KA: Kodachrome "just not practical to try to replicate in today's market."

Theo Sulphate · Apr 8, 2018

MattKing said:
... It would be nice if a few reasonably priced processing runs could happen, so that all previously exposed film could be dealt with.

Some people should suffer the consequences of their stupidity or laziness.

An idiot whom I won't name travelled from Los Angeles to Portland in 1977 and used 25 feet of double 8mm Kodachrome II. The plan was to flip the roll over and finish the film within the next few months.

That never happened.

So the film sat in the camera, year after year, decade after decade, even though the images on that film, from that period of time, would be pretty nice to see. When K II was discontinued, the film still remained in the camera. When Dwayne's began the final processing, this film never made that journey.

To this day the film remains in the camera, the roll unflipped, in my Camera Room.

RattyMouse · Apr 8, 2018

Theo Sulphate said:
To this day the film remains in the camera, the roll unflipped, in my Camera Room.

Brutal.

trendland · Apr 8, 2018

Theo Sulphate said:
Some people should suffer the consequences of their stupidity or laziness.

An idiot whom I won't name travelled from Los Angeles to Portland in 1977 and used 25 feet of double 8mm Kodachrome II. The plan was to flip the roll over and finish the film within the next few months.

That never happened.

So the film sat in the camera, year after year, decade after decade, even though the images on that film, from that period of time, would be pretty nice to see. When K II was discontinued, the film still remained in the camera. When Dwayne's began the final processing, this film never made that journey.

To this day the film remains in the camera, the roll unflipped, in my Camera Room.

Yes I also remember well these ugly days as Dwaynes began the final processing.I gave several rolls of Super8 and all other Kodachrome stuff I was able to find to Dwaynes.It was exposed over the last weeks the latest roll was 4month exposed.With the exeption of one Kodachrome 64 (18 years old) - sure this was too much for Kodachrome stability - but I wonder about some colors wich were indeed remaining.with regards

trendland · Apr 8, 2018

MattKing said:
K-Lab - one of these machines which were much smaller than the normal K-14 processors:
View attachment 198390

Kodachrome (if it ever comes again) would have no need to be an exact clone of its original.Sure there would be a need of little reformulation. The same is to the machines. If we remember K14 lab equipment we have this monsters out of the 50th/60th in remind.Kodak was able to serve this machines only with the help of fine technicians who gave their souls to let them run decade to decade.Todays technology let make it more smart.So thanks for this example.with regards .....PS : I strongly belive :"Everything is still possible"......there is just the need of some simple million USD....."

RattyMouse · Apr 8, 2018

trendland said:
Kodachrome (if it ever comes again)

It's not coming back. You are delusional if you think there is even a 1% chance Kodakchrome is coming back.

Half a dozen fans of a long dead film won't bring it back.

E. von Hoegh · Apr 8, 2018

Theo Sulphate said:
Some people should suffer the consequences of their stupidity or laziness.

An idiot whom I won't name travelled from Los Angeles to Portland in 1977 and used 25 feet of double 8mm Kodachrome II. The plan was to flip the roll over and finish the film within the next few months.

That never happened.

So the film sat in the camera, year after year, decade after decade, even though the images on that film, from that period of time, would be pretty nice to see. When K II was discontinued, the film still remained in the camera. When Dwayne's began the final processing, this film never made that journey.

To this day the film remains in the camera, the roll unflipped, in my Camera Room.

And I felt bad because one of my Super Rollex backs has a roll of Kodachrome still in it, unexposed.

MattKing · Apr 8, 2018

Theo Sulphate said:
Some people should suffer the consequences of their stupidity or laziness.

Maybe, but it would still be nice if they could be forgiven, and get their film processed.
It might be a bit much to hope for K-12 (Kodachrome II) though.

E. von Hoegh · Apr 8, 2018

MattKing said:
Maybe, but it would still be nice if they could be forgiven, and get their film processed.
It might be a bit much to hope for K-12 (Kodachrome II) though.

It was very well known when processing would cease, using film which you know cannot be processed is pretty stupid - more so when it's an "important project".

alanrockwood · Apr 8, 2018

I have an unshot roll of kodachrome. I had intended to shoot it and send it to Dwayne's before the final shutdown, but I had temporarily misplaced the roll. Now the unshot roll sits on a shelf of my bookcase, feeling all alone and unfulfilled.

alanrockwood · Apr 8, 2018

I believe that the original experimental versions of Kodachrome were developed by a couple of musicians using more or less improvised methods and equipment. Does Kodachrome or Kodachrome equivalent really need a high volume production environment to succeed on a technical level? This question is not asking the second question of whether it could survive in a low volume environment on a financial level, but the second question necessarily comes after the first and not the other way around.

twelvetone12 · Apr 8, 2018

Man and God were more than "a couple musicians" as they both had University degrees in chemistry, a big grant from Kodak and many years to spend on the project. as a plus they were also professional musicians.

railwayman3 · Apr 8, 2018

E. von Hoegh said:
It was very well known when processing would cease, using film which you know cannot be processed is pretty stupid - more so when it's an "important project".

