Kodachrome Shooters-Does Kodak Care About Us?

[patrick_mont]

<p>It seems like more and more people are starting to shoot Kodachrome. I wonder what makes them shoot it...Do they read great thing on these sites? Do they come across old family Kodachromes? Do they come across the project website? I know I started to shoot it after I came across the project from hearing Dan on this site.....</p>

[joshroot]

<p>Patrick,</p>

<p>Yes to all of those. And add in that some more hear the Paul Simon song and say "what's this Kodachrome all about".</p>

[dangoldman]

<p>Josh has it. Never seen old family pictures on Kodachrome, but i read about it here, knew the gist of its history, and the song. Decided to try it, and loved it.</p>

[DB_Gallery]

<p>The song part is a trip.<br /> I know that when I tried to get ahold of P. Simon to do a portrait of him for the project, someone said he was kind of ticked when Kodak made him put the ® mark near the song title on his album. I still need to get around to nudging his PR staff a bit more though.<br /> Also, there is a light hearted interview with Paul on British radio, shortly after the release of the album "Surprise", the interviewer said that no-one knew what Kodachrome was any more as everyone used digital and Paul said that was fine by him as he was getting fed up singing it.<br /> But in contrast, in a recent concert in the UK, someone was shouting for it, so.....</p>

<p>Maybe a new act will play a spin-off that says "Mama don't format my Sandisk card yet".<br /> I know I started using Kodachrome again in late 2004 once I heard that KM-25 was gone.</p>

[heinz_anderle]

For both big players, the yellow AND the green one, the perspectives aren't too comfortable in the moment: Fujifilms gross income from color film and color paper has shrunk for about 36 % and 24 %, resp.; Kodak's revenues decreased 27 % in the photo sector (please excuse any inaccuracies in the translation of business terms). There are no data on the film class ratio, e. g. slide vs. print film; I assume that there are still over-capacities and supplies as amateur film is as cheap as never before. I also do not know how many professionals still use 35 mm slide film regularly. Kodak has meanwhile phased out vintage film types, such as the Ektachrome 400 family and the classics Ektachrome 64 and 100. The question arises if Fuji needs also to streamline its slide film program. But I do not think that Kodak will introduce a new generation of E-6 slide films in the (near) future; only a few current films can be judged as really competitive, as for all there is a technically superior Fuji counterpart. Judged by their quality, Elite Chrome 100 and 100 Extra Color are worth the bargain prices when they are sold as private label product, or at 50 % discount before expiration, resp.; but the prohibitive price and processing time of Kodachrome, which still has its undoubted merits and virtues, appears as the "halter to kick the bucket" (a literal translation of the Austrian-German word "Krepierhalfter").

[a._valerio]

<p>The decrease in RA-4 paper sales...I wonder what that is attributable to. Sure, maybe a lot of people print less now with digital, and some are using inkjet or dye-sub instead of RA-4. But many professionals and serious enthusiasts crank through RA-4 like crazy. My colleagues and I probably used up several rolls this past winter. We had between 300 and 400 prints up on the walls of a gallery. It was like wallpaper.</p>

[andrew_gale]

<p>Still 8.50 at Adorama, buy buy buy it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</p>

[kelly_flanigan1]

<p>Daniel; the point about focusing on the past too is that some of us have used Kodachrome already for 1/2 century; and have seen it marketed at drug stores in ponunk; 5 and dime stores; 7-11's; airport newstands; Hudsons; SS Keesge; Kmart; Fries Electronics; Walmart; Sears; Venture; May Company; J C Penney; Montgomery Wards; Macys;<br>

<br /> Now Kodachrome is basically a mail order product.<br>

<br /> If the late 1960's Space Food Sticks were to make a come back; it would be hawked in retail stores; not just mailorder.<br>

<br /> To the Average Joe Six Pack Kodachrome is already dead; its off the film rung at Walmart, Walgreens; CVS; Sears; Kmart etc.<br>

<br /> Thus your Kodachrome project is great to create new excitement about old Kodachrome; but still alot of average folks would rather buy a Walmart than mailorder it. Retail stores do not want dead stock too; thus to remarket stuff dropped a decade ago is a tall impossible order.<br>

Ponder Kodacolor 110 is still in some Walmarts; and Kodachrome has been gone for 5 to 10 years. Thus from Walmarts perspective; Kodacolor in 110 is a better product to make money on than Kodachrome. Both 126 and 110 in C41 outlived Kodachrome in most all retail stores.<br>

