Slide Film, A CALL TO ARMS! : SHOOT IT OR IT WILL DIE

wilonstott said:
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I just talked to the lab tech at Precision Camera about their discontinuation of E-6 processing. She was very nice. Listened to my woes. Consoled me.

She told me that they, on average, processed about 20 rolls a week or E-6 compared to over 250 rolls a week of C-41.

I can't blame them. It was no longer financially viable.

I love slide film, but I don't shoot enough of it.

I've decided that's going to stop. I'm going to shoot more e-6.

Everyone cried when Kodachrome died, but we didn't do enough to save it, and in all honesty, we probably could have.

We knew it would happen eventually, but I don't think we really believed it.

We have a chance now.

And it has to start now---before it's in its emminent death throes.

We need strategy. What are your ideas?

Let's not hear negativity, fear mongering, or dower end-of-e6-scenarios.

That's not what this thread is about.

It's not about eulogizing something that isn't dead yet.

It's about action.

I'm going to start shooting two rolls of e-6 to every one roll of c-41.

Let's get the discussion going.

The lab tech at Precision said that RFF kept e-6 alive at least 2 years longer than it would have otherwise.

We did that without even trying.

We are the well-organized, well-funded special interest group that saves things like this.

Us.

Nobody else cares.

Nobody.

It's up to us.

How do we do it?
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Wil,

Contact Christian Rudman (IIRC, he is associated with PC...but at my age, my memory is shot) by email at Precision Camera and discuss the issue with him. He is a great guy with a lot of enthusiasm. Also, check with Robert (digitalintrigue) and maybe he can lead you in the right direction.

The way I see it, from an engineer's point of view, is that there is a solution among a few choices. There are two choices that may work:

1. Do the research. Ask Precision Camera exactly what they need from RFF to make the continuance of E6 processing profitable. Then, let's try to break it down and get commitments from RFF members and others. Like Public Broadcasting, this can be done but will require some dedicated workers to volunteer in keeping this moving just as a business needs to stay on it every day. This will be the least expensive way for us to get involved in extending the life of E6 processing into the future.

2. Do more research. Look into an entirely enthusiast-based centralized venture where "we" do all the processing and shipping to other members. This is a whole 'nother ball game and is very complex and expensive. But it is something that could be done with the right people involved.

If everyone wants to keep it a cottage-type industry where we do it at home, fine....until E6 disappears.

Can we save the slide film industry? I dunno. Can we extend the life of this wonderful medium 10 years or more into the future? Who knows?

IMO, option #1 is most viable. I could commit to 20 rolls a year even with my non-existing finances. How many RFF members can commit to a yet-to-be-determined amount?:angel:

Edit: Memory loss cited....LOL
 
shadowfox said:
Guys, if you want to save slide film, consider these:

1. Stop relying on labs, start relying on each other. Labs have to make money to stay open, individual home developers don't. Which one you think will survive longer?

2. Find people in your town/city who still shoot slides or would like to start. It makes no sense for *every* individual slide film user to develop their own. Develop collectively, it's more fun, and you can pool your resources to combat high prices.

3. Go public. In the US, the public library is an excellent place for showcasing your work or from the collective (see no.2). Raise awareness and the beauty of slide films (some creative marketing techniques will hep here).

The point is: You don't have to be Kodak or Lomography to save something, it takes a lot of work (what else is new), but a band of like-minded individuals can do it, and have fun while doing it.
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Some time ago, I posted a thread about creative ways of displaying slides in public places. No one had a clue how to do this.

If there was some way to display slides that can be viewed while just walking up to the gallery with a backlit mounted slides(s) or film strip and people could actually see the amazing image, it would really change some minds about film. Nothing beats looking at slides through a loupe. Projecting slides is very cool yet it is tough on the life of the slides, at least that has been my experience.

So, how can one do a slide gallery at a public library? I am open to this discussion.:angel:
 
Do you live or work in Melbourne, Aus?
Need to store all the 35mm slides you are taking?

I have around 200 'archival' sheets which will each hold 24 mounted slides (made by champion photographics) - many have never been used (all saved from the bin at work!).

I will give these away FREE to the first person who contacts me who can COLLECT from central Melbourne!
 
