Are there any traditional optical E6 to print C or R types print outputs left in the UK?

[~RJ]

I rarely ever shoot colour anymore unless asked. Since I surrendered my Jobo processor years ago, I don't do any E6 development. I did a set of engagement portraits on remaining 5x4" Fuji Provia after discovering that Fuji Provia in 120 was not in stock anywhere in London (apparently back ordered; apparently discontinued).

It was a shock to see so many photo labs decline 5x4" E6. Now that I've found a few and developed them, the next shock is discovering there isn't anywhere with an analogue printing technique for E6 (is there?). The client would like the prints, however neither of us know how to print E6 now. He's asked and the labs want some kind of mega scan to file and then digiprint.

Any one used a traditional printer of E6 since Ilfochromes died out?

 

[Nas]

I think your options are either scanning or having a colour interneg made. Cibachrome/Ilfochrome is long gone, sadly.

 

[Ian Grant]

If you do a Google search you will find people are reversal processing RA-4 paper. How successfully I don't know.

Ian

 

[Dave_P]

Get it scanned then C-type prints from the file, that is the only remaining sane option (and it is incidentally a very good option).

 

[~RJ]

It makes sense now, why E6 film availability (and sale) has declined: without its optical print superiority, there's many more intermediate and expensive steps like scanning, just to achieve a compressed digital print.

Looks like the copy stand is going to have to come out.

Thanks

RJ

 

[Dave_P]

I don't really think it's anything to do with that at all. It's because the niche that E6 used to have has largely been filled by digital cameras. People had already transitioned to scanning and printing when I got into shooting E6 film around 2006, when E6 film was available everywhere, relatively cheap and widely used (and only just at the start of the era of non-professionals owning usable digital cameras). At the time there were probably already only two places left in the UK doing Cibachrome printing. For any pros shooting E6 for reproduction in magazines, publshing, stock, news, advertising, and other commercial purposes the lack of optical printing options is largely beside the point since scanning had been the norm for those industries since the 90s.