Large Format Kodachrome history question

Hi all--

Just a little bit of history information wanted here. Roughly when was the last

time Kodak offered Kodachrome in 4x5 or larger? I have a box of 4x5, but it's

from the 1940's. Being a late bloomer to photography, this is something I

missed out on. Maybe I'll find some old large format Kodachrome images at a

grage sale someday...

 

Anyway, anyone here know much Kodachrome history?

 

Thanks!

Matt

I have a book entitled "KODACHROME and How to Use It" printed in 1940. The ASA of Kodachrome then was 8 !

The previous poster was close, Kodachrome in sizes larger than medium format was discontinued in 1953 or 1954. It was availible in sizes up to 8x10. My thoughts on that would simply be how they it, since I thought Kodachrome is pretty much impossible to process by hand.

When I worked in the photo distributing industry in the 80's, my old French boss had a bunch of Kodachrome 4x5's he took in the 40's and 50's in Europe. I marvelled that they looked like they were just shot. They were so colorful. I always wished I could buy it for LF.

Yeah, that's about the right date for them being replaced by E-1 Ektachrome films.

 

At least in the 1940's, all Kodachrome sheet-film processing was at Rochester. The other Kodak Kodachrome labs only did 35mm and/or movie film.

 

I have no idea if the sheet film Kodachrome line was automated or manual. It was made in a wide variety of sizes, which would make automation tricky.

 

As Rowland Mowrey has noted, you can even process 35mm Kodachrome on a sink line, and he's done it. Yes, temperature control and timing are critical. But you can "hold" the film between steps within reason, just keep it in a suitable holding bath. (A holding tank is part of the K-Lab equipment, in case the film breaks or power fails.) So most of the process could just be done in a rack full of sheet film hangers.

 

The trickiest part is the two separate re-exposures for reversal, one through each side, with calibrated time, color, and intensity. You can't leak any light to the other side. (At least in K-14, the third re-exposure is chemical.) Those would have to be done one hanger at a time. There probably was a separate room for each of the two re-exposures.