Thomas78 said:
I will send my brother with my Voigtländer Perkeo IIIe and 4-5 rolls of Provia 400X and 1-2 of Ektachrome 100 to London tomorrow.
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This. Great.

Shadowfox--I think you're on the right track--we really do need interest in the product. We need people to know what it can do.

I can't help but thinking though, "why can't we have both?"

Remember we all don't have networks of shooters close at hand. I don't. I feel like the Lone Ranger sometimes.

However, I really like your idea about public exhibitions.

Slide shows have really gotten a bad wrap thanks to a thousand bad jokes about how to get overworn dinner guests to leave ("pull out vacation slides..."), but people forget how amazing the projected image can be.

My grandfather was a avid photographer (I'm 32, he's 88 and still going strong) has a metric ton of kodachrome and ektachrome slides. He's pulled them out before and I'm always astounded (especially with the Kodachrome) with quality.

I was in Vesuvio in San Franciso a few months ago--bar where Jack Kerouac used to hang out, and what are they doing on the back wall--projecting old color slides of San Francisco.

Slides are Hip

More Evidence:

On the Fashion Blog--A Continuious Lean--the guy collects old Kodachrome slides and writes about it on his blog. But he doesn't shoot slides--he's got an X100. I feel like writing the guy and telling him it's still around.

Here's a link--I just searched "Kodachrome" in the search box.
http://www.acontinuouslean.com/index.php?s=kodachrome

We have to sell it to the cool and fashionable.
Hipsters and young urbanites are the key.

We have to scour the web for blogs like this. This guy is ripe, and people listen to him. He's got to have the whole package--the film, the camera, the processing lab--all neat and easy to pass on to the masses.

Where else on the web are people talking about slide film like it's dead?

Hell, this guy probably thinks it's all over--how great if someone shows him he can still make images like that (minus the old clothes and cars)?

How great would you feel?
 
I'll do that Dave. I'm gonna watch the thread a bit more today, but I'll contact him.

Ninja Edit

Anybody got an Email Address for Christian Rudman?
I think we should all write and ask him what it would take to get E-6 up and going again.
I looked on Precision's site, but no email links.


Remember, if we do this, we have to be committed.

--Shooting more slide film
--Processing with Precision (if we can work out some kind of deal)---for folks in the US
--Phone a Buddy, Tell a Friend, lend him your camera and a roll
--Again, Refer, Refer, Refer to Precision
--Wash, Rinse, Repeat
--Always remember that you're the only person keeping this beautiful animal alive.

Because it's up to Us.
Nobody else cares.

So don't just shrug your shoulders, and say "bummer" anymore.
Let's get a contact email.
Everyone email him.
A nice, thoughtful email about how great Precision is for the RFF community, and how sad we are to see the E-6 process go from their line.

And then ask what we can do to stop it.

What do they need?

We got it.

We can do it.
 
Davidhel said:
Do you live or work in Melbourne, Aus?
Need to store all the 35mm slides you are taking?

I have around 200 'archival' sheets which will each hold 24 mounted slides (made by champion photographics) - many have never been used (all saved from the bin at work!).

I will give these away FREE to the first person who contacts me who can COLLECT from central Melbourne!
Click to expand...

The plastic archival pages seem to me to be the best way to store, sort, and preview slides. I've used them for years, along with paper, plastic and metal boxes. Lately I've decided to move everything to the plastic pages. There's no other way to quickly and visually review the images. I have some pendaflex type hangers on order that will let me keep them in file cabinet drawers as well as portable file boxes. Up until now I've kept them in regular pendaflex hangers.

I like to project my slides. The plastic pages are my best way to select and sequence slides before putting them into Carousel trays.
 
Just a visual reminder. David Alan Harvey's Divided Soul was all shot with Velvia 50.

I love the guy, and I don't want to get in a tangential film/digital discussion, but his recent Rio stuff doesn't hold a candle to his old stuff.

I think the Velvia 50 is the difference. He ain't that much older.

Just look at it. Look at the weight of those colors and shadows. Nothing like it.

http://www.magnumphotos.com/C.aspx?VP3=ViewBox&ALID=2K7O3R3XKTFQ&IT=ThumbImage01_VForm&CT=Album
 
shadowfox said:
Guys, if you want to save slide film, consider these:

1. Stop relying on labs, start relying on each other. Labs have to make money to stay open, individual home developers don't. Which one you think will survive longer?
Click to expand...

