[QUOTE=DanielStone;752492]hey all,
Just FYI, I shipped out an order of film(e-6 and c-41) to Samy's in Santa Barbara, CA, and it showed it was "delivered". However, it wasn't. IDK what went wrong, as the package was returned today to my doorstep, exactly as I sent it out, just with a big "return to sender" written on the front. I called USPS twice to file a claim since the other day(it was "delivered on 7/9) but Samy's said they hadn't received it.
Do you realize that USPS xrays everything sometimes twice or three times. USPS uses commercial passenger air to transport. And yes you can see it as a base fog. i have tested this several times. It is noticeable and can be seen in a good film scan. I send by FEDEX they do not xray domestic packages normally. I also send my film inside special xray proof containers. On a recent trip to texas they made me take the film out of the containers to show the security people at check point. They saw it as blocks of something they could see.
Daniel,
Thanks for the heads up. I send my E-6 to Samy's via USPS Priority Mail and haven't had any issues, so far. Sending early in the workweek is a sensible precaution.
--P
Preston-Columbia CA
"If you want nice fresh oats, you have to pay a fair price. If you can be satisfied with oats that have already been through the horse; that comes a little cheaper."
I never thought A&I was anything special, they were always like the Duggal of LA. The work that I've had done by the SB Samy's has been outstanding, and if you're shooting a lot of 4x5, the savings do add up compared to lab costs in SF.
Hi Mike,
Thanks for your input. I've used USPS for the last 2 years, and haven't experienced any of the "problems" you've just mentioned. I've also bought film from ebay, here, APUG and other various sources, and I've NEVER had any of the problems stated. Now, I would believe it if I put my film in the checked baggage, if I were flying, but since I'm not flying(and when I do, always hand-carry my film), and just shipping it to the lab, I've never had a problem. I'd imagine that the mail MIGHT get x-rayed, but since its around 100-120mi from me to Samy's distance-wise, it probably just goes on a truck to get there.
I've also had good experiences with Fedex/UPS ground-based services, primarily for this reasoning of reducing possibilities of x-ray damage. But if it was REALLY such a problem to ship film, then why would so many vendors offer to send shipments via USPS?
-Dan
quote DanielStone
"I've also had good experiences with Fedex/UPS ground-based services, primarily for this reasoning of reducing possibilities of x-ray damage. But if it was REALLY such a problem to ship film, then why would so many vendors offer to send shipments via USPS?"
i dont know honestly. But i have sent test film to a lab in colorado... And developed film myself. i know this is not scientific but i can see a higher base fog in the film sent by USPS. It show up on the Histogram Adjustment of the Epson scanning software. It does up shows as a "tiny tail" in the histogram. Also taking a densitometer reading of the base or edge in photoshop shows higher density than my control film. Definitely not scientific and should be considered my opinion. I am however convinced that this is the case.. test film was fuji 400H color neg
Bookmarks