A "New Kodachrome", why didn't they? ...

dmr · Jul 2, 2009

I was doing some thinking last night -- yes, dangerous I know.

Big Yellow has over 1/2 of a century of equity built up in the brand name Kodachrome, and it seems to me that the various Rhodes Scholar MBA marketroid types that Big Yellow obviously employs would like to retain that equity instead of flushing it down the hopper by "retiring" the brand.

I would think that an obvious way to salvage the equity while retiring the current K14 film would be to introduce something along the line of a "New Kodachrome", maybe branded something like "Kodachrome-E" which would actually be an E6 film with colors somewhat restrained as compared to the current Ekta/Elitechrome offerings.

Any thoughts on this one, gang?

Christopher Walrath · Jul 2, 2009

That's why they're the in the executive offices and we're the ones stuck holding their golden bags.

tim_walls · Jul 2, 2009

I suspect you're far more likely to see it stuck on a P&S digital camera...

dmr · Jul 2, 2009

tim_walls said:
I suspect you're far more likely to see it stuck on a P&S digital camera...

/me throws up!

Anon Ymous · Jul 2, 2009

Technically speaking, that should be possible, but it would require a considerable amount of time and budget. Given the fact that E6 is a shrinking (and small) market and that Kodak hasn't done any effort to develop anything new, I find it hard to believe that they will do now. I can't blame them, they need to get the investment back and that's not very easy IMHO.

Christopher Walrath · Jul 2, 2009

The all-new Kodak Kodachrome. Our limited run of the pimped out Easy Share . . .

Lee L · Jul 2, 2009

Talk to your local E-6 processor about the trend in numbers of rolls developed over the last several years. They'd love to see more coming in to justify keeping the service, but the places I've used in the last 10 years have gone out of business, or gone from 2-3 runs/day to a couple of runs a week. From what I've seen, it appears that digital is replacing E-6 at a faster rate than it has replaced print film. E6 was driven by the professional market, and that has converted earlier and more rapidly than the amateur print film market.

Besides that, Kodachrome shooters know exactly what Kodachrome is, and if Kodak came out with an "E-6 Kodachrome" there would be a year long 500 page thread on APUG blasting Kodak for it, and it would never be accepted by Kodachrome customers as a real substitute. Kodak has already come out with warmer balanced E6 films that were designed to have more of a Kodachrome balance, and there's a current thread on APUG about that possibly being discontinued.

Lee

MikeSeb · Jul 2, 2009

Lee L said:
...Kodachrome shooters know exactly what Kodachrome is, and if Kodak came out with an "E-6 Kodachrome" there would be a year long 500 page thread on APUG blasting Kodak for it, and it would never be accepted by Kodachrome customers as a real substitute....

Precisely. It would be a no-win for Kodak in either the
fiscal or public-relations spheres, to replace a beloved flagship niche product with a scorned substitute in a rapidly-declining product category.

Just look at the frequency with which Kodak gets castigated here--where folks should know better--for "abandoning" its customers whenever it drops a little-used or unprofitable product. (Look no further than this thread for an example of snarky commentary that doesn't advance the cause of film photography.) This despite offering a slate of new or improved films the past few years that it might actually be able to sell profitably.

Lee's analysis is spot-on.

Christopher Walrath · Jul 2, 2009

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry9000/4.6.0.167 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102 UP.Link/6.3.0.0.0)

Yes, Lee's analysis is spot on.

Steve Smith · Jul 2, 2009

I think that Kodak considers Ektar 100 to be the new Kodachrome now that slides are more likely to be scanned and printed than projected.

I suppose you could project Ektar but it wouldn't look much like Kodachrome!!!

Steve.

railwayman3 · Jul 2, 2009

Now that I'm coming to terms with K-14 being nearly gone, I would certainly give a fair trial to an E-6 substitute which successfully replicated Kodachrome as near as humanly possible.

If it really were that good, I wouldn't object to them calling it "Kodachrome-E", or whatever they like....but I don't think it will happen.

And I can't see even Kodak being misguided enough to label anything digital with the brand "Kodachrome" (but anything is possible ).

