Kodachrome processing

<p>I came across someone selling kodachrome films on ebay who claims that there may be a way of developing them. Is this true? Doesanyone have experience of this?</p>

Seems to be possible to process it as b+w, forget color processing.

<p>Look at the threads here we had one that went real long and then went dead. Only way is as a B&W film and that is iffy at times. SAVE your money for some Provia 100F.</p>

<p>What do you make of this? <a href="http://www.processc22.co.uk/">http://www.processc22.co.uk/</a></p>

<p>http://www.processc22.co.uk/ - interesting.. but here's what they say..<br>

<strong>"We are still hoping to process in colour one day, but only time will tell if<br /> this will even be possible. Experiments are still being planned...! </strong><br />In the meantime get it done with us in black/white..."<br>

so maybe I'll just keep that case of KII in the deepfreeze..<br /><br>

It is a dye-transfer process that *can* be done by hand, if you know what you're doing, but it's not trivial.<br /></p>

<p>I agree 100% that there is no way to process kodachrome after Kodak stopped making the chemicals<br>

and Dwayne's shut down the machines for the last time. <br>

However Kodachrome was invented by two musicians working in a hotel room WOW<br>

and after asa 10 Kodachrome ( a great film) was replaced by Kodachrome II asa 25.<br>

Dynachrome started making and processing asa 10 movie film.<br>

that was almost a clone of the older Kodachrome.<br>

I read they later offered an asa 25 version. I do not know if this was compatible with kodachrome II processing.<br>

and I suspect, since they were in Rochester, there was a bit of back and forth between Kodak and dynacolor. I don't really know.<br>

It may indeed be POSSIBLE, But it is very very unlikely.<br>

Just like a converter to take digital photos with an older film camera.<br>

never happen.<br>

I would not buy any Kodachrome unless you can find a time machine..<br>

as all of use, we were sorry to see it go away,<br>

'but it was partly our fault as we did not use enough of it.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Walter you forgot a bunch of History. 10 became 12 12 became 16 16 became 25 25 became 64 and all through this the process dyes and processing changed. There was even the short lived 200 and a prototype 400 but also Agfa Chrome/Dyna chrome/ ORWO Chrome all in the additive process.</p>

<p>"Dye transfer" is a name given to imbibition processes like Technicolor and dye transfer prints. Three B&W matrix films are developed so that the film is thicker in darker areas. Dyes are imbibed into these matrix films. These films are then brought into contact with receiver material so that the dye can transfer from one film to the other. <br>

Kodachrome processing involves forming the dye in the film in the same layer as the exposed silver halide grains. There is no transfer of dye. It would be possible to process by hand IF you had the couplers which are no longer made. If you want to hire a synthetic chemist to synthesize the couplers and take a couple years (full time) to work out the kinks, you might be able to get a color image. <br>

The K-14 process is described <a href="http://homepage.mac.com/randrews4/Kodachrome/KodachromeC.htm">here</a> startring on slide 10. </p>

<p>Kodachrome. Probably the most talked about film in history. For good reason. A Phenomenon.</p>

<p>Let it go people .................... let it go. </p>

<p>I'm not letting it go. I wish I shot more of it because it was the most beautiful film ever made.</p>

<p>it has those nice bright colors and the greens of summer......</p><div></div>

<p>Likewise and it's not because we stopped buying it it's because it was pushed too much by magazine editors. After a gap i gor a copy of amateur photographer only to find it stuffed with images that were mostly velvia or provia. Velvia was very strong and provia had a slight magenta cast at least to my eye kodachrome 64 was the most natural slide film i ever used</p>

<p>While it is theoretically possible to eventually synthesize the couplers and other chemicals, remember that the remaining supply of Kodachrome continues to age (even while frozen). I will treasure (and carefully store) my many Kodachromes and scan the ones that are most important to me. And I will just be satisfied with that.</p>

<p>I loved all Kodachromes, I switched to Astia 100F/Velvia in about 2000. Now that E6 films are coming to an end I regret switching and losing the consistency of look that comes from using one film and one film only. Kodachrome is however, I still maintain, more difficult to scan. It is a wonder when projected though.</p>

<p>I personally loved 25, hated 64. </p>

<p>While Kodak has shut it down, and any re-start would involve a ton of money, effort, and commitment, it is possible. Remember Classic Coke? If there was enough demand and enough profit, I can see Kodak doing some sort of classic re-release. Imagine a "Relive the Magic of Kodachrome" month. </p>

