Kodachrome Away

<p>I shot an roll of KM of unknown vintage on Friday. I brought it to the Post Office this afternoon to send it by Express Mail to Dwayne's. I was told that from Northern NJ to Parsons, KS is a two day service. I have one roll of KR left but I might just shoot some blizzard shots now and get the film in by 5:00 if I want any safety factor for the 30th. I wonder whether Dwayne's will consider extending the deadline for a day or two because of the weather.</p>

<p>The only way to find out is to call them, although everyone else may have the same idea.... :(</p>

<p>No one here can <em>tell</em> you, only <em>guess</em>. I wouldn't bet on it if I were you.</p>

<p>This time of year, there is always bad weather in some part of the country. Since they set the deadline at noon on Dec 30, Dwayne's has been consistent. MY GUESS is that they will stay with the deadline. I shipped my last roll today to provide some safety factor.</p>

<p>I need to wait till the very last minute - I've 1 roll left. 'Just what the heck do they mean by "overnight" if it is in fact 2 days? The oversized envelopes for $18 at the P.O. spell out "Express" and "Urgent". Oh, also "Guarenteed"</p>

<p>Will Priority Mail today get it there in time?</p>

<p>I brought mine in to the post office today. I was told that Priority would not be reliable because of the weather (I live in the northeast, and it looked like even the post office near the subway stop wasn't able to get all the staff in) so I used Express.</p>

<p>I called the post office. They were only open today until 3 in my town in N.J. There was only one open today. They said priority may not make it there in time since the planes are delayed due to the weather. I could send it express but it is 18 bucks and the post office said it would get there by Thursday. The rolls I have are not important and I have 3 that need to be shot. I always wait until last minute. Oh well. No loss.</p>

<p>I took a roll into Walmart last week, but I didn't want to depend on them this week. Since it has to go from the store to a Fuji lab to Dwaynes, I think Walmart is now out of the K-14 processing business. (I usually had to teach the clerk how to fill out the envelope.)</p>

<p>I've shipped Express Mail to Dwayne's before and it's always been a two day service. If you read the fine print of USPS Express Mail, it says it's overnight to <em>most</em> locations. I once had to mail stuff to a friend of mine who was on vacation in Montana and that was also two days via express mail.</p>

<p>Your best bet is to overnight via FedEx, UPS, DHL, etc.</p>

<p>I just checked out FedEx rates. Supposing I ship on the 29th, from New Jersey, supposing my shipment weighs one pound, FedEx will get it to Dwayne's by 9:00 am on the 30th for $88.22 or 10:30 am for $55.99. UPS cost for 10:30am is the same.</p>

<p>I went for broke. After sending the roll of KM in I then shot my very last roll of Kodachrome, a roll of KR. The KM was shot with a Canon FTbN and the KR with a Canon F-1. The cold did not seem to bother the F-1 at all. The roll of KR was also sent by Express Mail and is also supposed to get to Dwayne's on Wednesday. I wonder whether it's a 2 Day service by Express Mail because I'm sending it from NJ or because it's going to Parsons, KS. The next thing I send Dwayne's will be a roll of E6 film in a Fuji mailer. </p>

<p>I just shipped mine from 03450 to Dwaynes at 4:45 pm by priority and they said that it should easily make it there in time, now that the post office is free of the xmas rush. Up here in new england we have a lot less snow, more like 10 inches which is fairly common, and the works are said to be running smoothly. I can understand how there may be delays in jersey and NYC though.</p>

<p>My 2nd to the last roll shipped UPS BLUE 2nd day air today, $15.84 for shipping. I kept the last roll in the box mostly for the memories. I shot my first roll of Kodachrome as a kid in 1960 with a 40's era Kodak 35 rangefinder. The roll that I sent today went through a trusty Nikon FA. Adios Kodachrome, its been a blast!</p>

<p>I shipped a roll out today by USPS Priority Mail and the mailing machine at the post office said it would arrive by Wednesday "Expected Delivery Wednesday" is the actual wording. I put Delivery Confirmation on it so I'll just check to see if it got there in a couple days. That being said it was a half roll anyway, I only shot 19 exposures total out of 36 before I had to drop it in the mail today. I should have brought the camera with me to lunch today with a friend but forgot it. I have one more roll which I may shoot tomorrow and mail off by 5pm by Express. </p>

<p>I got an email from Dwayne's on Dec. 22 stating that my Kodachrome slides were developed and were shipped that day by U.S. Postal Service Priority mail. I ordered them with the Kodak certified packaging and processing and, just for kicks, scans as well. I'm looking forward to receiving them so I hope this nasty weather clears up soon!</p>

<p>Don't fool with the Postal Service, too unreliable. Use Federal Express. My last 4 rolls go out tomorrow, the 28th, just to have a "buffer" of 1 day. Dwayne's should get it by the morning of the 29th.</p>

<p>I have to finish off the current roll plus 36 frames this morning, then send a total of 6 rolls off via UPS this afternoon. Their web site says I should have no problem getting it there on time. I'm keeping my fingers crossed...</p>

<p>I know it has been said over and over, but I must say it again: 'Tis a sad day indeed to be losing an old friend like Kodachrome. I used it in 120 format (K64) and I am always astounded when I view those transparencies. Nothing like it.</p>

<p>I've just learned that my last 31 rolls of Kodachromes will not make it to Dwayne's. It was supposed to be Int Express Mail and I gave it plenty of time but due to some last minute US parcel weight limit ban the package was sent by sea freight instead of plane... it will take weeks to get to US if will ever make it...</p>

<p>At 6:45 P.M. and I just make it in to UPS - and the "overnight guy" just walks in! 15 minutes before that, I leave the post office 'cause the clerk says "31st earliest" for Overnight Express. 1 hour before all that I finished my very last roll of Big K, the last remains of 2 bricks in my 'fridge since 6/09. Tomorrow its off to Calumet or Central Camera Mart for my 1st roll of Ektar 100.</p>

<p>Bogdan, If I had one wish in the world for now, it would be to find your 31 rolls where/whatever ship they're on, get them the hell out of there and get them to Dwayne's right now.</p>

<p><strong>How hard would it be for Dwaynes to fire up the machines at the end of January 2011 for a final processing run for all the stragglers?</strong></p>

<p>On Monday 12/27 I shipped my last 5 rolls of Kodachrome to Dwayne's-Super 8mm Movies!<br>

Few people realize that Kodachrome was first available as movie stock. 35mm came out a year later. I sure hope the U.S. Postal service gets them there...I used Express mail even though Kansas is only one state away. You just can't trust the USPS not to screw things up anymore....</p>

<p>Andre,</p>

<p>From a purely economic standpoint, it would make no sense for Dwayne's NOT to develop the stragglers, so long as chemistry is left over after processing all of the rolls that came in before the noon 30 December deadline.</p>

<p>If there are couplers left over, why not process the stragglers until all the chemistry is exhausted? To NOT do so is the equivalent of just throwing money away. If there are hundreds of rolls that arrive "late" and if there are sufficient couplers still unused, processing those rolls would yield Dwayne's a windfall of extra revenue.</p>

<p>I can't see any small- to medium-size business walking away from a certain revenue stream guaranteed to make the company money. Of course, once the chemistry is all used up, there is nothing that can be done.</p>

<p>Mailed my last 10 rolls on the 27 at 11 a.m.; postman said only would guaratee there by 30th if I used Express, which I did. It arrived at Dwayne's at 8:37 a.m. today. 25 bucks to mail it Express, but I had no second chances.</p>