How to use it? Kodachrome 200.

[Erik Petersson]

Dear all,

just got a few rolls of the famous kodachrome 200 from a local auction site. I would greatly appreciate advice on what to use it for, and how, as there is little room for experiments with so few rolls. Would love to find out why some people love it so much.

I read in the forums here that I will have to expose it accurately. Should I try to err on the side of over- or underexposure if I am not sure?

I also gather that it can create strong colour casts under mixed light, and that warm and soft natural light is favourable. Should I use a warming filter on overcast days, as some recommend? Swedish winter is dark and dull, as you may know.

The film is a few years old, but has been frozen according to the seller.

thanks
Erik

 

[Michel Hardy-Vallée]

Best way to avoid overexposure is to meter light using an incident meter. Those meters are keyed to give you highlights that won't blow up.

You should probably bracket half a stop over and under, since slide film likes slight underexposure, but perhaps the effective film speed has changed a bit over time because of storage conditions.

Take notes. Send your first roll to Dwayne's, and wait patiently for the results. Compare your notes with the results. It's the only way you can avoid wasting it.

 

[removed-user-1]

I wonder if Dwayne's will do a clip test? Unfortunately I only got to shoot one roll of this film years ago - but I can attest to the strong color cast under artificial light, and also remember that it could be pushed to ISO 500. I used it for street photography at night with interesting results.

 

[Erik Petersson]

Interesting that it is pushable. I love speed. Grain increases probably then, and contrast, right?

 

[railwayman3]

I'd follow Michel H-V's comments and advice, but would just add that outdated K200 can sometimes be susceptible to a slight maganta shift and loss of contrast, even when frozen. So a good idea to try it one-roll-at-a-time and see if any corrections are neceassary.
K25 and K64 seem more stable films, and can last for years when frozen, with no deterioration for all practical purposes.

 

[John Shriver]

I think by now any K200 that hasn't been processed has a slight magenta shift. They really stretched out the last master rolls too long.

I'm shooting one of my last two rolls at the moment.

If you err on exposure, under-exposure is the only way that doesn't result in disaster.

You meter, shutter, and aperture all need to be accurate, and your metering technique solid. Absolutely unforgiving stuff. But a lovely look if you nail it.

 

[Erik Petersson]

What regards exposure I should use my F3, it usually exposes other slidefilms well. I do not have another reliable lightmeter.

The films, five of them, lies besides me as I write this, together with envelopes that I apparently should adress to Kodak in Norway. Will start tomorrow already.

 

[Erik Petersson]

I recieved the first roll of developed film today, and it really is something else! Much more different to other slide films than I expected. There is a strong magenta cast, but still colours somehow look true. The most successful picture was the one I show below in which the magenta cast has cancelled the greenish flourescent light.

Another thing, if the slide is tilted, the picture is visible as if in relief, similar to black and white films. Interesting!

I think I will use the remaining four rolls in strong artificial light, where the reddish cast will be unimportant, or when flourescent light can be cancelled out.

I should not have tried Kodachrome, now I will miss it.

 

[EASmithV]

What regards exposure I should use my F3, it usually exposes other slidefilms well. I do not have another reliable lightmeter.

The films, five of them, lies besides me as I write this, together with envelopes that I apparently should adress to Kodak in Norway. Will start tomorrow already.

Freeze them immediately

 

[Erik Petersson]

I would rather use them immediately. I don't think that they will detoriate very much further in the few weeks until they are used. Or am I wrong?