Kodachrom K14 Processing - where to get a decent processing?

Hi, I want to try some Kodachrom with K14 processing. Where can I

get decent processing at a reasonable price and turn around time?

 

Can I buy the Kodak mailers from B&H? How is th quality of these

mailers? Any other recommendations?

 

Thanks.

There was a thread a few days ago outlining the closings of the Fairlawn processing center and speculation as to where the one remaining K14 processing line would be. I wouldn't wait too long to try Kodachrome if you've wanted to, as I suspect it won't be around too much longer. The one halfway decent emulsion, K25, was discontinued some time ago. K200 is a sharp film but very grainy compared even to ISO 400 slide film like Provia 400F. K64 is a very high-contrast film with flat, dingy reds and greens.

I recently shot a roll of Kodachrome 64 and had it processed by Dwayne's in Kansas. You can find an order form at www.k14movies.com. They also do 35mm, and the turnaround time was good--I think it was about a week from the time I mailed it until I got the slides back (I live in Utah, so it's faster sending it to Kansas than all the way to New Jersey.). The quality was also good: no scratches, dust, etc. It costs about $10 including the shipping & handling.

<< where to get a decent K14 processing? >> try a time machine,the past is the only place that I know of that had good K14 processing.

Use Dwayne's, since there's no point in having Kodak Fairlawn process it since they will be shipping it all to Dwayne's shortly. Go to what will shortly be the only US K-14 line. (Once the Fairlawn line shuts down, the Kodak mailers will get sent to Dwayne's.)

 

Try both K64 and K200. K64 has more exposure latitude than K200, but both are very fussy about accurate exposure. Neither likes very contrasty scenes, you'll just run out of dynamic range. Both have a very pleasant color palette, but there are certainly colors that reproduce poorly. K64 is quite sharp, K200 is grainy. K200's colors are more subtle, somehow romantic. I can't really put the difference in clear words. Maybe it's just the grain adding a glow?

 

Jay is right that the "writing is on the wall" for Kodachrome. Enjoy (or suffer) it while you can. If you can make good pictures on Kodachrome, you can deal with any transparency film...

Thanks for the information. I took a look at Dwayne's website. It costs $11.50 ($8.50 + $3.00 handling) to do a roll of K14 processing.

At B&H the K64 costs about $6 per roll. So shooting a roll of K64 costs about $17, which is very expensive comparing with Fuji E-6 slides (i.e. Fuji Sensia 100 $3 + $5.50 A&I mailer = $8.50. Is there any Kodak mailer available for K14 that is cheaper than Dwayne's? If yes, where do I get it?

 

I've been using Fuji Sensia, ProviaF, Velvia, Astia, etc for the past 3 years. Excellent films! Just want to try a roll or two on the Kodachrome. Does any of you guys shoot Fujichrome as well? What's so special with the Kodachrome K64? Is it worth paying the premium to try Kodachrome?

 

Thanks.

<a href="http://welcome-to-my-nightmare.blogspot.com/2004_07_01_welcome-to-my-nightmare_archive.html">This</a> is all Kodachrome as of whatever the time stamp on this message is. None of it is K64, most of it is K200, a couple are K200 pushed 1.3 stops, and one is K25. Actually, it's 20-year-old K25 that got shot and processed within the last month. <a href="http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=007fPc">FYI</a>.<P>

 

Try to find out if Target will still be taking Kodachrome and where they'll be sending it. I'll bet it's cheaper than sending it straight to Dwayne's.<P>

 

It <I><B>will</b></I> be gone soon if people who say they like it conitnue to not use it.<P>

 

And here's this one again:<P>

 

<center><img src="http://www.photo.net/bboard/image?bboard_upload_id=12974484"><P><I>Japan, 1948</i></center><P>

 

That'd be Kodachrome II.

Shooting Kodachrome is expensive ( I kind of ranted on that in another thread)

 

Processing it doesn't need to be though.

If you can wait two weeks for your slides take them to Walmart. Walmart will send them off, (Not to Kodak so I assume it is Dwayne's) Slides will come back with excellent procesing, and my last roll of 36 exposure K200 cost me 4.99 to process. Now I bought amateur Kodachrome (as I'm not made of money) so my total cost for the roll was $7.19 for film + 4.99 for processing = $12.18 total.

Dwayne's charges 8.50 for a 36 exposure roll of Kodachrome...that INCLUDES the shipping...not that expensive, really.

Mike,

 

Where did you get the $8.50 per roll including shipping? On their PDF order form there is a $3.00 handling fee. So to my understanding, it's $8.50 per roll x # of rolls + $3.00 handling.

 

If I only process one roll, it's going to be $11.50 ($8.50 + $3.00).

Correct me if I'm wrong.

Cheapest? Try a Wal-Mart if one is close. Cost is only $4.88 at the Nashville, TN locations. The film left there is sent via Fuji envelope to Dwayne's for processing. They say to allow two weeks, but my experience is it's more like 9 or 10 days. Same price and time frame for E-6 films.

