NonAudi- photo content

[MCTXR4@aol.com]

In a message dated 2/24/99 8:50:04 PM Eastern Standard Time,
bob.rossato@worldnet.att.net writes:

> > And now an even better reason to use a GOOD 1 hour Lab- less
>  > chance of losing
>  > film in transport. Yes they can cost more, but what's more important-
your
>  > film or a few bucks? Plus you get your pix back in one hour!!!
>  >
>  
>  As long as you don't mind quality being a low priority.  I had 15 rolls of
>  slides from a family vacation in Europe ruined by a place like this.  Each
>  slide consisted of 2/3 of one frame and 1/3 of the adjacent frame.  The
>  monkey lad in training was too incompetent to set the machine to cut
between
>  the frames.  Ever since all my transparencies go directly to Kodak, and
>  important print film to the local pro lab.
>  
Everybody is missing my point. I reference the word GOOD. 

In the DC area we have a number of _1 Hour_ photolabs that cater to the
Pro/Advanced Amateur market. They have trained staff and very high quality
assurance standards.

I will be the first person to steer anyone with a concern for their film away
from the 1 hour butchers operating under the banners of KMart, Wal-Mart, Rite
Aid, CVS, Ralph's and others whose primary business is the dispensing of food
stuffs/ drugs and/or clothing.

A large lab run by the likes of Kodak, Fuji, Agfa, etc. has as much chance of
messing up your photos as any other lab. They are subject to mechanical
gremlins which are not predictable. One would hope that they maintain their
machinery to a higher standard ( and they do) but mechanical failure cannot be
eliminated even by the most active of Preventive Maintenance Schedules. I
know, I've been there, I'm an ex-Kodak manager who was charged with those very
responsibilities at one point in my career.

As I now work for an Electronics company, I have no personal stake in what
happens on that level, I was simply making the point that by seeking out a
reputable 1 Hour facility, you have a fairly high level of assurance that less
will go wrong simply by the law of averages. 

A Kodak facility will run 25 -30 THOUSAND rolls of film per NIGHT. A GOOD
photo lab will run 150 to 300 rolls PER DAY. I know labs in DC where they
haven't lost a roll due to any circumstance in years. The facility run by
Kodak in the same market will lose on average 30 per day. 

Make your own assessment- which lab would you prefer to do business with?

Mike Torio