A few weeks ago, I helped my mate Ben celebrate his birthday by taking our respective kiddies to Legoland Windsor. Legoland was a place I dreamed of going as a kid. It has always been a place I’d imagined as being magically constructed entirely from Lego. Of course, the visit destroyed my dreams… It wasn’t entirely made of Lego at all. In fact, quite a bit of it seemed to have little to do with Lego at all. Still, it wasn’t for me, it was for Ben and his birthday the kiddies, and they enjoyed it quite a bit!
Cynicism aside, of course we enjoyed ourselves… It was a little on the warm side, but its hard to fault a family day out. And, I did get to see the mini lego city, which was the bit that I was really interested to see. Even as a 32 year old male I find it brilliant and couldn’t help taking a whole load of photos of it.
How interesting these photos are to anyone else, I’m not sure. At least subjectively they are mostly just photos of Lego, which can’t be all that enthralling…?
I posting them for another reason though. That reason being they represent a trial of a different photo lab. That photo lab being AG photo lab in Birmingham.
If you have a keen eye will know I’ve been using UK Film Lab fairly readily lately. That being the case, you might be wondering why the switch. Well, let me just prefix everything I’m about to say by emphasising the point that the change is not down to dissatisfaction with the experience, it is just down to wanting to try something a little different and perhaps a little more convenient.
Different because they use a Noritsu scanner where UK Film Lab use a Fuji, and convenient because my local London Camera Exchange have just struck up a deal with AG that allows me to drop my film in to LCE on a Monday and have the negs and scans back by the Friday. I’m a sucker for convenience… But what about the results…
Well, to make a comparison with what I have been posting lately slightly harder, these shots were taken with Portra 160 rather than 400. But, regardless of film, there is one very obvious difference, that being the warmth of the images. Now, I have seen this warmth in other peoples Noritsu scans, so was expecting it, but I don’t really know what of this is down to scanner and what is down to operator. Still, regardless of warmth, which I actually quite like, the objective quality of the scans seems quite high to me.
I shall continue to report back on progress with both UK and AG… But for now, I remain on a journey…
Here are some photos:
Cheers for looking…
Hamish
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Comments
Amro on Legoland Windsor & giving AG Photo Lab a go
Comment posted: 21/07/2015
Ag Photolab seems to be a bit cheaper than my usual Peak Imaging. I still haven't recovered from the one and only time Royal Mail lost a whole lot of films I had processed at Peak Imaging a couple of years ago (when they moved sorting offices!).
If they provide at least online storage of the scans then they would be perfect.
Comment posted: 21/07/2015
Captain Grimes on Legoland Windsor & giving AG Photo Lab a go
Comment posted: 21/07/2015
Comment posted: 21/07/2015
Comment posted: 21/07/2015
joby on Legoland Windsor & giving AG Photo Lab a go
Comment posted: 21/07/2015
Comment posted: 21/07/2015
joby on Legoland Windsor & giving AG Photo Lab a go
Comment posted: 22/07/2015
Comment posted: 22/07/2015
joby on Legoland Windsor & giving AG Photo Lab a go
Comment posted: 30/07/2015
Nick on Legoland Windsor & giving AG Photo Lab a go
Comment posted: 19/11/2015
I too had similar experiences with UK Film Lab; great service, excellent scans and colour was spot on but considering the cost I was a little disappointed by their fairly slow turnaround and also to find that when it comes to returning your negs they request an additional £4.50 to post them 2nd class (even for one roll!)
I recently had some 120 scanned by AG and was pleased with the results, I'll have to send my next roll of 135 to them ..or just bite the bullet and buy a Pakon!
Comment posted: 19/11/2015
Comment posted: 19/11/2015
Mike on Legoland Windsor & giving AG Photo Lab a go
Comment posted: 02/07/2016
AG seem like a good starting point but any advice on labs you have experienced since posting this review would be appreciated.
Thanks
Comment posted: 02/07/2016
Comment posted: 02/07/2016
Lee on Legoland Windsor & giving AG Photo Lab a go
Comment posted: 08/08/2016
Have you tried AG for scanning 120?
Comment posted: 08/08/2016
Lee Mackey on Legoland Windsor & giving AG Photo Lab a go
Comment posted: 15/05/2017
Have you put slide through AG? BAsed on your reccomendation I have been sending them neg and am happy with the results. WOnderful customer service too, they sent me some great extras I asked for.
But I just got a roll of Velvia 50 (6x6x) back and in the scans, the blues are a horrible electric tone. The sky blue is what I shot slide for!
Have you any experience with reversal through this company?
Comment posted: 15/05/2017
Sam on Legoland Windsor & giving AG Photo Lab a go
Comment posted: 09/03/2018
Are you still using these guys? I did take a look at Canadian Film Lab and perhaps I'll give them a go next time and do a comparison.
I shall certainly shoot one roll of film on all of my future travel trips!
Thanks again for all your information!
Comment posted: 09/03/2018
Stefan on Legoland Windsor & giving AG Photo Lab a go
Comment posted: 07/03/2020
Comment posted: 07/03/2020