kodachrome

[jon_noble]

I have always loved the images from the old National Geographic's so when i went on expedition to Snowdonia earlier this year i wanted to make the images last.

 

My experiences with it (2 rolls) is that it (K200) has a different colour characteristic to it than any other film i know. Sure its grainy but still sharp. It does have a narrow exposure latitude which makes it a tad hard to scan.

 

If i wasnt poor (im a student) id use it all the time as it gives my pics a different look to them which i havent replicated since.

 

Another prob (im British) is that i have to get them developed in Switzerland, so i have to wait a while and have to pay for postage.

 

Heres my favourite pic from my trip on Kodachrome<div></div>

[mike_grigsby]

"exept for the longevity of color, what is it that makes people addicted to it? I mean how are its colors different from E-6 films?"

_____

There is a warmth to Kodachrome that's not quite there in other films. If you shoot it with crummy lenses, you'll get the same bluish hue you often see in other slide films. But shoot it with an optically superior Nikkor lens (or pick your favorite brand), say a 24mm f/2, that lays down the spectrum flat on the film plane, and it will absolutely knock your socks off.

 

My Kodachromes from the 70's and 80's still look brand new, and I worked with a Frenchman who showed me his large format Kodachromes from the 50's and it was like going back in time and being there.

 

Now you've made me want to go out and shoot some Kodachrome! That's all I needed was another distraction!<g>

[rowland_mowrey]

The only problem with Kodachrome is this. Every person buying it at the present time is probably represented in this thread. Count them up and figure out how much EK sells / year and it does not come out to very much.

 

I'm just kidding, but you see the point that there is a very small but very dedicated core group that loves the film, but most people outside this group could care less. That is the sad fact.

 

Kodachrome sales are falling towards zero, and it is not a result of the EK cutback in processing, rather the cutback in processing is a result of the extreme drop in sales.

 

Ron Mowrey

[kevin_mcdonald1]

$8.99?? OUCH! They must have just increased the price, I swear I paid only $5.99 a month ago...

 

Looks like it's Wal-mart from now on.

[john_wire]

Somebody else is buying Kodachrome besides me. The shelves holding it seem to "turnover" regularly in the store. Not much expiring film for sale on ebabe.

 

I continue to wonder why Leica users and others who claim the best don't use the best film.

 

Ron, are there any true numbers on Kodachrome sales available?

[john_wire]

Rowland, sorry for the name mistake. What are the manufacturing difficulties, if any, with Kodachrome?

 

Processing costs today are a bargain compared to 1960 prices. Current local E6 processing is about the same price as Kodachrome processing.

 

I understand the lack of interest in Kodachrome by all the "quick turn" pros but hard to see why everyone else can't wait for the superior results. Gratification delayed vs gratification denied!

[jeff_z.]

Thanks for the alternative processing suggestion, Robert. I have a huge moral problem with patronizing Wal-Mart, though. Several months ago, PBS' Frontline did a piece, 'Is Wal-Mart Good For America' (It's on PBS' site, 'pbs.org, Frontline' in streaming video). As the largest retailer, they have played an enormous role in sending Western manufacturers to China- "of 6,000 in Wal-Mart's supplier database, over 80% of these manufacturers, because of relentless squeezing on WM's part, have relocated (with the jobs) to China", where they are much freer to pollute, and exploit workers, etc. in that strange marriage of a communist gov't. and emerging capitalism. Many newpapers, as well as '60 Minutes' have done similar stories on this beast of a corporation. And it's much more than China (as if that wern't enough!); Wal-Mart is strongly anti- labor, stands accused of cheating state Medicaid programs by having its many workers who cannot afford Wal-Mart's co-pay on the meager wages they are paid, get their medical care at tax-payer's expense, etc., etc., etc.... Sorry about that, and I certainly don't mean anything personal to anyone, but Wal-Mart's myriad missdeeds, and then their relentless and shameless spin through media ads are outrageous to me. I think that many are paying a very high cost indeed for "Always Low Prices.." at Wal-Mart. Any affordable alternative processing sources?