On a par with shooting your daughter's wedding on ancient expired film, then wondering why when the negs were fogged and unprintable. I know someone who did that....but at least, in that case, his daughter put together a nice album printed from her friends pics on their smartphones. !
(I'm not immune from stupidity myself at times.....just found a sealed brick of 20 Kodachrome 64 deep in the freezer. I would have sworn that I'd shot, and had processed, all my Kodachrome back in 2010 and even sold off my spare ones at the time on Ebay, while Dwaynes were still working K-14.)

trendland · Apr 8, 2018

RattyMouse said:
It's not coming back. You are delusional if you think there is even a 1% chance Kodakchrome is coming back.

Half a dozen fans of a long dead film won't bring it back.

Never say never! with regards

trendland · Apr 8, 2018

alanrockwood said:
I believe that the original experimental versions of Kodachrome were developed by a couple of musicians using more or less improvised methods and equipment. Does Kodachrome or Kodachrome equivalent really need a high volume production environment to succeed on a technical level? This question is not asking the second question of whether it could survive in a low volume environment on a financial level, but the second question necessarily comes after the first and not the other way around.

Yes you are right. I would guess a new Kodachrome film would more than possible be with highest riscs to a manufacturer. But in case of EK there have been so many totaly wrong decisions in the past that I realy would not care so much about riscs.But from my point the volume of production has to be a much higher one in comparison of Ektachromes calculated demand.As far as we can't know the real demand to Ektachrome today - We just have to wait.But it is a real long way to make Kodachrome alive again - that is absolute true.with regards

removed account4 · Apr 8, 2018

RattyMouse said:
It's not coming back. You are delusional if you think there is even a 1% chance Kodakchrome is coming back.

Half a dozen fans of a long dead film won't bring it back.

dang 2 realists in the same thread less than 24 hours apart !! we're on a roll !

cmacd123 · Apr 8, 2018

this year I found a roll of KR-135-36P in a used camera I bought. Original buyer did not even get the processing that they paid for. I keep the cassette on top of my computer as a reminder to Carpe Diem.

Lionel1972 · Apr 8, 2018

Bringing back Kodachrome seems such an impossible task to so many that it is precisely why it would be a smart move for Kodak to do it. The media coverage alone would save millions in advertising and would bring to Kodak old and new costumers around the world to look at Kodak products of all sorts.

MattKing · Apr 8, 2018

I have dozens of rolls of process paid, never exposed Kodachrome. They were given to me a couple of years ago.

Photo Engineer · Apr 8, 2018

All of you complainers............. Go out and develop them yourselves. After all, Steve Frizzza did it! You can too.

PE

trendland · Apr 9, 2018

Photo Engineer said:
All of you complainers............. Go out and develop them yourselves. After all, Steve Frizzza did it! You can too.

PE

To me it does not go to have Kodachrome back and pay every price for having it.It is indeed in regard of nearly same characteristics to the original.If our focus seams to be in regard of the color look - there might be no urgent need to reanimate this emulsion (because one should be able to live with other films and their nice colors).But (just from my point) it is this special combination of Kodachrome color look AND enormous resistance against aging.We all may acept that Kodachrome should not be projected so often and - (more important) not so long because of temperatures - therefore.I am not sure if Steve Frizza's method can hold on that promise from original K14 process (true colors for ever)?

for ever = > 50 years

with regards

Sal Santamaura · Apr 9, 2018

Lionel1972 said:
Bringing back Kodachrome...would be a smart move for Kodak...

Initiating a Kodachrome revival project would be a Kodak move so stupid it would make many of Kodak management's previous stupid moves over recent decades look positively reasonable, if not ingenious.

RattyMouse · Apr 9, 2018

Sal Santamaura said:
Initiating a Kodachrome revival project would be a Kodak move so stupid it would make many of Kodak management's previous stupid moves over recent decades look positively reasonable, if not ingenious.

I dont agree with Sal on much, but here he's more than 100% right. Bringing back Kodachrome would be a move so foolish, so irresponsible of Kodak, that it would probably insure the complete destruction of the company.

Photo Engineer · Apr 9, 2018

I have to agree as well.

Sirius Glass · Apr 9, 2018

It is more likely that the Egyptians will start building pyramids again with the ancient methods long before Kodachrome will be resurrected from the dead.

E. von Hoegh · Apr 9, 2018

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Return of Kodachrome

KA: Kodachrome "just not practical to try to replicate in today's market."

Theo Sulphate

RattyMouse

trendland

trendland

RattyMouse

E. von Hoegh

MattKing

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E. von Hoegh

alanrockwood

alanrockwood

twelvetone12

railwayman3

trendland

trendland

removed account4

cmacd123

Lionel1972

MattKing

Moderator

Photo Engineer

trendland

Sal Santamaura

RattyMouse

Photo Engineer

Sirius Glass

E. von Hoegh

KA: Kodachrome "just not practical to try to replicate in today's market."

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