<p>Classic Coke was a mass market product purchased by millions of consumers every single day around the world. Slide film is a niche product within the rapidly shrinking film marketplace that can optimistically count thousands (maybe 10s of thousands) of users at best. Kodachrome was an even smaller slice within that niche. Kodak stopped making Kodachrome because we stopped buying it. It's now at a chicken or the egg point -- how do you convince people to start buying it again when it's not made anymore. And how do you convince Kodak (or anyone else) to start making it again when nobody's buying it.</p>

<p>I would not shoot anything that can not be recreated or is important on Kodachrome at this point. The B/W process (according to most of the sites that do the B/W process) is 50/50 at best. Some shots may work some may not. </p>

<p>As for the arguement that Kodak will restart or rerelease Kodachrome - I highly doubt it. They may release something that is close to it, but there is no way they will introduce a new (old) chemical process which by all accounts requires a degree of skill, time and experience that no one hour photo shop is going to pay for.</p>

<p>Dave</p>

 

<p>As i pointed out people stopped using kodachrome in favour of fujichrome because editors preferred it. Most natural history photographers preferred kodachrome as it gave more faithful colour reproduction slide film is only a niche because people do not understand how good it is. It's a question of raising awareness</p>

<p>We've experimented with processing Kodachrome into color and have looked at samples of others attempts. While some semblance of color can be had it is a risky compromise. At very best, Kodachrome that is in stellar condition, it is possible to get a color image that may perhaps have some "lomo" appeal to it but it retains none of the original charm that made Kodachrome desirable in the first place. The procedure is time consuming and therefore expensive and to add to that, if the film is not in good condition there is risk of losing everything for the sake of color. </p>

<p>We don't advise that anyone use this film with the hope of there at some point being a desirable process for the film. That likely will never happen. For someone to invest the time and expense to devise an acceptable process for a film that is no longer being produced, is also unlikely.</p>

<p>To add to this, Kodachrome films, unprocessed are deteriorating faster than most other films. With a Kodachrome that is in the best of conditions, the results in B&W are about like Tri-x with less shadow detail but we are experiencing fewer and fewer films where even this is true.</p>

<p>Bottom line, if you have old Kodachrome that is shot and may have something of importance on it, don't attempt to have it processed into color. In our opinion, better to have an acceptable B&W image than a highly degraded color one, or alternately to get something recognizable in B&W vs nothing in color. If you have unshot Kodachrome perhaps put it in the freezer for future use but don't get your hopes up that there will ever again be a decent process for it.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>I agree 100% that there is no way to process kodachrome after Kodak stopped making the chemicals and Dwayne's shut down the machines for the last time. </p>

</blockquote>

<p> <br>

Not 100% as Stephen Frizza in Australia did it recently. He has no plans to provide a commercial service though.<br>

<br>

<a href="http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=120402428090052&id=192853034081634&comment_id=80683">http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=120402428090052&id=192853034081634&comment_id=80683</a><br>

<br>

</p>

<p>Why is there this constant reference to aging? I had kodachrome 25 outside in the open for 6 years then i heard it was being discontinued and decided to try it. The results were perfect as far as i could see and on another thread someone had some much longer</p>

<p>The link by Steve Smith here to Stephen Frizza is by far the very best results I've seen of newly developed Kodachrome film in color. I've sent Stephen a message asking for a skype meeting to discuss what he's done here. By reading what's posted it sounds like he's come across some discontinued Kodachrome chemicals but I'm curious to have a conversation with him. Thanks for posting this link Steve!</p>

<p>Manuel...we process about 30 or 40 rolls of this film each month from various vintages. It is unpredictable on how it has stood up. We get rolls newer than the mid 2000s that come out very well and other that are newer that don't. Unlike virtually every other expired film, it is difficult to predict the results....especially with the latest version of the film. This is anecdotal on conversations with our customers as to the actual vintage of the film and how it was stored. It is no surprise that your film came out well but it would be a surprise if all rolls of the exact generation of the film you had would have the same result. It's not at all our experience with this film.</p>

<p>Another link on the same topic:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.apug.org/forums/forum40/103711-reports-colour-kodachrome-home-processing-emerge-sydney.html">http://www.apug.org/forums/forum40/103711-reports-colour-kodachrome-home-processing-emerge-sydney.html</a></p>

<p>I have 60 rolls of the last batch in vacuum sealed bags under hundreds rolls of other film at -20 in my freezer, they were what was left of the 1,284 rolls I shot since September 2006. If I see a really "Kodachrome" looking option for processing appear that does not cost some ridiculous amount, I will shoot some of it, otherwise, I have some 35,000 frames of that beautiful film to cherish as I move on with all black and white film. </p>