[robert_johnson15]

Well, where I live, there is another choice right down that same street. Stop in COSTCO if you are a member! It's $5.99 there (less for 24 exp) and it ends up in the same place with Kodak send out bags instead of Fuji send out bags.

 

Other places you can try are Walgreens, Target, Rite Aid, Eckerds, CVS, etc. Some, but not all of these stores, have send out that take Kodachrome. The biggest local Eckerds still sells Kodachrome. On that same street mentioned, you can find a Walgreens, Target, Eckerds and CVS. Take your choice!

 

Wherever you take it, it still ends up at Dwayne's in Parsons, KS.

 

Whatever your "politics", it's still a place for cheap prices. You can do what I do. Look at the price. Where was it made? What does a like item sell for elsewhere? Do I really want to support China? Then 95% to 98% of the time, I just put it back! Obviously others have been doing the same if you look at the WMT stock price.

 

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN any Wal-Mart, Walgreens, Eastman Kodak stock, nor any of the other companies mentioned above!

[jeff_z.]

Thanks very much Robert! Again, sorry to get so worked up- I've read and seen so much about this particular company for so many years, that every time I see a reference to them here, I wanted to say something, and finally did so. I have no connection to them or any of their competitors either.

 

It sounds like you think about your purchases and the implicit support that they give to these companies, and nations where manufactured. I have nothing against free trade, if the playing field is fairly level, but this one is anything but, and Wal-Mart apparently has played a huge role in exploiting it, and then telling us that they are doing "good works" in their ads- they spin like no other, in my opinion! In that program, a dock was loaded as far as one could see with shipping containers destined for the West, primarily the U.S. Almost nothing was coming into China... Even the Chinese manufacturers complain about being squeezed by Wal-Mart. For anyone who wants to see the environmental degradation that manufacturing is doing in China, if you have your March, 2004 National Geographic, there are some compelling images. I haven't been able to buy a zinc plated fastener since, after seeing a particular image that was in that piece. Also, as reported in the NYTs several months ago, there are horrendous cancer clusters near these industrialized areas in China.

 

I will check out a few of the names you mentioned, thanks! I'm so used to the simplicity (and formerly, the economy!) of using those mailers, it was really a shock to see that latest price. Costco is well known for providing a very high percentage of its workers with health insurance, and the CEO accepts a very modest compensation when compared to the average for companies that size. I look at the country of origin labels too, and will go to a fair amount of trouble to not buy Chinese- nothing against their people, though.

[john_wire]

"Right on" Jeff! Unfortunately though, I believe Kodak will shift or license all film mfg "offshore" in the not too distant future.

 

This is all part of the plan for developing Asian, Latin, African or etc, etc countries with slave labor and "crapola" environments, few lawyers and many tax incentives/subsidies etc. to eliminate US workers who whine and complain all the time. North America was like that around 300 years ago.

 

Wall Street is always "right". Buy more stock and feed the Ponzi. You kids have a bright future.

 

I think I'd better go take some pictures now. Peace.

[rowland_mowrey]

John;

 

Kodachrome is a relatively easy color film to manufacture (as color films go), but very difficult to process. The process is very touchy and hard to control.

 

In the early 90s, the trend away from all reversal film began in earnest with the shift to negative films, and in reversal films the trend was to Fuji and Kodak E6 films due to percieved quality.

 

This, of course, relates to the average amateur rather than the people who want quality photos. I must say though that as a film, Kodachrome is not that good at reproducing colors, nor has it ever been. It has a rather poor neutral scale and renders some colors quite muddily.

 

To see this, you should take a picture with flesh, foliage and a MacBeth chart. The Kodachrome will fail the test but the E6 films will generally pass the test. This is due to the cyan dye used in Kodachrome film IMHO.

 

Ron Mowrey

[john_wire]

Rowland,

 

I agree on the Color Chart matching; however, my old eyes were trained to accomodate Kodachrome, I believe. I don't enjoy TV and CRT colors. When projecting slides the Kodachromes seem to have something extra that the Astia and Provia slides don't. As an amateur, I can't accurately describe what that extra is, other than I like it.

