Kodachrome discontinued at B&H!

Hi All-<br />I have been showed (by the Kodachrome project forums...great place!) that B&H has discontinued Kodachrome. I spoke with a man at B&H a while back and he told me that once they sold out the Kodachrome stock that they had they would discontinue it. As far as they have told me Freestyle is still committed to carrying it. I have not seen anything from Kodak that says it is discontinued and I talked to Kodak the other day about Kodachrome and they said nothing. So I guess that it is only B&H that has said goodbye for now. Check it out at <br /><a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/27956-USA/Kodak_1528306_KR_135_36_Kodachrome_64.html" target="_blank">http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...chrome_64.html</a><br /><br />Help preserve Kodachrome and shoot it! Also please visit The Kodachrome Project site <a href="http://www.kodachromeproject.com/" target="_blank">http://www.kodachromeproject.com/</a><br />and join the wonderful Kodachrome Project forums.<a href="http://www.kodachromeproject.com/forum/index.php" target="_blank">http://www.kodachromeproject.com/forum/index.php</a>

Please check out the APUG site where I have posted this as well. <a href="http://www.APUG.org">www.APUG.org</a>. They are another great photo resource.<br />

<p>It could be an error. I know that sell outs are common due to the low stock on hand.</p>

<p>That is what I hope. I will call them tommorrow.</p>

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<p>I have not seen anything from Kodak that says it is discontinued and I talked to Kodak the other day about Kodachrome and they said nothing.</p>

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<p>They said nothing, or they said nothing about it being discontinued?</p>

<p>From what I am getting from my sources, this is unique to B&H. I expect we will know what is going on by mid day tomorrow.</p>

<p>Adorama is showing it in the sidebar. Im surprised to see B&H get rid of it before them.</p>

<p>I have a meeting with a Kodak exec at PMA next week. Keep an eye on the photo.net PMA coverage, I'll try to see if I can get any info on Kodachrome's lifespan.</p>

<p>Hi Josh, I've heard things about discontinuing Kodachrome processing as well. I think Dwaynes is the last to do processing, if I recall. Can you ask about this as well?</p>

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<p>I think Dwaynes is the last to do processing, if I recall.</p>

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<p>Dwaynes is the last Kodachrome processing lab in the world at this time. That's pretty common knowledge.</p>

<p>The rule of thumb I have been told in regards to processing as told by several people including Kodak and Dwayne's is that the support for processing has to remain in place to support the last expiration date on the last batch sold. In this case, the most recent batch is expiration 03/2010.</p>

<p>The lab also has stated that if there is enough volume and a large final batch of K-14 chemistry can be had on the final order from the lab, there could be an additional 6-12 months of K-14 processing service beyond this product expiration date.</p>

<p>But who the heck knows...I sure don't and I wish I did. I still have a lot of projects and film to shoot. I want to be shooting this film in 2010, even if it is only up until March or so.</p>

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<p>unfortunately it maybe time to switch to Velvia.......</p>

<p>thats not good at all.</p>

<p>If it's unique to B&H, then the solution is simple.....they discontinue sales of Kodachrome.....we discontinue purchases at B&H. </p>

<p>Simple. Problem solved.</p>

<p>Velvia may be a better fit for Paul Simon's song (gives you the greens of summer, makes you think all the word's a sunny day, oh yeah.) Velvia is not a good substitute for K-64. In fact there is no good substitute for K-64. Nothing else has this color pallete with bright reds, subdued greens and cyanish skies. Nothing else is as sharp in a long throw projector where the relief image comes into play. Some of the newer Ektachromes will last as long as Kodachrome, but Velvia wont match it. </p>

<p>K-64 is far from a perfect film, but it is impressive for a product that is celebrating its 35th birthday this year.</p>

<p>I just called Kodak, Kodachrome 64 IS NOT DISCONTINUED. So then I called BH. First, they told me it was discontinued. When I told them that I had just talked to Kodak, that was not true, they then tried to tell me that they were not reordering because they were not sure Kodak would be able to fill the order (???), plus, film processing for Kodachrome was very difficult to find, only 1 lab was left in the world, it is hard to find a place to process it. When I mentioned that you can drop Kodachrome off at any KMart, Walmart, or CVS in the, processing was actually easy to find, they changed their tune again. Now the line was that they WERE back ordering it, but listed it as discontinued as they were not sure Kodak would fill their order.</p>

