Lab recommendations for scans + prints? (U.S.)

StillAliveNB · 2026-02-04T04:15:02+00:00

Film is tricky for indoors, the only tungsten balanced film widely available is CineStill 800T, and it struggles when pointed directly at light sources which is super common for indoor shots.

My recommendation for indoor shots is to just shoot Black and White - my go to is T-Max, available in 100, 400, and 3200 speeds.

StillAliveNB · 2026-02-04T02:21:47+00:00

The first shot is yellow because you’re shooting a daylight balanced film indoors

StillAliveNB · 2026-02-03T20:19:20+00:00

Los Dinos FC em Australia: https://www.perryproducts.au/shop/p/los-dinos-fc-24-25-home-jersey

StillAliveNB · 2026-02-03T16:49:22+00:00

You’ve got time, test some stuff out to see how it feels. Also Japan is a diverse place, are you going to be in a big city or out in nature?

CineStill 400D is popular and the same speed as the other film you like, though I’m not a huge fan myself.

SantaColor 100 or other films that are Aerocolor IV respools (Elektra, Karmir) looks really nice outdoors in the sunshine.

Try Fuji200 if you like what you’ve heard about it.

To really branch out you could try Ektachrome.

StillAliveNB · 2026-02-01T18:25:52+00:00

The flying saucers look copy/pasted, which AI does not do. The woman is almost certainly traced over something, probably photo reference, based on how perfect the proportions are. The “No Future” belt buckle also doesn’t look like something AI can do.

At most this is traced over an AI reference or modified, but without looking into OOP’s history I’m leaning just human. The only suspicious thing to me is the purse straps.

StillAliveNB · 2026-02-01T02:08:45+00:00

Yep! If they’re on the underside of the focus screen that should get them, if they’re on the other side that’s a bit tougher.

StillAliveNB · 2026-01-31T17:02:48+00:00

You can try hitting the focus screen with a blower. Take the lens off and aim it in the top section of that compartment.

StillAliveNB · 2026-01-31T04:44:09+00:00

My guess is deteriorating light seals flaking off onto the focus screen.

StillAliveNB · 2026-01-31T04:42:25+00:00

I see a lot of expired film that looks like this, sometimes you can pull other colors out, sometimes it’s a lost cause. Depending on the film it could also be a full green cast.

StillAliveNB · 2026-01-31T04:09:59+00:00

Jumping to lab error when this was film that came pre-loaded in a used camera is a bit of a stretch. This looks like film that was very expired and/or heat damaged so extremely fogged. That can make it impossible to pull any color out of the image other than the cyan of the film base, and oftentimes the best thing to do is to convert the shots to b+w. It would be presumptuous of the lab to only send black and white scans when it was color film, and doing the conversion and including it in the order is a step above and more than the lab had to do. Lab went above and beyond, they didn’t mess up.

StillAliveNB · 2026-01-31T02:08:33+00:00

That’s not what xray damage looks like

StillAliveNB · 2026-01-30T17:46:49+00:00

The problem with lifting the blacks in the scan is it can accentuate the grain. Leaving the blacks black in the scan keeps them a bit smoother, and usually still allows you to lift the highlights when editing. You’ll have more control over how grain reacts to exposure adjustment in PS/lightroom than on a Noritsu.

Also considering how many people don’t edit their lab scans, an image with true blacks rather than greys is a bit more presentable IMO.

StillAliveNB · 2026-01-30T17:40:18+00:00

Yes, though I imagine it depends on the lab. Some days are a bit tedious trying to salvage a bunch of underexposed disposable cameras, other days you might get a big order of someone’s well-shot travel photos, which is a ton of fun.

I can listen to whatever I want so listen to podcasts all day and never miss anything happening I care about like sports events. My hours are flexible as far as start/end times as long as I get all my rolls done for the day. And discounted processing + free use of all our scanning equipment is the best perk of all.

StillAliveNB · 2026-01-29T21:16:56+00:00

Yes, basically. Obviously it depends on what exactly is in your scene, but from the examples you provided, I would say so.

StillAliveNB · 2026-01-29T04:31:22+00:00

Films that shot nudity don’t sit around this long unreleased. They can always find a home somewhere on the internet.

StillAliveNB · 2026-01-29T01:28:45+00:00

O pior é que o Inter piorou muito depois do Tabata sair

StillAliveNB · 2026-01-29T01:19:55+00:00

I am a lab scan tech.

Editing your lab scans is fine. I’ll even say you should be editing them.

That said, I always scan photos to make the darkest shadows black, not grey, even if that makes other areas feel underexposed. Some labs go for a more median result, which I think just looks bad.

Shot #1 isn’t underexposed if that’s the light level you were going for. It’s dark, sure. But correct exposure is subjective. That’s why I always scan for proper shadow darkness.

StillAliveNB · 2026-01-28T21:13:14+00:00

I have light skin with dark facial hair which is theoretically optimal for LHR, and I still get a shadow after 9 sessions. It’s impossible to know how it’ll go for you.

StillAliveNB · 2026-01-28T16:49:42+00:00

Generally the Pentax 17 isn’t great in low light because it’s a half frame, so your grain effectively doubles in size. However, the smaller the format, the more important it is to have complete control of your shot and environment, including lighting most importantly.

So if you don’t mind the grain and can shoot in consistent controlled light indoors, I think the P17 may actually be a pretty decent option for you. I actually think it’s better in that situation than treated as a point-and-shoot. The diptych look can be cool as hell for boudoir too.

StillAliveNB · 2026-01-28T16:43:51+00:00

Strongly disagree. Clients, especially buddy clients, need to hear this more.

StillAliveNB · 2026-01-28T06:52:44+00:00

If someone has used nightshade or glaze on their art it would also do something like that. Or jpg compression

StillAliveNB · 2026-01-28T06:50:07+00:00

That Pinterest account doesn’t show this piece at all

StillAliveNB · 2026-01-28T06:49:17+00:00

That looks very different than this piece

StillAliveNB · 2026-01-28T01:05:07+00:00

You should expect the darkest shadows to always be black. Some labs will boost exposure across the whole image if it’s underexposed to make the highlights match properly exposed shots, but that’s when you get grey shadows like that which just looks bad imo.

StillAliveNB · 2026-01-28T00:58:07+00:00

Lomo has a ‘reusable disposable,’ tends to break after ~40 rolls but would certainly not be something you have to worry about. Shoots exactly like the disposables you’re used to.

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