Film shots as collector status

cliveh · May 22, 2014

As film becomes obsolete, are images recorded on various films going to aspire to collector status. For instance kodachrome shots will eventually be as rare as Autochrome.

gone · May 22, 2014

"As film becomes obsolete"....

AgX · May 22, 2014

Status is not only dependant on the rarity of something but of its contempory spread and status too.

In most part of the world Autochromes remained a rarity even in their time. Modern colour photographic materials had a quite different spreading, even developed into expandables. I assume this to influence future asessment in case of having become obsolete.

An other factor is fashion. I mean a change of attitude towards obsolete things that can hardly be reasoned.

snapguy · May 22, 2014

moolah

I would not put my money on Kodachrome slides just because they are Kodachrome. I'm already invested heavily in Kodak and Polaroid stock.

Sirius Glass · May 22, 2014

cliveh said:
As film becomes obsolete ...

That is the first error in your posting.

cliveh · May 22, 2014

Sirius Glass said:
That is the first error in your posting.

Perhaps I should have said as some films become obsolete.

jp498 · May 22, 2014

Probably more likely silver with spike in cost because of restrictions in mining or some new use for it, and film will get recycled for good money like xray films are now.

benjiboy · May 23, 2014

cliveh said:
Perhaps I should have said as some films become obsolete.

" As film becomes obsolete" Clive is a statement that in boxing terms on this forum would be called "leading with your chin"

Mainecoonmaniac · May 23, 2014

How about digital painting?

Sirius Glass said:
That is the first error in your posting.

There are digital paintings but art stores still canvases and paint. Film won't go obsolete just become more of a fine art medium.

omaha · May 23, 2014

I do think the desirability of analog prints will grow as they become more rare. There are clients who will pay for a hand-printed, analog portrait. 30 years ago, that was nothing special. Today, there is something to it.

cliveh · May 23, 2014

Well for instance Kodachrome has already gone and so the number of Kodachrome images in the world is now finite, if you get my drift.

moose10101 · May 23, 2014

cliveh said:
Well for instance Kodachrome has already gone and so the number of Kodachrome images in the world is now finite, if you get my drift.

Finite, but probably numbering in the billions. There are 10,000 active listings for Kodachrome slides on eBay. Their value appears to be related to the rarity of the image, not the extinction of the particular medium.

Sirius Glass · May 23, 2014

moose10101 said:
cliveh said:

Well for instance Kodachrome has already gone and so the number of Kodachrome images in the world is now finite, if you get my drift.

Click to expand...

Finite, but probably numbering in the billions. There are 10,000 active listings for Kodachrome slides on eBay. Their value appears to be related to the rarity of the image, not the extinction of the particular medium.

And Ektachrome always had much better color accuracy and rendition.

cliveh · May 23, 2014

moose10101 said:
Finite, but probably numbering in the billions. There are 10,000 active listings for Kodachrome slides on eBay. Their value appears to be related to the rarity of the image, not the extinction of the particular medium.

Billions at the moment, but in the next 100 years probably thousands.

moose10101 · May 24, 2014

Sirius Glass said:
And Ektachrome always had much better color accuracy and rendition.

True, but for some reason, the Kodachrome listings outnumber Ektachrome 10-to-1. Many of the sales are photos of fire trucks; I guess the collectors like that Kodachrome red.

Poisson Du Jour · May 25, 2014

moose10101 said:
True, but for some reason, the Kodachrome listings outnumber Ektachrome 10-to-1. Many of the sales are photos of fire trucks; I guess the collectors like that Kodachrome red.

That's the point. A technical one.

If collectors/photographers had a deep understanding of Kodachrome (and many did not), they would appreciate that Kodachrome was the best film at the time for red: roses, fire trucks, hydrants, rockets... anything where red needed to be recorded with greater accuracy over, for instance, muddly and bluey Ektachrome or the later Vaudevillian Fujichrome films.

Kodachrome, Fujichrome...whatever 'chrome prints are not collectable; why should they be? The original images (transparencies) are and antiquarian dealers would pay serious money for them. This is because printing is not a precise rendition of the recorded image (on film) and as such art dealers/collectors routinely devalue it. But an image like e.g. McCurry's "Afghan Girl" is locked away in a bank vault, despite having been reproduced ad nauseum everywhere on the web and commemorative prints made just as often, they are nowhere near the perpetual value of the original image.

Poisson Du Jour · May 25, 2014

cliveh said:
Perhaps I should have said as some films become obsolete.

I don't see what people are getting all hot and bothered about at your mention of this.

railwayman3 · May 25, 2014

moose10101 said:
Finite, but probably numbering in the billions. There are 10,000 active listings for Kodachrome slides on eBay. Their value appears to be related to the rarity of the image, not the extinction of the particular medium.

There is/was a definite preference from aircraft enthusiasts and photo collectors for Kodachrome shots, and there was a lot of adverse comment on specialist sites when Kodachrome discontinuence was announced (and, to perhaps a lesser extent, for train enthusiasts). Probable a perceived accuracy and consistency of color rendering.

AgX · May 25, 2014

Poisson Du Jour said:
But an image like e.g. McCurry's "Afghan Girl" is locked away in a bank vault, despite having been reproduced ad nauseum everywhere on the web and commemorative prints made just as often, they are nowhere near the perpetual value of the original image.

The existance of that original transpareny is an added value for a collector for an already iconic photograph. But that would bot apply to the vast majority of still existing Kodachrome slides. If they were nor re-discoverd as important and collectable photograph imagewise.

TomNY · May 25, 2014

cliveh said:
Billions at the moment, but in the next 100 years probably thousands.

I wish I had a reason to to be concerned about anything 100 years from now (or even 50). 40 is a possibility but I'm not sure I'll be able to hold a camera by then

Film shots as collector status

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