<p>Reading between the lines, it looks like they simply dont WANT to carry it any longer. Maybe They are not happy with the margin Kodak is offering them on it, who knows? At any rate, it is a huge disappointment, and knife in the back to Kodachrome.</p>

<p>I think they don't want to carry it because they are not sure to sell it. Kodachrome is the kind of stuff that can sit on the shelves for months and then suddenly you sell 100 rolls to one single customer.</p>

<p>Well, thats good news wrapped in bad. Hopefully they pull their heads out and get back on it at BH. Or, maybe Kodak doesnt want to admit they discontinued it but BH knows, somehow, and so are listing it as discontinued... hope im wrong. <br>

Would be nice to see Kodak do some promotion of the film, make it easier for people who really dont know a lot about the film or how to use it, to begin using it. Offer mailers again for 10$ with prints and a photo CD included. Could help to keep it around a bit longer.</p>

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<p>they then tried to tell me that they were not reordering because they were not sure Kodak would be able to fill the order (???)</p>

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<p>I wouldn't place all the blame at B&H's feet on this. It's pretty clear that Kodak is winding down Kodachrome production. If not now, then at some point. It may be that Kodak in fact IS telling B&H "We may not be able to fill your order". It may also be the case that they are not "officially" discontinuing it until sometime in the future. So Kodak's company line may be "Oh no, it's still a current film" even though they may have done the last production run already.</p>

<p>I know that people love Kodachrome and that emotions run high when a favorite film is discontinued. But let's not look for a conspiracy behind every tree or look for people to demonize. Both Kodak and B&H have logical reasons for what they are doing and neither of them are dishonest as companies in my experience.</p>

<p>I understand what you are saying Josh, but perception is a powerful thing and B&H carries a lot of it. At this point, some transparency is in order, no pun intended. I just wrote B&H again. I told them they need to change the wording in this case, it is putting out the wrong message and will only help to further the demise of Kodachrome, not help it. If they do not change the wording, they have lost a customer of over 30 years. </p>

<p>Of course, if we have purchased the last rolls of the last coating, then this is an entirely different story.</p>

<p>OK, I am getting some feedback now, there is suspicion that this is a programmer error at the store and that it is just out of stock, should have word fairly soon.</p>

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<p>Nothing else is as sharp in a long throw projector</p>

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<p>Try Astia 100F - its as sharp and has less grain. It may not be quite as contrasty as K64, but its finer grain does help compensate - it also has a neutral palette not all that unlike K64.</p>

<p>Neither the PKR-135-36 or KR 135-36 KODACHROME 64 have been discontinued by Kodak. Both Cat #'s are currently available. This is official, the listing in B&H will be corrected. </p>

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<p>I confess that I have not shot Kodachrome in over 15 years, but I got a similar story from B+H regarding Velvia 100F in November 2006. It was labeled "discontinued" on the website, and when I emailed customer service I got the following reply:<br /><br /><VELVIA RVP 100-F 135-36 FUJICHROME<br />Sorry, this item is discontinued from the manufacturer.<br />B&H has no further access to selling this item. >></p>

<p>Calls to Fuji revealed there must have been a delay in supply, and indeed B+H had it again a few weeks later, and still has it (though oddly it doesn't appear in their print catalogs). I like B+H very much but agree that this blanket "discontinued" nomenclature they use only helps spread false rumors and makes us all jumpy. As mentioned I no longer shoot Kodachrome, but for you devotees I sincerely hope this ends well.</p>

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<p>Yes, they did the same "Discontinued" listing with Elite Chrome 200 (still available everywhere) and Elite Chrome Extra Color (EBX) (still available from Adorame, as well as my local camera store, who called Kodak to confirm they can order more). they really need to get this fixed, it just sets of panics.</p>

<p>I just ordered 20 rolls from Freestyle, I suggest everyone does the same. Better safe than sorry.</p>