A Unique Service
Written: Jul 15 '00
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While there are many online photo sites to choose from, Club Photo has been leading the way with features and services that you won't necessarily find anywhere else. This combination of features is what leads me to use their site most often.
One of the most difficult choices for a photographer at this stage in the Digital Revolution is whether to migrate to a completely digital camera or to remain with conventional film photography. Club Photo allows you to have it both ways.
While my digicam has a 1.2Megapixel resolution, my 35mm SLR's negatives offer far greater resolution and the confidence of having negatives, rather than easily erased digital files. This continues, to some extent, to be one of the trade-offs that you must consider when migrating to fully-digital photography.
After over 20 years in the Computer Industry, I *still* don't completely trust digital storage. However, I recognize the value and convenience of digital photography and would rather have my cake and eat it too: I want digital files, but I also want negatives.
Club Photo comes to the rescue by providing a very economical developing and scanning service. For $1 plus the cost of mailing your film to them (about sixty-cents per roll) they will develop your negatives, scan them, mail them back to you and, most importantly, make the digital images available to you online.
While other sites have been offering similar features for a while, Club Photo's service differs in that they allow you to download high-quality digital files for free. In other words, you're getting high-resolution scanning for a buck and change AND you get to keep your negatives. Other sites simply don't allow you to download the scanned images in anything other than a much lower resolution image, a definite drawback.
This feature alone makes me want to continue using them. For some, however, the time and effort required to download the files on a dialup modem will be a hassle. In that case, Club Photo has an answer. For $4.95 they will provide you with all your images on CDROM. This is a very reasonable price for this service and compares favorably with what anyone else in the industry is doing.
As yet, I have not used their photo reprint service. I generally go through my photos and print the few per roll that I like on my Epson Stylus Photo printer. Others may have positives and negatives (no pun intended) to say regarding their photofinishing services and I recommend you read the other reviews in this category to gain a better understanding of their quality. Also, do remember that since you can download digital images from their site you always have your choice of where to have your photos printed.
Two other items bear mentioning. First, if you have a Palm IIIc PDA, you will be delighted to know that Club Photo offers software for transferring and viewing your photos on you handheld. This is an exciting development because it allows you to turn your PDA into a portable photo album. While the quality is only so-so (a limitation of the Palm's screen, not the Club Photo software) it is still a useful and FREE feature.
Also available for free is Club Photo's Living Album software, which allows you to easily upload and organize your photos without having to go through the hassles of using web-based interfaces to do the same. This software is available in Windows AND Macintosh versions, so Mac users needn't be left out in the cold.
All in all, I am pleased with Club Photo's technology offerings and the economical scanning service. If you have a need for both negatives and digital images, you might find that they're the online photo service for you.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
mikej165
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Member: Michael Johnston
Location: Long Island, New York
Reviews written: 23
Trusted by: 8 members
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