 

Curious, how many Kodak films/film products are made "offshore" now?

 

Regards

[rowland_mowrey]

John;

 

AFAIK, all professional or top of the line products are made in the US. Many of the B&W products are made in Brazil or Canada, and the consumer color products are made in China.

 

Also, AFAIK, all new products are prototyped in Rochester, Chalon or Harrow which are the 3 major EK plants WW.

 

Ron Mowrey

[john_wire]

Thanks for the info Ron. Hope it stays that way and more new stuff in the US. I will always pay extra for the yellow box with Kodachrome in it. Regards.

[jeff_z.]

"Buy more stock and feed the Ponzi. You kids have a bright future." Well said, John!! Do I ever hear you. This whole scheme is one of the most profound and disturbing happenings of our time. It is unsustainable on an environmental as well as moral level, and plain unhealthy and unnecessarily stressfull to so many, imho.

 

I hope that you are able to photograph as planned. I've never found anything that takes one's mind off of things quite like looking through a viewfinder at subjects like the ones that you photograph so well! Jeff

[carl_neilson]

Some time ago there was a thread, I think in the "Classic Camera" section, about posting your earliest Kodachromes. There were lots of beautiful family snapshots and amateur portraits. When thinking generally of old family photos we picture old colour prints that have gone brown, or maybe black and white photos which have retained their quality but obviously lack colour. Not so those photos posted on the thread that I referred to. Some of them dated back as far as the 1930s, and all of them showed their subjects in glorious vibrant colour, and to use a much-overused Kodachrome cliche, they looked like they were taken yesterday. Granted, other E6 films look better in the short term and would be better for artistic purposes, but if anyone who recorded their daily lives with beautiful old Kodachromes would rather now have those same photos on brown prints, badly faded E6 slides, or even b&w, I'd be very surprised.

[paul_clayton]

got a link Carl?

[carl_neilson]

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=008bP0

[vapparn]

Rowland wrote: "a very small but very dedicated core group that loves the film, but most people outside this group could care less. That is the sad fact."

 

This is maybe the case, but how could it be otherwise since Kodak don't want to promote this film. There hasn't been ads for Kodachrome for a long time... 10-15 years... (At least I haven't seen them here in Europe). If they (K) really would like to sell this film then they should do something, not just let it go. But of course it will not happen, since they are even closing Lausanne.

 

About archival qualities... What about Cibachrome (Ilfochrome), have we some experince here? At least Ciba has a reputation of being very stable, but how is it in practice?

[john_wire]

Mikko, where did you hear the Swiss proceessing lab was closing?

[robert_johnson15]

If you go here:

 

http://www.nytimes.com/learning/students/pop/articles/31koda.html

 

It's mentioned down in the story. I understand this happened right before the Cannes Film Festival and some there "were not so nice" to the Kodak reps present. I don't have a URL for that!

[ilkka_nissila]

What's the point of advertising a film that won't sell no matter what you do?

[James G. Dainis]

Mikko,<BR>

That article only says,<I>"

Super 8 Kodachrome processing is scheduled to cease in December 2007." </I>not Kodachrome film entirely.

[john_wire]

Who processed the movie makers Kodachrome and what is the latest movie film used?

[karl_lehmann]

<I>"What's the point of advertising a film that won't sell no matter what you do?"</I><P>Well, there sure has been a lot of Velvia and Provia sold over the last 15 years. If Kodachrome had been kept up to date, Kodak could have had most of that market. I would have bought thousands of rolls of it myself over the last few years, and I don't even need advertizing to! Instead I reluctantly switched to less archival E-6 in green boxes. Now I'm archiving it onto DVD's (also from Fuji).<P>It looks like Kodak was in such a panic to be first on the digital bandwagon that they jumped a bit too soon and got run over...<P>Karl Lehmann <a href="http://www.lostworldarts.com/new_page_3.htm">Lost World Arts</a>