<br /> Many folks; average folks buy film like milk; the do not mailorder it; thus the coffin nail is already in place because Kodak marketing basically has zero stock in retail stores that folks vist each week or month. Many of the gone and still standing grocery stores sold Kodachrome until about a decade ago too; ie Kroger, Vons, Ralphs; Albertsons, Alpha Beta, Safeway; Piggly Wiggly; etc.<br>

<br /> I often wonder is Kodak really has a marketing plan for Kodachrome; since the average retail store where most folks buy film no longer has Kodachrome. The BULK of still film shot in the USA is by amateurs; alot of it is bought locally; where Kodachrome is long gone. There is not even a rung/pin/tag where maybe a chap could take a rain check; ie the film processing bag service could distribute the lone roll of Kodachrome to a chap in podunk at a Walmart; thus there is zilch inventory costs involved. I gots come calls for Kodachrome at my print shop around Christmas; some old folk wanted to shoot some family stuff like the old days.</p>

<p>Heinz; in the USA the film boxes are always been changed in the retail arena; its to attack folks attention. In disposables Fuji markets a Mardi Gras camera before Mardi Gras in the Deep South. Many time they rename films and claim they are different blends; but they look the same. Its a marketing trick in many cases; it creates excitement.</p>

<p>In a local Kroger (grocery/food ) store they still had Kodapak/126/Instamatic C41 film about 5 years ago; store brand; made in Italy; PLUS Fuji; Kodak and Store brand 110; but zero Kodachrome which was gone 5 years earlier. Then I bought Kodachrome a Walgreens Drug store 5 years ago; then they dropped it to. Now the few stuff I do buy is all mailorder; Kodachrome is basically not available anymore except if one has a photostore. Mom and Pop photostores are dying off too; plus E6 labs too.</p>

<p>Kodachrome is great stuff. In the 1980's In Thousand Oaks one could buy a roll at 10pm Sunday at Alpha Beta grocery store ; use it for a lunar eclipse that night; drop the film off at Alpha Beta Monday morning and get slides either on Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon; their bag service went into Los Angeles. Today its mailorder to buy it; mailorder to process it.</p>

[randrew1]

<p>"I often wonder if Kodak really has a marketing plan for Kodachrome"</p>

<p>You're looking at it. This thread and others like it on this forum are a big part of Kodachrome Marketing. Daniel Bayer's Kodachrome Project is another part. My K-75 Celebration site doesn't get much traffic, but every little bit helps. The good news is that it is working. Threads that deal with Kodachrome quickly make the list of most active threads. Look a the length of this thread and the time that people are taking to compose thoughtful posts. We are seeing reports of increased sales. I was working on Kodachrome production in 1985 when we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the product line. About 5 years ago I made a small wager that that I would be able to celebrate the 75th anniversary by shooting the product and getting it processed. That is now virtually assured. Do we dare set another goal? If we can keep the product around until 2015 then we can probably maintain it indefinitely.</p>

[dangoldman]

<p>I would still like to see Kodak do some real marketing with the stuff. Do an annivesery run of KM25, do a news piece on some network, shoot-do a modern marvels or what have you show on film focusing on Kodachrome. There is so much that they could do to promote kodachrome, or even film in general.</p>

[DB_Gallery]

<blockquote>

<p>Kodachrome is great stuff. In the 1980's In Thousand Oaks one could buy a roll at 10pm Sunday at Alpha Beta grocery store ; use it for a lunar eclipse that night; drop the film off at Alpha Beta Monday morning and get slides either on Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon; their bag service went into Los Angeles. Today its mailorder to buy it; mailorder to process it.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I use to buy mine in the Alpha-Beta in Simi off of Cochran Street. Kodachrome is not a mass market appeal product anymore, it is niche, you have to expect niche marketing approaches with the product. I am going to Rochester very soon to talk about this very thing. I will let the cat out of the bag on one thing that I have in mind: I think Kodak needs to make a special packaging of the film in 2010, it will be in one of the original art deco boxes that it appeared in in 1935-39 and clearly celebrate 75 years on the box.<br>

Ilford is not trying to put Pan-F on the shelves of Albertson's grocery store in Moorpark, they have a niche market and they know that places like Freestyle and other mail order houses are absolutely the way to get the product in the hands of people who want it. That is what Kodak is doing and that is what they ought to do in order to keep the costs down.<br>

In another thread on another site, a person noted that when he went into Freestyle not long ago, it was *packed* with young people buying film and paper. Food for thought. </p>

[heinz_anderle]

"I often wonder is Kodak really has a marketing plan for Kodachrome." - I wonder if Kodak has a marketing plan for photographic film in general, with perhaps the exception of the Portra series and the new Ektar 100. It is nice to test film samples bundled with premium photo magazines; but for me with a hybrid workflow, the 1 Euro roll of Fujicolor 200 (as sold out in bulk quantity last year by a discount supermarket, and essentially the same as the current Superia 200) does the job almost equally well.