This will kill E-6 faster than anything else.

There was never enough home processing to keep Jobo in biz, so nowhere near enough to keep Fuji's rollers rolling.

Only labs can machine process the volume comparable to what Fuji's machines can output.

There is no ability to downscale production of these complex emulsions. If the market cannot purchase and process a certain volume, it all stops. This is what Kodak did.

At least the E process is substantially less expensive and idiosyncratic than the K process This makes it economically viable if labs can process equitably compared to Fuji's output. It's a pretty simple equation.
 
Blimey. This thread just reminded me that I still have about 30 rolls of Sensia left. I don't even know what to shoot with them! They will all expire by this month.
 
RFluhver said:
Blimey. This thread just reminded me that I still have about 30 rolls of Sensia left. I don't even know what to shoot with them! They will all expire by this month.
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Don't over-think it man.

Just let it happen organically.

Shoot it like you would anything else.

I'm always happy with what I get, no matter what I shoot.

However, I forget that sometimes when I think about the cost or that I'm shooting discontinued film.

Hell man, even the Mona Lisa's falling apart.

Throw them in the freezer now, and pop one in the chamber.

Start shooting it.

I only really regret the things I didn't do.
 
Aristophanes said:
This will kill E-6 faster than anything else.

There was never enough home processing to keep Jobo in biz, so nowhere near enough to keep Fuji's rollers rolling.

Only labs can machine process the volume comparable to what Fuji's machines can output.

There is no ability to downscale production of these complex emulsions. If the market cannot purchase and process a certain volume, it all stops. This is what Kodak did.

At least the E process is substantially less expensive and idiosyncratic than the K process This makes it economically viable if labs can process equitably compared to Fuji's output. It's a pretty simple equation.
Click to expand...


The more I think about it, this seems like the correct answer.

We have to support labs.

Right now I think we need to focus efforts.

Perhaps we need to do it by country.

Strike a deal with one in the US, UK, France, Australia, and so on.

Funnel all the business we can to certain labs while trying to boost the visibility of slide film in other areas of the web.

Fresh ideas guys.

We're doing great.

Innovate. Play Jazz.

What else?
 
RFluhver said:
Sh*t, you're a bloody poet! You got me inspired. I will do it.
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Great. Awesome.

This is what we need.

Action.

Go out this evening.

Go out tomorrow morning.

Golden hour, when the light is good.

Go for a walk.

Shoot 12 frames.

Do that 3 times a week.

Bracket shots. Let it happen. Get it right. Set a goal.

Take shots of people--tell them why you're doing it.

Do it.
 
This thread has me re-evaluating what I'm doing. I purchased a JOBO just for E-6/C-41. Shortly after this I purchased an X100 and much later a NEX-7. I ceased shooting color film, but have hundreds of rolls sitting in a dedicated 5 cuft film freezer and E-6 chemistry going (gone) bad.

I just went through my 24Mpix Nikon 9000ED 35mm Velvia scans and to my amazement, the resolution is on par with my NEX-7 and the colors are simply dreamy. Next, I looked at 645 and they blew the NEX out of the water. Lastly, I had some 95Mpix scans from my Mamiya 7II and the NEX-7 wasn't even in the ballpark. I could count lashes on people that filled but a small portion of the negative. Wow, did I get off track. That isn't to say that the NEX-7, or X100 aren't great and the workflow is wonderful, but really..
 
wilonstott said:
Ninja Edit

Anybody got an Email Address for Christian Rudman?
I think we should all write and ask him what it would take to get E-6 up and going again.
I looked on Precision's site, but no email links.


Remember, if we do this, we have to be committed.

--Shooting more slide film
--Processing with Precision (if we can work out some kind of deal)---for folks in the US
--Phone a Buddy, Tell a Friend, lend him your camera and a roll
--Again, Refer, Refer, Refer to Precision
--Wash, Rinse, Repeat
--Always remember that you're the only person keeping this beautiful animal alive.

Because it's up to Us.
Nobody else cares.

So don't just shrug your shoulders, and say "bummer" anymore.
Let's get a contact email.
Everyone email him.
Click to expand...
They have a FB page. Might give that a try,
https://www.facebook.com/precision.camera.video
 
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