***Kodachrome 200 discontinued***

It is official according to B&H and Dwayne's in Kansas, the film has been discontinued. Once current

supplies are depleted, the stuff is gone, hence my order for 200 rolls.

 

Strange that no official public announcement has been made.

Interesting risk to take... are you going to be able to use it while Dwayne's are still offering Kodachrome processing? I saw that in Japan there was news suggesting that all Kodachrome processing may cease about a year from now.

I dont believe that processing will be stopped a year from now. Kodak has to first discontinue ALL its Kodachrome films (this includes K64), and then they give a year or more after that processing for those films. I believe 120 Kodachrome was cancelled in late 90s and they had processing for it well into 2001.

As far as I know, the professional version of K200 (PKL) was the version that was discontinued; that was some months ago. However, the normal version, KL200 is still in current production.

Kodachrome production was cut from 24/7/365 to a monthly run some time ago, and there have been *many* rumors of it complete discontinuation, but unless you can provide links that verify what you are reporting, you are only stiring the pot. There does not appear to be anything on Dwanyes site about it, nor does BH show anything on their site. Is this information that you got over the phone from these sources or do you have a more tangable source?

 

- Randy

I beleive Mr. Bayer is doing a documentary with massive amount of Kodachrome and knows the people at Dwaynes so I doubt he is trying to stir up unnecessary rumors. At ay rate, this looks to definitely be a year of change for Kodak as they take a hard look at cutting costs. Already we have seen the selling of entire divisions and more massive layoffs. Kodachrome is being produced as a token gesture and its days of profitablity are long gone. Think about it, of all the serious photographers you know still using film, ask them (or yourself) how many rolls of Kodachrome they shot in the last year (let alone Kodachrome 200.) Their answer should give you a reasonable guess on the life expectancy of the product. My totals: 3 rolls K-64, 1 roll K-200.

Here was my first clue:

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/Kodachrome-KL-200-36-Slide-Film-New-

Exp-09-2007_W0QQitemZ130065607503QQihZ003QQcategoryZ74920QQrdZ1QQssPage

NameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

 

Believe me, I am not looking to stir the pot, just give people a heads up. I highly doubt

that Dwayne's would do that either so I have to take what they say as gospel. If anything, I

want more time to do this project, not less.

 

......I just talked to Kodak, it is official.

I'm sorry if I sounded harsh, but I still use Kodachrome and sometimes it get tiring to hear things bandied about without references. Thanks for the update.

 

- Randy

Kodachrome was never produced 24/7/365. The coating rooms run 24/7, but the room where Kodachrome is produced has always been shared with Ektachrome, motion picture, and a few other products.

 

About 20 years ago I helped to host a tour of the film manufacturing facilities for visitors from National Geographic. They were proud of the fact that they were the largest user of Kodachrome film. One visitor asked how long it took to produce all of the film they used in one year. After a few quick calculations, we told them, "About 15 minutes." Even the largest user of Kodachrome film used a tiny fraction of the millions of rolls that amateurs (used to) consume.

On 13 December 2006 I received an email from Kodak Consumer Imaging in response to a query about Kodachrome processing. Included was the sentence: "Kodak will still continue to sell Kodachrome 64 but have discontinued the 200 speed version on a stock out basis." I didn't post this at the time because customer service people are notoriously unreliable on matters such as this, but all the evidence seems to agree now. Not a good omen at all: Kodachrome 200 was a simply delightful film. It can only be a matter of time now before Kodak throws its hands up and completely pulls Kodachrome. I hope they give us at least a year from that date to shoot what we've got before processing ends.

 

I hope you'll all join me in enjoying Kodachrome while it lasts.

To answer Mr. Lawton's question:

 

50 rolls. I counted, January of 2006 to December 2006. Only three or four of them were K200, though. The others were all K64, with a smattering of K25s from a small batch I still have in the freezer.

 

I know...I'm a freak.