Dave Swinnard · Jul 2, 2009

And I can't see even Kodak being misguided enough to label anything digital with the brand "Kodachrome" (but anything is possible :D ).[/QUOTE said:
Give them a few years, we Kodachrome users will age, our minds become less agile and they'll "resurface" the Kodachrome name on something not film. "We" won't remember or our comments will be taken as the babblings of those "living in the past" to whom no heed is paid.

Dave

WolfTales · Jul 2, 2009

Maybe it'll be like car makes, where they take away a model for a few years to make the public miss it, and then mysteriously re-introduce it again a few years later and everyone shouts a faded cheer.

Q.G. · Jul 2, 2009

Do remember that Mannes and Godowski's Kodachrome was reusing a name used before for a 'film' that also was rather good and well respected.

So from that point of view, why not again?

Ektagraphic · Jul 2, 2009

I don't think they sell enough Ektachrome to consider creating another E-6 film. I wish. I can't get through to Kodak because they are closed for the holiday but there is talk that E100GX and Elite Chrome 100 are being discontinued. Ektachrome has my support.

MattKing · Jul 2, 2009

If they were going to do something like this, it would need to be really different.

Maybe an ECN related process, tweaked to give negatives that were both scan-able for (paper) print production, and printable on to transparency materials (like Seattle Film Works in days of yore, but better).

It would be even better if there were a colour print material optimised for the contrast of the ECN negatives (I can dream can't I?).

Matt

BradS · Jul 2, 2009

anybody remember the "New Coke" marketing game?

Aurum · Jul 2, 2009

If Kodak were selling the same quantity of Kodachrome, as the Coca Cola corp are selling cans of trademarked carbonated beverages, I can be confident of the following.
a) they wouldn't have canned it
b) you'd have K25,64,200 all the way to K3200, in 35mm, motion sizes, 120,220, all the way to 8x10
c) Dwaynes would have melted under the strain, and would be looking for a bigger site.

If anyone these days is likely to launch a slide film with a K-14 pallette, I'm not sure its Kodak. More likely Fuji, as they appear to be still working seriously with E6.
Kodak seem to be focussing on the C41 materials

eddym · Jul 2, 2009

Steve Smith said:
I suppose you could project Ektar but it wouldn't look much like Kodachrome!!!

Steve.

Of course you could project Ektar; you just have to scan it first, and use a digital projector...

removed account4 · Jul 2, 2009

seeing big yellow is selling their printers
(you know, the ones that are supposed to change the world)
on the cartoon network inbetween episodes
of chowder, spongebob and flapjack, it seems they have
their priorities in a different place.

it is unfortunate, but true.

Sirius Glass · Jul 2, 2009

It is good to see that there is a new thread on Kodachrome first thing in the morning on APUG!

Steve

wogster · Jul 2, 2009

WolfTales said:
Maybe it'll be like car makes, where they take away a model for a few years to make the public miss it, and then mysteriously re-introduce it again a few years later and everyone shouts a faded cheer.

I remember when Chevrolet did this with the Impala, they took a nice big North American car, discontinued it, then a few years later put the moniker on a much smaller car that bore no resemblance to the old one. Most likely if the Kodachrome name returned it would on some silly inkjet transparency film or something similar.

nsouto · Jul 2, 2009

railwayman3 said:
Now that I'm coming to terms with K-14 being nearly gone, I would certainly give a fair trial to an E-6 substitute which successfully replicated Kodachrome as near as humanly possible.

pssssst!
it's called: Fuji Astia
use it or lose it...

railwayman3 · Jul 3, 2009

nsouto said:
pssssst!
it's called: Fuji Astia
use it or lose it...

Thanks for the tip, others please note. (I've actually already got a brick of 20 Astia ready in the freezer for when my K64 finally runs out. )

StorminMatt · Jul 5, 2009

nsouto said:
pssssst!
it's called: Fuji Astia
use it or lose it...

One itty bitty problem here: Astia looks NOTHING like Kodachrome. It just looks too, well, too much like a Fuji film (what do you expect it to look like?). Ektachrome E100G is a MUCH better Kodachrome replacement.

A "New Kodachrome", why didn't they? ...

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