# WalMart film to CD



## Dagwood56

I have never used WalMart film processing before today. I took a roll of film in and had it developed and put onto CD only, no prints. Anyway, I just looked at the photos on the CD and they are awful! The ISO of the film was 200, and the graininess and noise in the photos is unbelievable!!!  Does WalMart do adjustments to the film during processing or rather when putting the photos onto a CD? I'm really ticked off!!  Luckily the shots aren't anything that important, but I have some more film with shots that are important and now I'm wondering if I should go somewhere else to have them processed and put onto CD. Anyone else have any bad experiences with WalMart processing?

When I have more time I'm going to scan some of the negatives and hopefully find the problem lies only with the image to CD transfer......man I'm mad!!!!


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## ScottS

Post a photo?


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## Big Mike

I've never been pleased with their photo CDs.  It's been several years since I've used that service though.


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## jedithebomber

Wal-Mart just does a crummy job with thier scanning. In fact any company that uses a Fuji Frontier set on automatic usually gets similar results. Try asking them to turn down the sharpening. Good luck on that one tho...


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## That One Guy

i used them ONCE for prints..........just once.

all of my prints came out with a thin red line thru the middle of them. they offered to do it again but i refused.


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## Jeff Canes

never used them, but most folks around the TPF do not seem to like their sevice


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## Garbz

No offence but were you expecting something else?

Scanning film or enlarging is something that needs to be done properly.


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## Battou

Yes they do for the most part


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## Dagwood56

Thanks everyone. I assure you I will not be getting *ANY* more processing done at WalMart. I guess I should consider myself lucky that I had the film container labeled wrong and they got the roll they did. Had they gotten the roll I thought I was giving them, I'd have lost a lot of great barn shots.

Thanks again.


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## ghpham

Walmart, Walgreens, Cosco, and the like, is for the P&S crowd.  Why you would considered them in the first place is beyond me.


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## Big Mike

> I'd have lost a lot of great barn shots.


They don't usually ruin your photos...they just do a poor job of scanning/printing them.  You still have the negative, so you can take it anywhere to get printed.

On the other hand, I had a bunch of negatives scratched up over the years...I've not sure if it was the cheap Wal-mart/photo store printers that don't clean their machines enough, or if it was my camera.



> Walmart, Walgreens, Cosco, and the like, is for the P&S crowd


Actually, Costco is often much better than their low price would lead you to believe.  I haven't seen pro quality from them, but I'd get unimportant shots printed there.  Actually, I used to live by a Wal-mart that had a pretty good photo manager.  While he was on duty, I could get good results.


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## ghpham

Big Mike said:


> They don't usually ruin your photos...they just do a poor job of scanning/printing them. You still have the negative, so you can take it anywhere to get printed.
> 
> On the other hand, I had a bunch of negatives scratched up over the years...I've not sure if it was the cheap Wal-mart/photo store printers that don't clean their machines enough, or if it was my camera.
> 
> 
> Actually, Costco is often much better than their low price would lead you to believe. I haven't seen pro quality from them, but I'd get unimportant shots printed there. Actually, I used to live by a Wal-mart that had a pretty good photo manager. While he was on duty, I could get good results.


 
Yes...I agree for the most part.  However, I do find it funny that people takes their pictures to be developed at Walmart, then complain how it's not up to par with professional labs.  For unimportant pictures, it's fine, but if you considered your photo's to be good art work, you should not have them printed at Walmart.  Agreed?


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## Dagwood56

> They don't usually ruin your photos...they just do a poor job of scanning/printing them. You still have the negative, so you can take it anywhere to get printed.


 
In my case, lets just say that the "A" team must not have been working when I left my film on Monday. I did scan a few of the negatives and I'm not happy with them either. lol



> Walmart, Walgreens, Cosco, and the like, is for the P&S crowd. Why you would considered them in the first place is beyond me.


 
Cost - I don't have lots of $$ to throw around. I got the film for my birthday and didn't think about the developing costs till I used it.

Can anyone recommend a place that does a good job of film to CD? I've got 8 rolls to develop and I can't afford the cost of prints so film to CD is my only option.  My husband mentioned Ritz camera or CVS. Any suggestions?


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## nicfargo

I'd look for a local printing place.  You'll get professional quality at a pretty reasonable price.  I wouldn't print all my stuff there though, as it can get pricey if you're printing stuff you don't really care too much about...for that stuff I'd go to Walgreen's.  For important "keepers" I'd go to an actual printer.  They'll produce a much nicer photograph for you.


