tbs

<p>Sometimes. I've done it, often with good results. It really depends on the scene, though. I haven't found any hard and fast rule that I can always use. If it really matters, bracket.</p>

<p>I've been trying to make a habit of shooting a new, 36-exposure roll of K64 every week in my Yashica T4, which I carry around in my bookbag practically everywhere. In addition, I've also been trying to shoot a roll of K25 from my freezer each week, using my various Nikon cameras. Using the K25 doesn't, at this point, help Kodak any with its numbers, I know, but these are habits I've been trying to stick to, to get as many things around me shot in Kodachrome as possible. Of course, these "weekly" rolls are in addition to any trips I take, hikes, tours, etc., etc.</p>

<p>Ilkka: I'm not sure if you mean "The 28mm" or "The 24mm" in your first sentence. Please clarify. Also, by the way, I'm using film Nikons, the N80 and F100.</p>

<p>Kodak and Fujifilm both make very fine slide films. The only thing that is really useful is to try different ones from each company--Kodachrome, Ektachrome, Astia, Velvia, Provia--and see what fits your needs. </p>

<p>I still prefer Kodachrome for nearly everything I do, personally. I've been using it since I started shooting in 1980, when I was 11 years old. At the time it was about the best there was. Now other slide films equal or even surpass it, depending on what qualities you are seeking in a film, such as lowest possible grain, high color saturation, etc.. </p>

<p>Is there any notable difference in sharpness, color rendition, contrast, flare, etc., between these two basic wide-angle lenses?</p>

<p>Definitely check the diopter adjuster on the viewfinder, like Eric says above. On vacation in Hawaii in December I spent several days wondering <em>what on earth was wrong with my N80????</em> , only to finally figure out that I'd bumped the diopter adjustment while shooting in the cold at the top of Mauna Kea. Always look for the easy solution first!</p>

<p>Thank you very much for posting this answer here, Mr. Posner. </p>

<p>I think our hearts are returning to their normal speeds now. God, we are a fanatical bunch! I don't know our numbers, but we do love our Kodachrome with a passion! </p>

<p>I went to the Monterey Aquarium a few months ago, and took along some Provia 400X, which I pushed to 1600. I got very nice results in general. Not everything I wanted to shoot worked perfectly, but I got a lot more than I expected.</p>

<p>I just thought I'd relate a very recent experiece that reminded me of the title above.</p>

<p>I was just in Hawaii, shooting the sunset at the top of Mauna Kea (13,796 ft.), with my Nikon N80, on a tripod. After changing a lens, in the sub-freezing evening wind, I looked back through the viewfinder and noticed that the focus seemed a little off. No matter what I did, manuel or auto focus, I couldn't get it sharp. </p>

<p>I finished the roll I was on, tried changing to other lenses, same result: slightly out of focus. I wondered if the cold was causing the problem. When I got back to the hotel, I tried my back-up body (another N80), no problem with that one, but the one I'd used on Mauna Kea was still slightly off. Then I tried cleaning the auto-focus contacts carefully...still no change. I cleaned the lenses, changed the batteries, air bulbed the mirror...still no change. </p>

<p>A few of you are probably already giggling at me, knowing what's coming next. A week or so later, still trying to find the problem, I noticed that the diopter adjustment on my viewfinder had been bumped, while I was up on the moutain top, in the chill air, where I was wearing gloves which reduced my manuel dexterity. Moving that tiny little switch back to the correct position, problem solved.</p>

<p>Ah...I'm not surprised, Fredrik.</p>

Pretty much all forms of K-14 processing, needed for Kodachrome, are done by Dwayne's in Kansas. I say pretty much, because there is some company in Colorado (Rocky Mountain Film?) that also still claims to offer K-14, but at prices and turnaround times that are not practical. So, that leaves Dwayne's, which has an agreement with Kodak to get the chemistry.

 

If you use a Kodak Slide Mailer, it goes to Dwayne's. If you give your Kodachrome roll to Wal-Mart, it goes to Dwayne's. If you drop the roll off at a pro-level camera store that offers "Kodak processing" it goes to Dwayne's. If you give it to K-mart or Walgreens (and they understand what Kodachrome even is) it goes to Dwayne's. The happy part of this story is that Dwayne's does very, very good work and usually has very responsive customer service.

Yes, for that speed Provia 400X is the best. I used it recently inside an aquariam, pushed it to 1600, and still got

good shots. Nice film for high speed. I wouldn't push Kodachrome 200 or Ektachrome 200, the only non-Fuji

choices, that far.

