Kodachrome film processing

[art_major]

<p>Does anyone know where I could get some Kodachrome film processed? I just found about 40 rolls of film in the closet. I know the only lab in the US, Dwane photo Lab closed its Kodachrome Processing. I heard that theres a place in Switzerland that still does it. does anyone have any information about it or any experiences with that lab? thanks.</p>

[Michael R Freeman]

<blockquote>

<p><em>"I heard that there's a place...</em>"</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Unfortunately you heard wrong if your intent is to process it as colour. Dwayne's operated the <strong>last K-14 Kodachrome line in the world</strong>. The chemicals for the K-14 process are no longer manufactured, and your only option now for Kodachrome is to process it as B&W.</p>

[Lou_Meluso]

<p>You are out of luck, Art. I think there are ways to process it yourself as B&W, but K-14 is gone.</p>

[randrew1]

<p>Is this film exposed with what you think may be valuable (sentimental or otherwise) pictures, or is the unexposed film that you want to use? In the latter case, I would suggest selling it on eBay for its antique value and buying some T-max or whatever your favorite B&W film is.</p>

<p>The lab in Switzerland was the second to last to close. </p>

<p>You can search photo.net and find recommendations for processing Kodachrome as B&W in HC-110. You will still have to deal with the rem jet backing. (again, search photo.net archives for recommendations.) I know how to do it in theory, but I've never actually done it so I wont make a recommendation.</p>

<p>You can also send your film to Film Rescue International in Toronto. Their fees are high compared to normal processing. It would only make sense if you believe you have potentially valuable pics. </p>

[erik_prestmo]

<p>I have developed KC as B/W with caffenol, its outlined in my blog.<br /><br />If you don't wanna do that or there are important images that you want to see (and B/W is your ONLY option!!) I can do them for you, and return the finished films, but that is work and noone works for free.</p>

[steve_levine]

<p>You might try a time machine. Seriously though, I'd sell them to collectors. Boxed and sealed, I'm sure someone will pay as curiosities.</p>

[john_shriver]

<p>Moreover, in the last weeks of processing, Dwaynes opened and used the last 55 gallon drum of the cyan K-14 dye in the world. Kodak closed the Swiss plant and moved all the chemicals to Dwaynes so that the remaining stock could be used more efficiently. Kodachrome lines ran most efficiently when running at capacity, in terms of rolls processed per gallon of chemistry.</p>

[art_major]

<p>thank you for all your responses. I thought the lab in switzerland was still up and running because they are still listed in Kodaks website. I had some leftover unexposed film, I just really like the nostalgia of Kodachrome. I sent some film to Dwayne's before the closed up shop on the processing.</p>

<p>When I called Dwayne's they told me someone dropped off a $100,000 processing job! Someone had around 10,000 rolls of film that they saved all these years. the person has to refinance their home to come up with the cash.</p>

[fredrik_sandstrom]

<p><em>> The lab in Switzerland was the second to last to close.</em><br /> Third, actually. Lausanne closed in 2006. The K-14 line in Japan was second to last to close in 2007.</p>

[richard_eaton1]

<p>Lausanne ceased actually processing the film in 2006, but remained the European mailing address right up until the end in Dec 2010. The films were couriered to-and-from Dwaynes in Kansas, then the slides mailed back to users from Switzerland. ( The Swiss staff were always very efficient and helpful right up to the closure of the service).</p>

[greg_miller10]

<p>We've looked at processing this film into color and it can and has been done but the results on even the very newest of this film is very...."lomo" might best describe it. The color is faded and desaturated and while it does have some appeal on some level, it does not maintain any of the charm that was unique to Kodachrome in the first place.<br>

When dealing with what may be important family pictures, we feel that the best approach will be to process the film into a B&W negative where we can achieve results similar to Tri-x on the best of these films. To process into color will be a risky affair for any Kodachrome of significan vintage. We may offer a color service for this film in the nearish future but we suspect the demand, considering the results in color and the time involved in doing it (thus expense) will mean that there will not be a lot of demand for it. Our advise will be that if it might have important images then don't attempt color.</p>

[jbirdweb]

<p>Kodachrome was a very complicated process, you almost had to be a scientist to do it. We had a K-14 machine on ship when I was in the Navy and it was never fired up because it was too expensive and too complicated. Very hard to keep the chemistry in control and the film is actually exposed to Red, green and blue light (or it may have been yellow magenta and cyan) during the process. Perhaps that is why the film Greg Miller processed was so undersaturated.<br>

I mourne the demise of Kodachrome as well. But considering it was the first commercially available color film I was surprised it stuck around as long as it did.</p>

[garden rose]

<p>I recently inherited a 35mm camera from my uncle who passed just this last month. My family thought it would make a nice collector's piece and also gave me a KODAK Browinie 2A. I am tickled. As I was looking at the 35mm camera I noticed that it still showed a roll of film in the camera. I rewound a full roll-1 frame of Kodachrome K-14 slide film. As I know by the previous posts there is no way to process this properly to keep it in color but this roll looks like mid to late 60's. There could be pictures of my Grandfather before he passed away in 1968. I know I can't get these in color but where do I send them to be processed in B&W. Who do I trust. I am not sure what to do. Please give me some advice. These could be seriously historical pictures of my Father's family. </p>