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## Battou

Dagwood56 said:


> Can anyone recommend a place that does a good job of film to CD? I've got 8 rolls to develop and I can't afford the cost of prints so film to CD is my only option.  My husband mentioned Ritz camera or CVS. Any suggestions?



Stay away from CVS, You are close enough to me to make it a safe bet your CVS uses the same processors I have....Nothing but problems of all shapes and sizes.

just one of my many complaints, The only reason I continue to use them is I scan my own negs, so all I need is the negitives out of them.


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## notelliot

12345


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## RacePhoto

jedithebomber said:


> In fact any company that uses a Fuji Frontier set on automatic usually gets similar results. Try asking them to turn down the sharpening. Good luck on that one tho...



I just wanted to repeat what you wrote. Most places have the same equipment and run it with the same settings, so if you go to anyone with the same Fuji equipment, you'll get pretty much the same results.

What anyone needs to do, is start asking at every store until you find someplace that doesn't use the Fuji equipment. Good luck. Otherwise, saying that Walmart, Costco, CVS, or some name place is at fault, is not correct. It's partly the equipment they use and partly who is operating it. Find a good operator and you'll be happy.

I don't have film to CD scans done anymore, since I shoot almost all digital. First roll of film I shot after getting a good DSLR, I thought my old camera was broken, the film was bad, and the processing stunk. Then I looked back and discovered that digital is so much brighter and sharper, that it was just my eyes that had changed. :mrgreen:

True, some places have better people and get better results out of the Fuji equipment. I have one near me, and I'm happy with the results. That's where I have my 8 x 10s printed, that I sell. No complaints from me or the buyers.


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## Dagwood56

Thanks for all the feedback.  I have used a CVS near me in the past for prints and I was quite happy with them, however its been several years since I used their services. 

It dawned on me late last night that since I only want the film developed and the shots archived to a CD, I _could _justscan the negatives myself - duh!  You only have to hit me in the head a few hundred times with a brick before the light comes on.LOL.  But it's a tedious process for someone with little patience. I guess its the lesser of the two evils though. 
Thanks everyone.


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## rob91

I got a CVS photo CD recently and was happy with the results. Maybe I just have low standards? 

Oh well. You all have me curious. I'm going to bring the negs to my scanner at school and see what comes up. It's a Nikon Cool scan just to let you know.


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## fred333

I once had a bad experience with the photo dept in Sams Club. It lost like have of my pics that uploaded.


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## Dagwood56

> I got a CVS photo CD recently and was happy with the results. Maybe I just have low standards?


 
Someone said it can depend on "who"  is on duty at the time. As I mentioned above abot WalMart, I obviously didn't get the "A" team. 




> I once had a bad experience with the photo dept in Sams Club. It lost like have of my pics that uploaded.


 
Sam's Club is a division of WalMart....

I guess its all coming down to a little bit preference on the consumer's part and the fact that some store employees in the photo depatments can operate the equipment better than others.  In closer examination of my negatives I have found a few that were scratched as well.


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## pbsmoker

I took a roll of film to be processed at SAMS club after a trip to sweden. Dont ask me what i was thinking, but i had the same thing happen to me. I was LIVID!!!! I took the cd back, and the negatives back and made them do it right AND give me my money back. I will never do that again!!


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## wesd

put it this way guys i work for walmart and im NOT happy with there cd's either.  I think the number one reason they suck is because of the resolution.  Open up one of your images in a prossessing program, and you will find it is just a 4 x 6 scanned at 300 DPI, there is absoutly NO margin for enlarging.  Personaly I think you should either scan the print, neg, or slide your self, or use the cd as a refrence, and make standard prints of what you like later.


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## DaveO

If you don't mind spending the money, NCPS in California is supposedly the best for scanning to CD's. The cost for developing and scanning is about $ 10 per roll.  Return mail is $ 6.00. Probably more for 9 rolls.

DaveO


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## mikehaugen

Dagwood56 said:


> Can anyone recommend a place that does a good job of film to CD? I've got 8 rolls to develop and I can't afford the cost of prints so film to CD is my only option.  My husband mentioned Ritz camera or CVS. Any suggestions?



I have tried Wolf Camera (now the same as Ritz) and wasn't very impressed.  To be fair though, I think they have like a "premium" option that cost a lot more that I don't think I got.  I have also tried Wal-mart, Walgreens, Jewel, and a couple others.  I don't really use film very much anymore because of the cost but I now usually go to Jewel, which is a grocery store chain around this area- they are owned by Albertson's which I think is in other areas.  They use Kodak equipment and have been as good- maybe slightly better than anywhere else.


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