Kodachrome & Ektachrome Scanfest!

Looks a lot like Weymouth going by the building with the domes and the church spire.
 
Moved to show us your film shots
 
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Shorpy have just put another update of 5x4 Kodachromes in their collection.

I've not seen these before.

http://www.shorpy.com/Large_Format_Kodachromes

I'm over being irritated that kodachrome no longer exists, but looking at these pictures you start to get an inkling of how much of a complete epic tragedy it actually is.




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That shot of the aeroplane workers should be posted in the film v digital thread. If there is a digital camera around that can match that I'll be very surprised.
 
Is it beyond the realms of possibility that the Brits that have bought kodak film will resurrect it? I'm not giving up yet!
 
You know Nick I was thinking the same thing myself. Maybe we should form a lobby group, it looks like everyone misses it or has not been given the opportunity to try it out so a groundswell of opinion and a few strategically placed e-mails may give them something to think about.
I think the problem may well be the developing which I believe was a tricky and complicated process.

Andy
 
Maybe if we all were to really get behind the new Ferriana (sic) transparency film next year it will be a big hint to kodak that there is a market for it.

I personally have never shot Kodachrome but I know if it came back I would happily pay £20 per film as long as it was process paid! Was Kodachrome always process included anyway or am I thinking of another film?
 
I suppose they just might resurrect Ektachrome or Elitechrome (E6 films) but I strongly doubt tey would ever resurrect Kodachrome. It required an extremely complicated and expensive process, which (AFAIK) only Kodak ever ran. They would need very large volumes to make it pay, and I'm sure the new management won't be up for that kind of risk. Sadly. :(
 
norters said:
Maybe if we all were to really get behind the new Ferriana (sic) transparency film next year it will be a big hint to kodak that there is a market for it. I personally have never shot Kodachrome but I know if it came back I would happily pay £20 per film as long as it was process paid! Was Kodachrome always process included anyway or am I thinking of another film?
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I still have an unexposed roll of Kodachrome. Expired in 1996 I think. I'd love to have a go with it but I never got round to it before the included developing wasn't available any more. Fairly certain it was always process paid as it is so complicated compared to other emulsions.
 
If Kodak couldn't make a profit...you'd think Kodak would offer a partnership with the Chinese to set up a plant in China and continue Kodachrome, US workers were going to be made redundant either way. But if projected good sales weren't there, then no one would be interested.
 
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srichards said:
I still have an unexposed roll of Kodachrome. Expired in 1996 I think. I'd love to have a go with it but I never got round to it before the included developing wasn't available any more. Fairly certain it was always process paid as it is so complicated compared to other emulsions.
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About five years ago I was given some Kodachrome which was dated 1986. I sent it off in the process paid envelope and apart from a very slight blue cast, it worked fine.

Kodachrome processing has officially stopped now but Stephen Frizza, owner of The Lighthouse Lab in Australia has processed some as an excercise to see if he could do it.

He has no plans to offer the service - unless you want to give him a lot of cash!


Steve.
 
norters said:
Maybe if we all were to really get behind the new Ferriana (sic) transparency film next year it will be a big hint to kodak that there is a market for it.

I personally have never shot Kodachrome but I know if it came back I would happily pay £20 per film as long as it was process paid! Was Kodachrome always process included anyway or am I thinking of another film?
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When I first used it, it was 25 ISO (very inconvenient) and was processed paid and because of the high price then, some people were using Agfa, Perutz etc........but I wouldn't pay £20 for a roll of Kodachrome esp as colour neg is very good now.
 
I bought a 35mm camera just so I could shoot some before it went under.
I didn't realise at the time quite what was being discontinued.
So I've got 3 rolls that went to Dwaynes in the US, as I understand it there were only 2 labs on Earth that processed Kodachrome, one in the US and one in Switzerland, so unless you were really lucky to live close to a lab, it was a send off job for everybody and thus process paid at purchase.
 
joxby said:
I bought a 35mm camera just so I could shoot some before it went under.
I didn't realise at the time quite what was being discontinued.
So I've got 3 rolls that went to Dwaynes in the US, as I understand it there were only 2 labs on Earth that processed Kodachrome, one in the US and one in Switzerland, so unless you were really lucky to live close to a lab, it was a send off job for everybody and thus process paid at purchase.
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Used to be Hemel Hempstead not so long ago (can't remember when it closed down), could have been the first sign of sales dropping. :shrug:
 
srichards said:
I still have an unexposed roll of Kodachrome. Expired in 1996 I think. I'd love to have a go with it but I never got round to it before the included developing wasn't available any more. Fairly certain it was always process paid as it is so complicated compared to other emulsions.
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Suz, I believe Kodachrome can be processed as black and white even today; I've seen the instructions somewhere (maybe on this very forum?).

BTW Peak have two contradictory comments on their website (emphasis added):

Non Standard Film
We can also process 127, 126, 110 and a selection of obselete film including Kodachrome and C-22.
Please call [...]
E6 Process for Colour Transparency Films
We process all makes of 35mm, 120 and 5x4 E6 process colour transparency film (except Kodachrome - a process paid film that must be processed by Kodak).
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:thinking:
 
ChrisR said:
Suz, I believe Kodachrome can be processed as black and white even today; I've seen the instructions somewhere (maybe on this very forum?). BTW Peak have two contradictory comments on their website (emphasis added): :thinking:
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The joy in Kodachrome is the colour though. Would be a shame to lose that. One day it'll be worth a fortune too ;)
 
joxby said:
I bought a 35mm camera just so I could shoot some before it went under.
I didn't realise at the time quite what was being discontinued.
So I've got 3 rolls that went to Dwaynes in the US, as I understand it there were only 2 labs on Earth that processed Kodachrome, one in the US and one in Switzerland, so unless you were really lucky to live close to a lab, it was a send off job for everybody and thus process paid at purchase.
Click to expand...

Not quite true, until about 15 years ago there were still quite a number of labs worldwide which processed Kodachrome - especially in the US where there was a 1954 legal ruling that only Kodak being able to process the film was anti-competitive (and thus ending the pre-paid processing there), which led to many independent labs springing up -, usually one in each country or one for a set of countries (my dad remembers sending his to Kodak at Harrow in the 70's).

In the end though as use began to fall, it was eventually whittled down to there only being official Kodak labs in Switzerland and Japan about 10 years ago, as well as several independents in the US (of which only a few were certified by Kodak). The Japan branch shut down, and then the Switzerland, and coupled with the independents in the US closing rapidly during the same time, this eventually only left Dwaynes in Kansas, USA which had all Kodachrome worldwide sent to it for the final 3 years or so (the mailers still went to the Switzerland branch, and it was then shipped over to Dwaynes every few days).

Its sad its gone, but we have to accept that its near impossible for it to come back as it was very different from very nearly every other film, and processing was extremely complex with 11 steps (not including the 5 wash steps) which used unique chemicals, coupled with the fact that many of the people who were most knowledgeable and experienced in coating it are likely retired by now.

Except for the one person in Australia mentioned above (who has already said he won't be doing a service), no where can do it in colour, but as it is by nature a specialised B&W 3 layer film then you can satisfactorily process it in B&W as a negative fairly easily.
 
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Although I agree it's highly unlikely that Kodachrome will ever make a return it may be possible, after all Impossible Project have convinced enough people to pay £2 a shot for their film, even when most of it didn't even produce a recognisable shot, and they seem to be going from strength to strength.

How about £72 for a roll of processed paid Impossachrome? (Patent Pending)
 
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They're filling the mirror pool with Koi next week...rofl
 
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