Like John says, Kodachrome predates any thought of scanning in the modern sense. The current version of Kodachrome, K-14, was formulated in the mid 1970s. When I do scan Kodachrome, I use my own Nikon Coolscan-5000, which is generally said to be one of the best at handling the film's unusual dye set and tricky emulsion. The Coolscan-9000 may be even better at it, but costs twice as much as a 5000.

 

The best way, by far, to view Kodachrome slides is to use a high quality projecter, Kodak or Leica, with a high quality projection lens on a good screen. Then you really see what the film was meant for.

Is that end-of-2009 deadline for Kodak mailers really true, or just a rumor? I've seen it on Wikipedia, but we all know

how reliable they can be. Do we have anything confirmed by the Great Yellow Father, from his castle by the

Genesee?

Its funny...Galen Rowell wrote somewhere that at one time (prior to Fuji slide films like Velvia) Kodachrome films

were considered HIGH saturation films, and even occasionally critisized on that basis. Some say the change from K-

12 to K-14 processing in the mid-70s resulted in some loss of color brilliance, but when I started using K64 in 1980

(when I was 11) it certainly looked colorful to me, particularly in my scenery shots in the mountains or at the Grand

Canyon. Getting an SLR sometime in the mid-80s, making it easy to add a polarizing filter, made the film even more

beautiful to my eye. I'm guessing that the super-saturated films of the 90s, Fuji and other Kodak lines, are what

make us now regard Kodachrome as a "low saturation" film.

 

Anyway, I will continue to shoot my landscapes with Kodachrome until they don't make it no more...

 

(Going to Tahoe next weeked, planning to make many, many shots!)

All the K200 I've been using has expiration dates from 4-6/2008 and has been in a sub-zero freezer ever since

purchase last year. The rolls I used a few weeks ago looked just fine.

"If you are hiking, buy a 20mm or 24mm f/2.8 prime. Your back will thank you."

 

I do a lot of hiking. I love my 24mm f/2.8 prime.

Rumors of Kodachrome's demise have been coming up periodically for about 4-5 years now. At some point it will happen, but I'm not listening until I hear something offical. Maybe it will be a while yet, who know?

"Have you shot your roll of Kodachrome this week?"

 

Shooting it this afternoon. I should be able to finish off the roll of K64 in the camera right now, and I have a roll of late-vintage K25 that I un-froze this morning, ready to go.

Well, yeah, Yellowstone is great. Been there a while back, would love to go again. But I can't do that as a day trip

from the SF Bay Area. I'm most interested in places I can get in 2-3 hours drive, do some good wildlife shooting, and

then get back home by night. Things in the Sierras, with maybe a single night in a motel would be OK as well.

Thank you, Shun Cheung. I've been several times to the Palo Alto bird sanctuary next to the airport, and taken a lot of shots there. More things like that would be great to learn about.

I hope this question isn't something always asked. I couldn't find any such question previously posted.

 

Is there any good book that tells an eager nature photographer where and when the best places are to find and

photograph various animals in the wild,

maybe in nature preserves or just out in the wild? In particular I would love to know about northern California, but

other areas would be good also. I am looking for books that would say things like, "go to such-and-such place at

such-and-such time of year to see seals," and "The best time to see mountain goats in location X is _______."

 

I have a book that describes the best times and places to shoot scenery in the Bay Area and environs, which I've

found quite helpful at times, but no equivalant for wildlife.

"It might work with a flash indoors, but no guarantees there."

 

I've tried to use K-64 in my Yashica T4 indoors with the built-in flash. That didn't work too well. The pictures were

too dark, not at all like the results I can get with K-64 in my Nikon N80 with the SB-80DX flash.

 

"K-64 is best shot outside in brighter conditions with these cameras."

 

Yeah, most of my good K-64/Yashica slides were in bright conditions, but I've gotten some nice sunset shots and

such with that combo as well. I don't know what my lowest T4 shutter speed is, but in the past, when I didn't have

my tripod around, I've gotten good hand-held results with my Nikons at speeds as low as 1/15 of a second

(sometimes), with no VR to help me.

My Yashica T4, by the way, is the fixed 35mm, f/3.5 version, not the zoom version.

I've been using Kodachrome 64 in the Yashica T4 I purchased about six months ago (used, of course). The owners

manuel indicates that it will accept film with DX codes in speeds from 50-3200 (so, no K25 in there!), but says

nothing about 50 vs. 64 vs. 80 vs. 100. I've been getting excellent results: sharp, bright, clear slides, that look

properly exposed, similar to my results with my usual Nikon N80 and F100 equipment, so I assume the Yashica is

getting the right ISO. Looking inside the camera I see...four little buds inside the film canister area that I take to be

the DX contacts. Make of that what you will.