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

[E. von Hoegh]

Along with bigfoot, chemtrails, crop circles, the Second Coming,
Etc., there will be a symposium held on The Grassy Knoll.

Forgive me for quoting myself, but...

 

[Lionel1972]

It never ends for a reason.

Kodachrome is possible. There's guys with great leads on chemistry who are only a few steps away. There is another K-Lab, its in great shape.

Its pretty disheartening to see folks who don't have their finger on the pulse of this, who are definitive in making statements about how dead, impossible and pointless Kodachrome is, because it doesn't reflect the reality.

I'd even venture to say, with support, rather than condescension, Kodachrome would likely return faster. Folks working on this are human too, and loud voices making crap out Kodachrome have an effect.

Thanks! Great news about a surviving K-Lab!

 

[Sirius Glass]

It never ends for a reason.

Kodachrome is possible. There's guys with great leads on chemistry who are only a few steps away. There is another K-Lab, its in great shape.

Its pretty disheartening to see folks who don't have their finger on the pulse of this, who are definitive in making statements about how dead, impossible and pointless Kodachrome is, because it doesn't reflect the reality.

I'd even venture to say, with support, rather than condescension, Kodachrome would likely return faster. Folks working on this are human too, and loud voices making crap out Kodachrome have an effect.

Whatever you are smoking or taking would be good for what ails me. Please send a large box of it to me.

 

[E. von Hoegh]

Whatever you are smoking or taking would be good for what ails me. Please send a large box of it to me.

Are you really that unwell Sirius? He's toking on some serious stuff...

 

[shuttlelaunchfilm]

I've spent lots of time last year traveling around the country meeting with and looking at test shots from reverse engineered chemistry. I've seen the K-Lab and I've been, along with the other folks, connecting with numerous Chinese chemical companies.

There's certainly obstacles ahead. This forum could be a collaborative environment- but the magical internet brings out the worst in many folks. Successful Kodachrome folks are mostly tired of hearing it and moving on in their own terms.

 

[E. von Hoegh]

I've spent lots of time last year traveling around the country meeting with and looking at test shots from reverse engineered chemistry. I've seen the K-Lab and I've been, along with the other folks, connecting with numerous Chinese chemical companies.

There's certainly obstacles ahead. This forum could be a collaborative environment- but the magical internet brings out the worst in many folks. Successful Kodachrome folks are mostly tired of hearing it and moving on in their own terms.

Where is the "K lab"? You sound like every other pseudoscience/conspiracy theory nutcase, btw.

 

[MattKing]

More importantly, why would you need to "reverse engineer" chemistry that has been published?
If an independent third party wants to try this - fine.
I'd rather send Ektachrome to my local lab.
And I've used and enjoyed a lot of Kodachrome!

 

[RattyMouse]

Successful Kodachrome folks are mostly tired of hearing it and moving on in their own terms.

I wish this were true, but sadly it is not.

 

[E. von Hoegh]

I wish this were true, but sadly it is not.

The next DSM should include "Kodachrome psychosis".

 

[Sal Santamaura]

I've spent lots of time last year traveling around the country meeting with and looking at test shots from reverse engineered chemistry. I've seen the K-Lab and I've been, along with the other folks, connecting with numerous Chinese chemical companies...

It's entirely possible that you're describing a real effort that might result in viable processing for existing rolls of Kodachrome. I am, however, very skeptical that any entity can be successful starting up a Kodachrome film making line. For that matter, I'm skeptical color film of any stripe will be manufactured for too many more years.

Good luck, nonetheless.

 

[E. von Hoegh]

It's entirely possible that you're describing a real effort that might result in viable processing for existing rolls of Kodachrome. I am, however, very skeptical that any entity can be successful starting up a Kodachrome film making line. For that matter, I'm skeptical color film of any stripe will be manufactured for too many more years.

Good luck, nonetheless.

User shuttlelaunchfilm has quite a bit of still & movie Kodachrome, documenting space shuttle launches. It was exposed after processing was discontinued. So, the mission is to recreate Kodachrome processing, not the film itself. Any sane person would have used film for which processing was available & got on with their life.