 

I any case, I'm sorry to see K200 go, but not terribly surprised. I liked the film, but only for a small number of situations, like day games at a baseball stadium, or at the zoo, when I wanted to use my telephoto lens and improve my chances of getting a steady hand-held shot. I have about 8 more rolls in the fridge. I'm sure I'll use them up over the next year or two.

I am on a commercial shoot for a week, I just want to take off and go do this project right

now. It is going to take awhile to shoot really meaningful images on 1,600 rolls of

Kodachrome. I have 170 of 25, 1,200 of 64 and the rest of 200.

 

It is a little nerve wracking to try to estimate how much time I have. I think I have 2-3

years to do it, just enough time.

 

You know, I have put a ton of thought, energy and money into this, It's time to do er'

good.

 

http://www.Kodachromeproject.com

Seeing Kodachrome 200 being discontinued is chilling mainly because it feels like we are now one step closer to the day that K-64 is discontinued. That is a truly scary thought.

 

That said, I haven't shot a roll of K-200 in almost a year because I found after a while that I preferred Elite Chrome 200's sharpness for most subjects.

 

As FYI, B&H now shows Kodachrome 200 as out of stock. That didn't take long.

 

Jim

what's the difference between PKR64 and KR64?

That K200 has been discontinued is no real suprise. Last I ordered super 8 film from Kodak the rep there said that although there were no definate plans to discontinue Kodachrome in 35mm that in all likelyhood all Kodachrome products would go away w/in a few years. There's also an envirionmental issue w/ the K-14 process. It's sad to see it go. But I do like the Ektacrhome films becuase I can process them at home. Even so nothing will ever replace our beloved Kodachrome. In terms of it's look and it's known archival qualities. Those of is in the Cine side of things have long been lamenting the loss of K-40 in 8/16mm. It seems now that all Kodachrome lovers will soon only be able to remember it rather than load it up. I wonder if Kodachrome 35mm prices will do w/ K-40 super 8 did: quadrupled. 1 super 8 cart of K-40 from the last run w/ procssing = $40/Still $30-$40 w/o processsing if it has a 2005-06 expiry date. Worse long, long gone K-40 sound film =$50=$65 per cart.

"Moma don't take my Kodachrom away" Paul Simon.

We need to keep a close eye on the expiration dates that now adorn any Kodachrome

purchased from here on out. So far the latest one seems to be 5/2008. This is a bit of a

gauge as to how long we can get it processed for.

 

Dwayne's seems to think they will soup it at least one year if not two after the discontinuation

of manufacture of all Kodachrome.

My info on Kodachrome production comes from a Kodak employee (chemical engineer) who worked for Kodak when they produced Kodachrome on that schedule. I would have to ask him when they produced at that rate, but I have no reason to doubt his memory.

 

- Randy

Regarding Kodachrome and comments about 'the days of profitability are long gone' - any ideas what Kodak and Dwayne's would have to charge to make a modest profit on K-64? While I primarily shoot E-6 films now, I would gladly pay a reasonable amount more for Kodachrome film and processing to ensure that it remains available for those occasions I'd like to use it.

 

Jim

I think the problem with Kodachrome 200 is that the dealers don't want to touch it. Many of them can't sell a brick (or whatever the minimum order is) of the stuff in the time it takes to expire. Since Kodachrome 200 was never reformulated to eliminate the color shift with aging of unexposed film, it's quite evanescent. Kodachrome 64 got that change, so it has more tolerable shelf life.

 

Also, I suspect that Kodak hasn't made a master roll of Kodachrome 200 in quite a while, so they are cutting and packaging the film with rather short expirations in the first place. (The master rolls are stored frozen.) This is probably also the reason for the re-demise of Kodachrome Professional 200, there wasn't a fresh enough master roll.

 

For instance, at the Cambridge, MA Calumet branch, they have about 10 rolls of Kodachrome 200 that expire in 2/2007. (Yes, they will be on the sale table in a couple of weeks, if anyone wants a "deal".) They just couldn't sell it through.

