Kodachrome replacement?

Hi! I am looking for a E6 film which is close to the Kodachrome look.

I have never used Kodachrome because it is too fussy to get processed

and its not available in 120. Can anyone recommend a film which is as

close to the Kodachrome colour palette as possible? It would be nice

if it came in 120 too. I'm looking specifically for the kind of

pastelly look. Kind of powdery and washed out. Grain is not too much

of a problem. I've been looking at EPR and EPD(Ektachrome 64 and

200). What do people think of them?

 

Thanks for any suggestions!

Chuk,

In the last two weeks I have shot about 7 types of slide film, all with varying success. I am new to slide photography, so don't expect a lot out of me, but I'll tell you this. Of what I shot, the Kodachrome (KR, not PKR) was the best. I shipped it out to Dewayne's, took about 5 days to get back. I didn't photograph any people though, so skin tones are not a part of this conversation. A close second was Velvia 50. That is a kick a** film right there, mainly because it is very comperable to Kodachrome and the lab in my town can have it back next day. In addition, since its local, I can actually talk to someone about the film and whats on it, quite helpful. I wouldn't waste my money on Ektachrome, I am not happy with that film compared to the other two. Velvia has the new 100F, which I found very little difference with the 50. That being said, its a dollar a role more than the 50, and I usually don't need the extra speed, so I won't be shooting it. The sensia isn't close to the Velvia in my trial. The Astia has an odd hue to it, kinda greenish, I'm not sure what it is about it, just not how I remembered the pictures being. I didn't shoot the RTP because it was expensive and I thought I'd try to find satisfaction in the cheaper stuff first...which I did. The best news for you is that you can get Velvia in 120, and I'd imagine it would perform similarly, although I have not used that size. Anyway, to summarize, go with Velvia 50, 100f if you need to, they're E6 and do a great job. Best of luck, hope it helped.

"A close second was Velvia 50. That is a kick a** film right there, mainly because it is very comperable to Kodachrome"

 

So one of the most neutral films is very comparable to the most saturated film....right.

 

Anyway, Chuk, how would you know the Kodachrome look if you've never tried it? If you know it because you read National Geographic, think again, they also use Provia, Velvia and E100 (among others).

 

If you want neutral colours, get a roll of Astia/Sensia and E100G/Elite Chrome (these are the pro/amateur versions). It won't cost you much to buy the two amateur films and it won't cost you much to buy all four and develop them (no need to mount them) and you'll see for yourself. Try bracketing to see what happens with each film as well in over/under exposure. They are all excellent films and are faster, more convenient than Kodachrome. The whole process will take a couple of hours and you'll see for yourself instead of relying on others.

 

You might want to try a roll of K64 next to it to actually see what it looks like. Actually, try Provia 400F (yes 400) as well...

 

Panos

Hi! Thanks for the quick responses.

 

First, I'm not sure how normal Kodachrome compares to the Pro Kodachrome but if KR is like RVP, I don't want to know about it. RVP is actually my no.1 film (actually, Velia 100 non-F is) and I use it on a regular basis. It has its uses but I don't think it will suit this project. Thanks anyway.

 

I found the Kodachrome look in a series of my photo magazines here and since they all listed the film used as K64 I know it was Kodachrome. I also want that look because I found I could tell it was Kodachrome without looking at the info. Plus the type of shots I want to do were the ones like in the magazines using Kodachrome.

 

I really couldn't care less about the colour accuracy. The main thing for me is the wierd kind of cast it gives. I can only describe it as black and white film in colour... I find the colours not overly bold (doesn't mean not saturated, just kind of not vivid) and is a nice in between film for BW and colour.

 

I've just shot some rolls of the mentioned EPD and EPR and also some Agfa RSXII50 (heard that Agfa films were poor for colour). Also some Astia 100F and some Konica Sinbi 100 coming along. I have seen some Ektachrome shots from the magazines and they seem to be close. Not quite as apparent though as K64. Provia 400 sounds interesting. Give that one a test.

 

Still not decided yet so please keep the answers coming in! Thanks!

No E-6 film looks like Kodachrome. In fact, the two 'looks' are the two main types of look in slide film. You cannot necessarily judge the look of a chrome film from print. There is too much post processing, and you are comparing a transmissive medium (huge dynamic range and gamut) to a reflective one.

 

 

All that being said, it is near impossible to find quality processing for K'chrome these days, so the distinction is largely academic.

 

Kodachrome is known for its intense reds. Perhaps one of the Agfa slide films?

I wouldn't say that K64 has a cast but just those neutral colours. For "that" b&w look, I would assume you mean the grainy look. In this respect 400F might be a good alternative. If you don't mind using print film you might want to try Portra 160VC. In outdoor conditions I find it lifeless and with rather visible grain (even in 6x4 prints).

 

Also, hit the submit button once. It might take some time. Otherwise you end up posting things three times!

 

Panos

Kodachrome color saturation is pretty low, particularly compared to modern mainstream E-6 films. For overall color saturation, try Ektachrome EPN. EPN probably has the most accurate color reproduction of all Ektachrome films. EPR has similar grain/sharpness, but higher color saturation and contrast, and slower speed (ISO64 vs 100). Ektachrome EPP falls between the two, perhaps closer to EPR with respect to color, perhaps a pinch less sharp. EPP does a very nice job of rendering skin tones, although some photographers prefer the EPR -- matter of taste. I think all are available in 120 format. All will be significantly grainer and less sharp than K64, as well as latest generations of slide films , but this will be less an issue if you are shooting 120.

 

If you really want a pastel-like appearance (say, like Joyce Tennison), try over-exposing and then pull-processing.

<I>I found the Kodachrome look in a series of my photo magazines here and since they all listed the film used as K64 I know it was Kodachrome.</i><P>Interesting. Can you give me the names of these books? You see, I want to contact my publisher friends and tell them about that magazine print process that allows all the nuances of slide film to show through, while the image slaughtering - tone altering - dye shifting CMYK half tone process has nothing to do with it.<P>That's what your looking at when you look at a magazine. If you really want the same *look* as Kodachrome in a magazine, go out and buy the cheapest ink-jet printers you can, and print on magazine stock with low gamut inks.

Thanks for all the suggestions. That pulling idea is a good one. Might try that. As for the magazines being a bit inaccurate, I think it would be OK to judge a general feel of a film from a magazine. Afterall, the whole magazine would be printed in one go so all the pics would get the same manipulation right? Besides, I could tell pretty much with 100% success which pics were taken with Kodachrome. It is just very different.

 

I think Ektachrome might be the one for me. Thanks!

A Kodachrome replacement?.

 

Fujichrome Astia 100F (RAP100F).

. . . or try Agfa RSX100 ! Neutral pallette, not saturated, similar performance curve to

that of K64 and it comes in rollfilm & 35mm.

Chuk,

 

Alternatively, I'd put it this way.

 

Ektachrome is not Kodachrome, the way coffee is not tea.

 

And you can't tell them apart from print images at all.

If you're willing to deal with variable EI and color correction in a tungsten film, I'd recommend my friend EDUPE. It's a duplication film and can be a pain, but it has a look that I can only describe as "even", that your black&white-in-color comment reminds me of.

 

just $0.02