You get also cheap Kodak print film, called VR Plus or now Color Plus; but at least the 400 version was by far worse than the current Gold Plus/Farbwelt "premium brand", other than with Fuji, where private label and brand material are surprisingly similar.

[bogdan_nicolescu]

<p>Two years ago I didn't even know what Kodachrome means... It was thanks Ron and Daniel's websites where I could see what Kodachrome was about. The photo of the old man in a pickup red & white truck hooked me and I wanted very much to give this film a try. I consider myself very lucky that I became aware about Kodachrome and that I have the chance to try it while is still available. I start to include couples of Kodachrome rolls in my bag for each field trip I do along with Provia and E100G, my two other favorite slide films. I don't know what those MTF curves should tell but each film has its own flavor and I love them all...</p>

[randrew1]

<p>"one of the original art deco boxes that it appeared in in 1935-39 and clearly celebrate 75 years on the box"</p>

<p>I love it! Throwback jerseys are popular in pro sports. We'll see if Kodak can stray from the modern digtital image they want to project long enough to celebrate part of thier heritage.</p>

[waltflanagan]

<p>Personally I don't think being able to buy Kodachrome on a store shelf will help much. I can go to my local pro camera store and buy quite a few E6 and B&W films but I've only done it twice. They charge $7 a roll when I can buy it online for $4.50. How many of your Kodachrome shooters would buy it locally instead of online in 20 packs?</p>

<p>Now a marketing campaign would be interesting but I don't see why that should have anything to do with getting it into retail stores. A marketing campaign should be about why you should shoot Kodachrome as in the colors, sharpness, longevity, 3D quality, benefits of projection, etc.</p>

<p>I can imagine some advertisements showing pictures of the US southwest and something about it being shot on Kodachrome. Get some professionals to endorse it and have them say why they like Kodachrome. One of the reasons why I shoot Velvia is because Galen Rowell liked it so much.</p>

[stephane_veron]

<p>I imagined about Kodachrome anniversary a little, months before. A way of doing a marketing campaign would be to target people who are interested in "toy camera" stuff and other youngs who come (back) to make pictures from film... Sales are doing pretty well for film cameras in niche stores (for toy camera, second hand, Lomography, whatever it is...), at least here in France. Among french forums, I can read many of these small camera users are youngs or people with a low budget, sometimes away from cities, but well equiped with a scanner for their films, the internet and the newest medias to share their experiences, and ready to find solutions to adapt their basic cameras to the speed of their films. They sometimes complain when they have to drive to find a store to process their films, and take their films back from processing, and are always looking for the cheapest way to find film stock and processing.</p>

<p>As for me, the cheapest solution, apart from my local german dealer who charges around €9 for a slide film -process included-, the cheapest is to buy Kodachrome at online stores in the UK for around €10, the half of the price at mail order stores in France, and the third of the price that it is sold in my city in France. This way I can use K64 regularly, I love its unique look. I think young people who rely on online stores for their cameras and other stuff would be interested if they knew they could find mail order stores that sell process-included film that you just send to the post and you get the result at home, no matter it takes 2 or 3 weeks, if the result is unique and life-lasting. E6 labs are closing everywhere, even for professionals, see a famous one in Lyons in France, so mail order processing is going to be the niche market for slide films users and Kodachrome could be part of the game, and why not a leader, if Kodak and Kodachrome users start adapted marketing as early as possible.</p>

<p>I've thought, at my small scale, that Kodak should make a new packaging for the 75th anniversary, maybe not old-fashioned, and a marketing campaign for people to make the link between the old-fashioned kind of product and the "in the touch" users who choose to use film today. Street pictures, party pictures, artistic amateur pictures... would be part of the campaign. It would be like viral marketing, community websites advertising, and so... After all, Kodachrome is the only product which hasn't the "Professional" label on its packaging even if the Elite line is sold also to amateurs, and it is the only product now with a 2 generations-older packaging in the Kodak line.</p>

<p>It's nice to read from people who help Kodachrome to be alive. Ron, I will add my future Kodachrome gallery to your site later this year. Daniel, thank you and good luck, I like your project. I try to advertise for Kodachrome on french forums, it is worth it and I already convinced one new user and advised one another to try again. Every new user will help, even if he doesn't like the result, the simple fact to talk about it will attract the attention of curious others...</p>

