end of an era

<p>http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/30/us/30film.html?_r=1&hp</p>

<p>The above is a nicely written article about the last roll of Kodachrome to be processed in the US (and I think the world because Dwayne's according to the article was the last processor). My last roll was processed in Fairlawn NJ x number of years ago. I still have a few aluminum 35mm canisters with the dome screw on lids with a rubber gasket. What color lid indicated Kodachrome?</p>

<p>WoW!</p>

<p>I remember being in the darkroom in college many a time for 8 eight hour stints. That was 1978. To think the last rolls are gone, is remarkable. Today film is a media card and the chemical's are Lightroom and PS</p>

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<p>Today film is a media card and the chemical's are Lightroom and PS</p>

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<p>Not for me Gary! : ) Just did another small published piece with film (negative). It appears at least as good as the rest which are all digital. Same day processing, Coolscan, and viola!</p>

<p>As far as Kodachrome, imho, K25 was so much better than the last version, 64. I moved to Ektachrome for my positive film about seven years ago, and never looked back. Have no interest whatsoever in digital with what the great modern films can do. </p>

<p>Yeah, I was late to discover that Kodachrome 25 is so much better than Kodachrome 64. But I sure used to like that extra 4/3 stops of speed! My last roll of Kodachrome 64 was disappointing, such gray color (on a gray day). So I let the remaining Kodachrome 64 (of unknown heritage) go unused, and only used up the 25 and 200 by last year (while the cheap mailers were still valid). Took the Kodachrome 64 out of the film fridge on Monday, no need to waste space on it.<br>

Minor error in the New York Times article, it's the last canister of cyan dye they opened, not blue.<br>

Interesting to see that this rush is what it took to get the line running at 100% duty cycle. Also explains why the price was so high, a lot of chemistry was spoiling if they were only running the line 2-3 hours a day.</p>

<p>Mr. Dressler...</p>

<p>"It was a long run I am glad it is over." </p>

<p>You are a thoughtful contributor here on Photonet whose opinion is worth listening to. May I ask why you are glad that Kodachrome is gone? </p>

<p>A. T. Burke</p>

<p>Kodachrome, like Velvia 50, is a "love it or hate it" film. The color reproduction was not accurate, but (to many) very appealing, especially on Caucasian skin tones. There were a lot of wonky inter-layer effects in the controlled re-exposure steps. Dark reds reproduced as brown.<br>

Similarly, Velvia is a subjective interpretation. Greens go yellowish, other colors are off. But they are very powerful colors. Works with the desert southwest nature palette, but can look horrible in other contexts.<br>

There are serious upsides to Kodachrome: stability, sharpness.<br>

There are serious downsides to Kodachrome: very high contrast and narrow exposure latitude, processing hassles (Qualex/Kodalux did a terrible job after divestiture), Kodachrome 64 had weak color saturation, weird Cyan dye makes it a bear to scan, and high Dmax makes it a bear to scan.<br>

A lot of people swore off Kodachrome forever due to the Qualex/Kodalux debacle. Processing Kodachrome with the necessary quality control was not consistent with Qualex/Kodalux's push to the bottom on prices (and thus quality).<br>

Interesting that one of the folks who did a huge processing order at the deadline was a railfan. Lots of railfans making "roster shots" of locomotives insisted on using nothing but Kodachrome to the end. It was the expected standard for such shots. Also, the sharpness advantage of Kodachrome really shows on the headlights of the locomotives, any other color film will get a halo around the headlight, due to diffusion within the much thicker emulsion full of dyes.</p>

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<p>Today film is a media card and the chemical's are Lightroom and PS</p>

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<p>Perhaps in your world - not in mine!</p>

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<p>Same day processing, Coolscan, and <strong>viola</strong>!</p>

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<p>You used an oversized violin?!</p>

<p>I should keep a roster of the ways to spell "voila" in English... "Wa-la" is almost as common in posts as the mid-sized string instrument.<br>

(It just means "look there")</p>

<p>Well, I got an email that my next-to-last batch is on the way home, and that my last batch was received in parsons yesterday, well under the wire... itching with anticipation!</p>