 

Have a COSTCO close and are a member? Cost there is $5.99 with return in 7 or 8 days. You can check on the return of any Kodak send out on the internet! When it says it's being returned to the store today, go by that day after the delivery time! Cost for E-6 is about $1 cheaper.

 

Cost for a roll of K64 from B&H and a Wal-Mart process is around $10.50 plus any tax your state charges. That's around $3 a roll cheaper than the local cost of the cheapest Kodak E-6 and the local Kodak Q-lab processing!

 

FYI, with me it doesn't have to be Kodachrome or nothing! In the last few months, I have shot K25, K64, K64 prof, K200, Agfa RS-X II 100, Kodak E100G+GX, Fuji Velvia 100F, Provia 400F, Kodak Ektachrome Infrared and a roll of the 800/1600 push, but can't recall whether it was Kodak or Fuji. It was long frozen in the freezer. Each of these films were chosen for the characteristics I needed at the time. Most were 35mm, but the ones available in 120 size have also been used.

 

As for the P&S that my wife uses, that's Kodak HD400 bought four rolls for $9 something at COSTCO or three rolls at $8 something at Wal-Mart, but I could use my buck or two off coupon there!

 

Robert Johnson

Binyuan, I just looked at the order form, and still don't see where you're seeing the extra cost for shipping...at the bottom of the form it says, "free shipping"... are you going to this website? http://www.happyd.com....click on "order form"...it still says 8.50 for a 36 exposure roll with free shipping.

You must be looking at the "K14 Movies.com" website...go to the "Happy D" website in my post above..it's the same place...I've used the Happy D form many times, it's always 8.50/roll with free shipping.

Honestly I thought about adding it to our lab TILL I looked into the chemical process a little more. Not too sure I want to get into that one but you never know if a machine was dropped on my door with work...... Honestly with running E-6, and the past EA5 & C-22 processes and now in the process of adding AR5 I can not see how enough K-14 can be processed to keep the machines in line (unless they are really small tanks). I will say though, as I look back to images shoot LONG before I was born and 99% of them are with Kodachrome and hold 100% of their original colors I am shocked! Then I see a little of the ektachrome stuff used at a wedding and think O I WISH HE USED KODACHROME on this one too!

 

To copy a quote from a PMA article:

"Among the eight lab closures was the company's Fair Lawn, N.J., facility, which is known as Kodak's last Kodachrome processing lab. Kodak representative Charles S. Smith advises, however, seven-day processing service of Kodachrome will be uninterrupted. "Kodak has entered into an agreement with an outside lab to provide the service," he explains.

 

The only U.S. labs listed on Kodak's website offering Kodachrome (K-14) service are Qualex in Fair Lawn and Dwayne's Photo Service, Parsons, Kan."

 

Kevin

www.AerialPhotoLab.com

Kevin,

 

If you want to learn more about the K-LAB processors and read all the manuals, go here:

 

http://www.kodak.com/global/en/service/Zmanuals/z50.shtml

 

This URL lists some of the downloadable manuals. I warn you some are VERY long, but are interesting reading if technically minded!

 

I believe the installation guide and other URL's are available here:

 

http://www.kodak.com/global/en/service/photofinishing/klab/index.shtml

 

Good luck!

 

 

Robert Johnson

I just got a roll of K64 done by Dwayne's after dropping it off at Wal*Mart. I got it back within a week, and the price was $3.88. I got cardboard mounts by default; not sure if you can request plastic mounts. Quality is top notch and virtually dust-free.

For turnaround time, expect about 12 days for now. I'm not sure of the specifics of the Fairlawn closing, but I suspect their rolls are already being forwarded. I shoot primarily Kodachrome and recently the mounts coming back have had the month/year stamp much deeper and with black ink. Stuff I've known coming from Fairlawn didn't have this style in the past.

 

I too can only second the hope that Kodachrome will continue to live on, even if it can only be developed by specialty shops (even if only one). I think Fuji sends to Dwayne's too, but I can only hope someone wants to obtain and run the K-14 equipment from Fairlawn.

 

All of its archival qualities notwithstanding, I've never found a film that can so perfectly capture the colors of the moment like Kodachrome. It may be finicky, but once you learn it you can truly capture reality. It's the only film I've yet shot that has truly made me realize the limitations of digital color matching systems!

 

ed

I actually just mailed a prepaid mailer to Fairlawn. I called Kodak to make sure it would be routed correctly and the pleasant young woman actually said it would be forwarded to the "Maryland" facility. I didn't know there was a facility left open in Maryland, but it was good news none-the-less.

 

Lets enjoy shooting the stuff while we can :)

I see no reason to try that obsolete film ... that's why it's expensive because no one wants to use it - and rightly so.

 

If you want to try Kodak's excellent slide films, look at Elite Chrome 100, E100GX(G), and possibly also E100VS. These are available e.g. from B&H photo-video by mail order.