Film Users Are WIMPS!

<p>You're all a bunch of sheep going to the slaughter! And everyone, like Daniel Bayer, with your "Oh, it's so sad that Kodachrome..." So Sad? Shed a tear? Where's the RAGE?! Where's the ANGER?! The clenched fists waving & heaving in the air?! If I was in New York I'd organize a demonstration in front of Kodak corporate headquarters to give'em a piece of my mind! I know. I'm a film user. And it's getting scary...</p>

<p>Yup. E6 home developing...just about done. I am seriously looking at several digital beasties to take over my color stuff. B&W, I have a fridge-full of film, so I'll hang in there for a while on that.</p>

<p>I am not a wimp. I am at peace because being a B&W photographer I know my soul is pure. :)</p>

<p>Kodachrome passed because everyone voted with their wallets a long time ago as the pro market and then the consumer one went digital. C41 is probably heading the same way as you see fewer and fewer places doing 1 hr consumer processing. :( Rage, anger and ranting won't help, shooting film will. :)</p>

<p> </p>

I didn't care for Kodachrome when it was still available, so why should I mourn its passing now?

 

Demonstrate all you want - it'll achieve nothing. If you wish to keep film in production, buy enough of it

that the producer can turn a worthwhile profit. Anything else is just a load of self-indulgent tosh.

<p> That's just the way the world is. If it does not sell then it stops being made. Protest all you want but the company is just trying to keep it's doors open. I do shoot Kodak film but a company will not exist just because some old guy in Calif shoots a few rolls of film on his day off work. Plant some money trees in the polluted Kodak park and they can just pluck off a few hundred million every year. That should keep them going pretty good.</p>

<p><strong>Do not go gentle into that good night, <br />Old age should burn and rage at close of day; <br />Rage, rage against the dying of the light.</strong></p>

<p><strong>-Dylan Thomas</strong></p>

<p><strong>OK, so we rage and protest and shake our fists in the air. What happens after that? Maybe we feel better for the cathartic experience. </strong></p><div></div>

<p>I shoot and process 4-5 rolls of film a week.</p>

<p>Hmm....rioting in Egypt.....I see a connection here.</p>

<p>Haven't used Kodachrome 25 for over a quarter century since I switched to MF. I believe Pan X ASA 32 120 was discontinued by Kodak in late 80's. I moved up.</p>

<p>Since then I've used very little yellow box product over the years and carry no romanticized notions regarding their film at all. I'd trade the lot of it for a supply of fresh Agfapan 100 and a few gallons of Rodinal. </p>

<p> </p><div></div>

<p>Well Acufine and Tri-X is still a favorite of mine but Foma 200T in Hc-110 and Rodinol has become a stand-by along with Efke 100 and Rollei 80s.</p>

<p>Acufine? Why anybody knows it's D-76 at 8 minutes at whatever temperature it happens to be at!</p>

Ron,

 

It was a cold, cold day in Rochester and all over the world when you and others shot their last roll of Kodachrome.

<p>I mixed the caption- the square crop is obviously 700 x 700 pixels from the full tiff file- but the point is when you can lift the face out of a 3/4 shot at 700 x 700 pixels with this kind of clarity - as long as there are photographers who know the difference and an educated discerning clientele, film isn't going anywhere.</p>

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<p>LOL I have not used D-76 in 20 years.</p>

<p>Ermmm...what? I am a bit sad, but not utterly so, my goal was to see it reach 75 years, it did that and I think that is a miracle given the economy. I shot over 30,000 images I am making into a book, with the last Kodachrome frames ever shot closing it all. Now what makes me really sad is the state of industry for talented and driven professionals. I spent over $60,000 in doing that project, passed on work, lost clients, have just enough in the bank to cover my rent next month and that is IT! So sadly enough, the very camera and lens that shot the LAST frame of Kodachrome ever is on ebay right now along with other gear. I wish I could keep it and the other Leica lenses, but you do what you have to I guess.<br>

<br /> But I am not sad. I am happy that my goals in doing the Kodachrome Project were exceeded. I am happy that I now have a wonderful wife who is giving up *everything* she has ever known to be with me in a place that I can still make a living at what I love to do. I am happy that I still have a ton of gear left including a full Blad system, XPan, Nikons, room in my office to set up my enlarger and about two years worth of film and chemistry to use on new projects. I am happy that Kodak still makes Tmax 100, 400 and Tri-X, Plus-X in 35mm if I want it.<br>