[a._t._burke]

<p>Mr. Walt Flanagan...</p>

<p>..Says " How many of your Kodachrome shooters would buy it locally instead of online in 20 packs?" </p>

<p>I do. </p>

<p>Tom Burke</p>

[patrick_mont]

<p>I don't really think being able to buy Kodachrome locally will help too much. CVS use to sell Elite Chrome. They stopped at the end of last year...it did not sell.</p>

[dangoldman]

<p>if the film gets some notoriety, it will sell.<br>

The very first time i saw a roll of kodachrome was in trinket shop in Durango, about 5years ago. I had no idea what it was about and just commented "is that stuff still around" and shrugged and walked out. I was shooting then, but not film. I probably started shooting film a few months after, but i didnt shoot kodachrome until just a couple years ago. If Kodak did a little work on its own and i knew a bit more about film back then than i did, i probably would have a bought a roll to test it out (aside from the fact that i was a thousand miles away from home, where my film camera was, someplace). Anymore i encourage all of my friend's to shoot it and even gave an expired (though refrigerated/frozen for a while) roll to one of my friend's. But that's not going to be enough to keep kodak in buisness selling this stuff...</p>

[Paul Lewis1664881697]

<p>A few things about Kodachrome....<br>

a. When rummaging through your parent's or grandparent's slide collection, if the boxes or slide mounts say Kodachrome on them, you'll be thankful that it wasn't 60s or 70s era Ektachrome. I see a HUGE difference when I look at slides stored identically that were shot on Kodachrome and other emulsions.<br>

b. I followed discussions about Kodachrome super8 for years at filmshooting.com and I heard it all (just like we hear here)... "it's too contrasty", "too slow", "too hard to process", blah blah. But I'm thankful that what I shot was on Kodachrome now that it's not available in super8 anymore (only tungsten balanced Ektachrome 64T). <br>

c. I bought a few reels of 16mm film shot in the late fifties off of eBay that contained footage of a local tourist attraction in New Jersey, and was quite surprised to find that they were shot on Kodachrome. Beautiful film footage that looks like it could have been shot yesterday...<br>

d. I used Kodachrome 64 for the past couple of years on a small project I'm working on, and when I look at these slides, I realize that either "the film fits me" or "I fit the film". For some reason, what I shoot on Kodachrome simply looks better than what I shoot on other emulsions. My current project requires that I shoot with a faster film (Provia 400x), but I'm looking forward to shooting more Kodachrome and will probably look for a project that will fit Kodachrome.</p>

[Paul Lewis1664881697]

<p>Also, I'm surprised that more "toy camera" shooters don't use Kodachrome. I was really happy with the results that I got from using Kodachrome 64 and 200 with my Lomo Kompact.<br>

I think Kodachrome 200 was unfairly maligned as a film. It had its supporters, but for some reason a lot of people knocked it. I loved the film and had some 11 x 17 Cibachromes printed from it that look terrific.</p>

[patrick_mont]

<p>Super 8 Kodachrome is amazing...I just discovered the old Kodachrome movie tonight.</p>

[Aoresteen]

<p>I spoke to a chap at Kodak's Professional division (800-242-2424 pick B&W option) today and was told that they are still producing Kodachrome 64 and 'had no plans to stop makingint' FWIW.</p>

<p>I was under the impression that the K-14 line at the Kodak plant for quality control was shut down and they send their samples to Dwyane's. Can anyone confirm?</p>

<p>I was one of the few persons who shot 120 Kodachrome in the 90's. Problem was I didn't shoot enought of it. When K25 dissapeared a few years ago I bought every last roll in Orlando and had a last hurah in Portugal & Spain. Since then I have only shot B&W. Maybe I should get a brick of K64 and enjoy th egood old days!</p>

<p> </p>

[patrick_mont]

<p>Please do!</p>

[DB_Gallery]

<blockquote>

<p>I was one of the few persons who shot 120 Kodachrome in the 90's. Problem was I didn't shoot enought of it. When K25 dissapeared a few years ago I bought every last roll in Orlando and had a last hurah in Portugal & Spain. Since then I have only shot B&W. Maybe I should get a brick of K64 and enjoy th egood old days!</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I was in my early 20's when I shot 120 KR using Hasselblad, they still look great, wish I had shot more. What you did after K25 is what I pretty much plan to do after KR64, shoot only black in white in Leicas and Blads. Yes, you should get some KR64 and give it a run, and I would love to see some of that KM25 you shot overseas.</p>