 

Calumet Cambridge also has Kodachrome 200 expiring in 8/2007, I bought 3 rolls for old time's sake, they're going in the film freezer. Has anyone bought this film from there and had it processed? How's the color balance? It would be nice not to have to use one roll just to see if it's on-color.

 

My prior roll of Kodachrome 200, bought from the nice folks at New England Photo, was quite magenta. That's why I bought these rolls from Calumet, they keep it refrigerated.

Randy,

 

Some of the confusion may come from what step we are talking about in "manufacturing" Kodachrome. Your contact may have been referring to film finishing (slitting perforating, spooling, and packaging). That was probably a 7 day operation. I was referring to the coating operation. During the peak years of Kodachrome production in the 80's I was the chemical engineer managing the formulations for all of the stuff we delivered down the pipes to the coating machine. We coated K-64 about 20 to 25 times a year. K-25 and K-200 each coated about a dozen times a year. In 1985 the K-40 super 8 film production was moved to France.

I've been away from Kodak for over a year so I have no precise information to share. If Kodak follows past patterns (not guaranteed) here is how the end of Kodachrome is likely to happen. At some point, Kodak will coat the last batch and put much of it in the freezer. They will continue to slit and spool the film to meet customer orders. When they estimate the remaining inventory will last one or two more years, they will announce that sales will last as long as inventory lasts. Processing will PROBABLY last for about 2 years after Kodak's last delivery. (Depends on Dwaynes.)

 

Lots of things are changing at Kodak so there is no guarantee this pattern will continue. I'm still willing to wager (small amounts) that Dwaynes will be running K-14 in 2010 (the 75th anniversary of Kodachrome).

Dwayne's may keep processing Kodachrome longer than Kodak will keep paying them to honor Kodak's mailers, or to handle processing for Qualex. But the price will go up then, there's gotta be some subsidy in there. The film does keep well when frozen, but refrigeration isn't enough. (I won a lot of Kodachrome 25 that had only been refrigerated, tested one roll, and it was way magenta, and I turned down the other 19 rolls.)

 

Interestingly, all 1500 rolls of Kodachrome 200 Dwayne's listed on eBay are still unsold. The market really is small for this stuff.

" I'm still willing to wager (small amounts) that Dwaynes will be running K-14 in 2010 (the

75th anniversary of Kodachrome)."

 

Mmmm....now that would be so cool!

 

I agree with the statement above too about 25, talk of hit or miss. I am having Dwayne's

snip batches full processing price.

 

But the rest,

 

God I love Kodachrome!!!

I could guess that the reason Dwayne's K200 hasn't sold is because they are asking $8.50 a roll and Adorama apparently has plenty at $7.19! For sure, Adorama has 50 less than yesterday, plus some K64 and K64pro because I ordered a few weeks earlier than planned for spring and summer on the K200 news.

 

Dwayne's also has less 16mm K40 than before, because I ordered some for my Bell&Howell 70DR. You can get by with K40 when you have an Angenieux 1 inch F/0.95, F/1.3 and F/1.8 lenses on the turret!

 

At present, I am shooting on K200 with an emulsion number of 2671, which appears Kodak has been spooling for some time with expirations of 2/2007 to the present batch of 10/2007. There could me more in that range, but I only have 4 different dates.

 

The present batch of K200 has the notice "storage: 55F(13C) recommended but not required." This notice is NOT on current K64 packaging.

 

Robert Johnson

The latest KL I've seen is 2671 and date 12/2007. I try to get some more KL, but it ain't that easy when not living in the USA. Recent rolls go pink quite easily. How much better was PKL?

 

I have to say that K200 is my all time favourite and I would have shot it exclusively if I would have known before. But everybody wanted to sell me Ektachrome.

 

About pushing: Does KL go more pink when pushed? Should I try 400, 500 or 800? I'm ready for grain, that is not the question, but a little worried about color balance.