Hi.
I think I promised someone (Jostein?) that I would tell more about my experience with Norwegian mail-order developers Fotolabo, and Kodak Norge. I've now tried them both. In the case of Kodak, I actually sent the film to Ulles Postfoto (http://www.postfoto.no/), but apparently Kodak does the job for them. I haven't tried Kodapost...
The results? Well, I'm not sure I have a lot to say, really. Which I guess means both were OK. I mean, I didn't exactly think that, wow, these prints were great, but then again, they didn't do horrible things like leaving scratch marks in the film (unlike what Japan Photo did, last time I tried them.) Actually, I'm fairly sure the development was OK. For those of you who are more interested in prints (from digital?), I've been thinking that maybe I'll get some of the scans printed elsewhere, or give some of the negatives to a more professional lab just for the sake of comparison. Also, maybe I'll try Postfoto/Kodaks "premium" service, which is supposed to give you better paper etc., later...
I sort of like Ulles, by the way, for one very simple reason: The price advertised is what you actually pay. There is no extra charge for postage and packing, or for an additional print or two (does anyone ever get only 24 frames on a 24-picture film?) Fotolabo, on the other hand, had a *very* low price, but did add the usual extras. Also, the low price turned out to be an introductory offer for new customers, so I'd have to pay more next time, which means I'm not that interested anymore...
Ah, you noticed that I mentioned scans? Yes, I order the "CD" options as well. You can see some of the images here:
http://www.toralf.net/fotolabo http://www.toralf.net/ulles
These are the files copied directly off the CD; no image processing or fancy presentation involved. Also, I haven't included too many, as many of the photos weren't that good, mainly because of problems behind the viewfinder ;-/ (Among other things, I was playing around a lot with a macro setup, which is new to me, across these films...) Maybe I'll upload some more later, though...
Oh, and one other minor detail: Fotolabo put Linux software on the CD, which means extra marks from me even though I never actually use the programs included, but I guess this doesn't mean an awful lot to most most of you...
- Toralf