<br /> I am happy that I still have enough un-tapped talent and drive to where maybe, just maybe....if I am really lucky, I might be able to set enough money aside to actually own a home one day like some of YOU DO instead of living month to month in a 850 Sq. foot apartment. I am happy I have my health, my youth and my family.<br>

<br /> You can't stop what is happening, the digital and internet age destroying just about everything in it's path, job losses, arts being swallowed up into computers, billions of garbage snapshots filling the bandwidth, people nearly running into each other on the streets because they no longer make eye contact as it has been replaced by i-contact.<br>

<br /> I have never got anywhere with fist waving rage, only well thought out communication that takes more then just my view into perspective.</p>

<p>Why all the rage now? It's over and done with. We knew for a year and a half it was going away. There was anger and disgust from some people when it was announced. That was the time to squawk if you were going to. What could a demonstration accomplish now, except make you look like a damn fool for just getting around to it? Hey, if you're serious enough about it to call others wimps, buy a ticket to Rochester and have at it.</p>

<p>You are criticizing Daniel Bayer? He's maintained a mature approach to it, knowing that like it or not, ranting and moaning was not going to bring back Kodachrome, so we should enjoy it while we still had it. Daniel created the Kodachrome Project some years back to promote Kodachrome use and appreciation, and give aficionados like me a place to communicate and share our enthusiasm about the films and share our sadness and frustration over its loss. What did <em><strong>you</strong></em> do?</p>

<p>Here's a small thing you can do: re-introduce snapshot photographers to user-friendly film cameras. There are lots of folks who aren't digitally inclined. A few days of frustration with a digital P&S and they never pick the thing up again. What I do is try to find them something along the lines of an Olympus Stylus or Stylus Epic. Problem solved and now they're shooting film.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>re-introduce snapshot photographers to user-friendly film cameras.There are lots of folks who aren't digitally inclined. A few days of frustration with a digital P&S and they never pick the thing up again.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>What demographic encounters this frustration with simple point and shoots? I'm guessing its not going count for any long range planning or for buying anybody's beloved high end film to put in their Stylus.</p>

<p><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=2418058">D F</a> </p>

<blockquote>

<p>Where's the RAGE?! Where's the ANGER?! The clenched fists waving & heaving in the air?! If I was in New York I'd organize a demonstration in front of Kodak corporate headquarters......</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I think Kodak must have had even greater rage and anger towards those *@&$##!!***$@ photographers who deserted film for the #@$%!!#%&!**** crap called digital cameras for quite a while before pulling the plug on Kodachrome. I think I can feel Kodak's pain. Each time I tried to encourage people to shoot film the conversation would always touch my nerve and I would be close to losing my temper. Even if Kodachrome was not discontinued recently it would still have met the same fate at a later stage. Let us direct the anger towards our "friends" (idiots) who had dumped film. </p>

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<p>Let us direct the anger towards our "friends" (idiots) who had dumped film.</p>

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<p>I'm still seething with rage at those morons buying all those Brownies. </p>

<p>Eric S, Kodak was one of the pioneers in digital imaging, making a digital back for the Nikon F3 way back in 1991. Have a read here:</p>

<p>http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/nikonf3ver2/variations/index.htm#DCS</p>

 

<p>I have a Kodak digital back from 95 that is mounted on a Nikon N90.</p>

<p>I thought this was a silly post but unfortunate that the OP called out Dan like that.</p>

<p>I think Dan is a great artist. </p>

Larry, I remember those, it looked like a German Sheppard mounted on a Yorkie...;-)

 

Called out, I don't know, I actually thought he was joking, had to read it a couple times. He might as well have called out Josh Root too since he was at the same meeting I was in Rochester a couple years back.

 

The silly thing is that the OP has no idea how often I call or write the gang at the big yellow to figure out new ways to keep our head in the game. The people who care about film the most at Kodak need our help, plain and simple and not just with our wallets. I have no problem being a "volunteer" to the cause for film, plan to address this big time at Look3 this year. We can't force people to use it but we have to show a stable enough base for key products to stick around.

 

Remember, I conceived the idea / notion of the Kodachrome Project over 6 years ago, I knew it's days were numbered as did most pros.