 

[removed account4]

And actually I do think that Kodak would be quite succesful if they would come up with a « Kodak Klassics » line of film revived from their illustrious catalog.

maybe ... someone from kodak alaris actually made a speach years ago about reviving emulsions from
their catalog for short runs. breweries do this all the time with short run specialty/seasonal beers and people go nuts for it.
one of the problems i remember reading about, which maybe got fixed with the new tmz release is the run-size. EK had trouble
scaling down the amount of film made to suit today's shooting environment. maybe if they can figure out a way to only do short runs
and figure out a way to market the stuff ( the past 10-15 years their marketing was not very good ) and if they could figure out a way
to have the stuff processed and a price point that was affordable it sounds like a great plan ... but .. unfortunately
a lot of the consumer photofinishing infrastructure was dismantled years ago. fuji ( for example ) had a handful of labs around the usa
where mail order film was sent in ( from stores &c ) and now they have 1 ... kodak has none. i hope they are testing the waters
with tmz ... and i hope more film users come out of the woodwork, but im not holding my breath ... btw holmes and yoyo i think only lasted 4 episodes

 

[pentaxuser]

I would find it amazing if anyone outside of Kodak could resurrect/reconstruct the Kodachrome line. What kind of skills and resources would be needed and at what price vis a vis the likely return on investment? However interestingly enough I have seen what I think are hints, at least, that Kodak has resurrected P3200 by somehow setting up a lower volume process. Some claim this to be non-viable or even next to impossible for a company geared solely to great economies of scale but does that mean that Kodak has simply resurrected P3200 without changing anything i.e. to put it a little simplistically has Kodak simply pressed an original production button that has just lain "switched off" for however many years it has been since P3200 was stopped?

pentaxuser

 

[railwayman3]

Much as I miss Kodachrome, I wonder whether any hypothetical new manufacturing and processing lines could ever make a product with results matching original Kodachrome.
(Given the numerous variables and the accuracy needed to make satisfactory and consistent film, I worry that Ferrania will ever manage to make a viable E6 film....I wish for success for them, of course, but given the slow progress of P30 I do wonder.....)

 

[cmacd123]

Where is the "K lab"? You sound like every other pseudoscience/conspiracy theory nutcase, btw.

I believe that "K-Lab" refers to a simplified cartridge based small Kodachrome processor that was unsuccessfully marketed in an attempt to make K-14 processing more available. Kodak hoped that local labs might buy the machine and thus make Kodachrome processing more widely available

 

[MattKing]

K-Lab - one of these machines which were much smaller than the normal K-14 processors:

 

[pentaxuser]

So it may be that while the "small K lab" was largely unsuccessfully marketed to the mini-lab owners, there may be at least one K lab out there? If so can the source of this on Photrio say where it is? Secondly can anyone say how it will be of use until Kodak resurrects the production of the film?

Thanks

pentaxuser

 

[Theo Sulphate]

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

The blue velvet is a nice touch. I can imagine one of those in the auxiliary house in my back garden, right next to the breeder reactor.

 

[Photo Engineer]

So it may be that while the "small K lab" was largely unsuccessfully marketed to the mini-lab owners, there may be at least one K lab out there? If so can the source of this on Photrio say where it is? Secondly can anyone say how it will be of use until Kodak resurrects the production of the film?

Thanks

pentaxuser

OK then, where are you going to get the chemicals?

PE

 

[removed account4]

OK then, where are you going to get the chemicals?

PE

you are such a realist, this website used to be so nice before realism knocked at the door !

 

[E. von Hoegh]

So it may be that while the "small K lab" was largely unsuccessfully marketed to the mini-lab owners, there may be at least one K lab out there? If so can the source of this on Photrio say where it is? Secondly can anyone say how it will be of use until Kodak resurrects the production of the film?

Thanks

pentaxuser

Shuttlelaunchfilm has been here beating this same dead horse since 2012. I will be very surprised if he divulges a verifiable location... we're all against him, you see.

 

[E. von Hoegh]

you are such a realist, this website used to be so nice before realism knocked at the door !

(Snickers nastily to self) Good one John!

 

[pentaxuser]

Yes, I was simply adopting the guise of the seeker of wisdom and truth on this matter but it would appear I had missed the fact a small K Lab may exist somewhere but the problem is further compounded by both chemicals and film.

Unless some evidence is produced by the source then isn't that source reducing its credibility on Photrio by even raising any possibility of Kodachrome?

As a disinterested outsider looking for facts, the source carries no previous prejudicial baggage in my case but needs to furnish the evidence or risks being placed in a category that places a question mark against any further posts on other subjects. The source may not care of course which is also fine as that allows me to draw a line under the debate as well.

pentaxuser

 

[Sirius Glass]

Are you really that unwell Sirius? He's toking on some serious stuff...

No, I am not unwell, but it would be fun to be able to go flying without leaving my living room easy chair sometimes.

 

[MattKing]

Kodachrome is certainly possible.
But, as Kodak Alaris and the thread title indicates, re-introducing it to the marketplace isn't in any way practical.
That being said, I would be very happy if there was at least a temporary solution to the problem that Shuttlelaunchfilm (and most likely others) is experiencing. It would be nice if a few reasonably priced processing runs could happen, so that all previously exposed film could be dealt with.