***Kodak Retires Kodachrome Film***

A couple of weeks ago we found a big box in the attic that contains a number of smaller boxes of Kodachrome slides. They are mostly perfect and they were shot a long, long time ago. Sad news indeed.
 
My snapshots won't ever be the same after I finish my Kodachrome. This has been my main family picture film since I had kids.

You posted as I was writing Peter- I too have several boxes of Kodachrome my great aunt shot fifty years ago that are indeed perfect, and lots of Kodachrome my father shot all throughout my childhood- just as clean as in 1962.
 
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I bought the last 4 rolls from my local mom and pop camera shop today after hearing the news. I go to Newfoundland in August... Dwayne's will process up until December so I can have one last hurrah with it this summer.
 
sickened. but made myself feel a tad better by buying 64 rolls of 64 from B&H. i now know what i'll be shooting for the next 18 months -- all my 200 and 64.
 
Now if only Dwayne could commit to a longer deadline, I would stock them and shoot them as long as I can...
Even by small batches, say, once in a month...
 
I don't know about buying the lab (well, ok, I think I figure this one), but what about a group of people commiting to dwayne for a certain amount of rolls a year, and Dwayne commiting to process until... ?
I, for one, could easily plan my shooting and pay in advance for a certain number of years ahead.
 
history

history

I was working a summer job in a photo lab when Kodak discontinued Ektachrome E1 in favor of E2/E3. The studio pros mostly shot 8x10 and were used to its characteristics.

Many stockpiled the old formulation and the labs were forced to keep a second line running for several years to accommodate their customers. E1 was slow and had a very limited, low contrast color palette. You can see how it looked if you read issues of Vogue or similar from the 1950's and early 1960's. No one would go back to using a film that looked like E1 these days.

Kodachrome has its faults, the most serious being a tendency for skies to go magenta. Like the E1 palette, fans just seem not to notice.

About 10 years ago I switched to shooting all color negative after I started scanning in the film. The increased latitude and freedom to adjust the output mean that many prized characteristics can now be achieved through other means. In the photo lab we had detailed procedures to alter film speed and color balance during processing, since the transparency was the end product that was sent to the printer. I'm sure people are glad they don't have to deal with this limitation anymore as well.

Film longevity is an issue and given Kodak (and others) misinformation over the years about this it is impossible to really know what will last. Even digital prints make questionable claims and the testing done by Wilhelm uses accelerated techniques which may not adequate reflect the real world over time.

What can you do, life consists of compromises.

I suppose Kodak could offer to sell it's process information to one of the specialty film makers, and they could continue to make it as they have done emulating other discontinued films. I doubt the demand would be great enough even for them. At one time there was a competitor to Kodachrome made by Dynacolor I think, so recreating the technology is not really that difficult. It is the processing that needs to be tightly controlled.
 
Sad day. On the bright side I am sure glad some evil genius invented it in the first place as my childhood family photos will be safe for many decades to come.

I have been shooting Kodachrome a lot recently... let us all enjoy it while it is still here.

Kent
 
If anything, this will make me shoot the last of my stock. I was going to use Ektar this summer while on vacation in Montana. I guess I'll bring my KR64 instead.

Question: How best to use my four rolls of KR25?
 
Out of my 30,000 slides, probably 60% are Kodachrome, so I can still reminisce about it.

Truth-be-told, it doesn't scan as well as the Ektachromes, so I won't miss it in daily use as some of you will. Sad to see it roll up into that big cassette of history!
 
Pickett Wilson said:
Typical Kodak. One day they are pitching it. The next it's gone. But I can understand their decision. RIP
Click to expand...

When was the last time they pitched it? Maybe I haven't been paying attention but I haven't seen a Kodak pitch for Kodachrome in years... many years. Like you, I'm a bit saddened but understand their decision.... just like I understood, but didn't like, the Polaroid decision.
 
As an historical icon, and for the people who still are using it, this is sad news. For me, Kodachrome took a bit hit around 1974 when Kodachrome-II was replaced by Kodachrome-25, which was not as color saturated, and was more contrasty (narrower latitude). However I continued to shoot it until it was discontinued, but that was the end of the line for me and Kodachrome. I just never liked 64.
 
I have always wanted to do a 'photo every day for a year' project, of the same landscape as it changes during the year.

There's a farm field bordered by woods on my way to work, with home construction encroaching in the distance; I think I will start it in August or September, and donate the slides to the local historical society.
 
It's a long shot, I know...

It's a long shot, I know...

I can only hope that the outcry (and SALES) make Kodak reverse their decision.

Chris
 
I made a purchase earlier. In fact, my order was placed prior to hearing the news of its demise. Now I wish I had ordered more. It will be my first time using kodachrome and I guess my last. :( It just looks so nice.
 
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