black. The contrast holds in either developer. Some films are '1' developer type films. They can only be run in #1 or #2. See the film review for further info. DEV-2 is not specified as a specialty service that cost more to run.

Exposure & tonal latitude. The tonal & exposure latitude varies from film type to film type. dr5 produces up to a '12 stop' tonal range in some films. This is in part, due to the chemical makeup of dr5. With most films the process will render details in the blackest blacks and the whitest whites. Exposure latitude also varies from film to film. Tri-x & Hp5 being the widest, to PX, TMY & DELTA-100 having the least exposure latitude. This simply means that you must correctly expose your film when using the low exposure latitude films. THE ZONE SYSTEM: If you use the zone system, it will only be effective in a general sense. The tonal range is far beyond the 'zones' capabilities. Use the ZONE SYSTEM for general purposes and expose the film for highlights AS YOU WOULD ANY CHROME FILM.

How can I change the contrast? Basically the contrast is increased or decreased by changing your ISO or pushing and pulling the film. The normal iso range is what we consider 'normal' for that particular film under the 2 types of developers. If you prefer your chromes with a little more contrast, simply increase your iso. The films that change contrast well are;TXP, TP, TXT, TMX, DELTA100, MACCO FILMS, PAN-F & EFKE-FILMS. Other films will lighten and darken but don't have dramatic contrast swings. Although, experimentation on your own is encouraged.

a} What are the most noticeable effects of push/pulling the film? Push or pulling the film has different results depending on which film you use. Overall, push/pull will change the contrast; increase the highlights and CHANGE color tone. The amount of tone/shift will depend on the film and the amount of push or pull. It is important, for normal results, to expose the film at the recommended speeds, then experiment from there.

My film is fogged? dr5 renders regular B&W neg. film up to 5 times more improved than it's negative processed counter. The most common fog for dr5 is the rebate edge. Treat any film for the process like you would any high sensitive film type. DONOT subject "the shot roll[120-220]" film to direct light when loading or unloading your camera [this problem doesn't apply to 35mm]. We have seen film fogged clear through the paper. BE CAREFUL! Load all films in the deep shade. Don't expose the rolls to direct sun light, hot lights, bright Quartz model lamps, strobe and especially a light box. While we want you to be more careful, dr5 is not overly sensitive. Only film sitting in the stated conditions will render fog. Some cameras do not roll 120 film taut enough, resulting in rebate edge fog. Be sure that you or your camera is not the problem.

Bleaching explained. Bleaching is the process of lightening dr5-processed film. There are several formulas for bleaching. There is a standard bleach that will just lighten the film overall. Bleaching can also create special effects, 'look here', where a solarization effect is created. Contact us for details on what to do to achieve this look. There are specifics when exposing the film. Your final image will vary. Experimentation is a must. Please note! Bleaching is a risk. It is not predictable. If all the factors involved are identical, roll to roll will be close but not exact. We offer several bleaching recipes to our clients free of charge, for those who want to experiment on their own. Just ask!

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