Kodachrome - how to replicate Kodachrome pictures in 35 mm

Sarath

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Hi, I saw a picture of three leaders Churchill, FDR and Stalin which I beleive taken from Kodachrome. If you know any 35mm films which I can use to replicate this kind of pictures, that will be helpful. Sorry I am very new to film photography... I learnt basics about tri-x tmax and other formats and came to know Kodachrome became obsolete. Hence any suggestions on how to replicate would be much helpful. (With help from this community, I have placed an order for F5. Will use that F5 camera)

Please search "Kodachrome Churchill FDR Stalin" in Google for that image.
 

John Koehrer

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Welcome.
You wrote Kodachrome is gone so you're pretty aware already, Unfortunately nothing really compares. I don't believe there's a
lab left that can process it.
I haven't shot slides for years, but you should get a bunch of opinion on alternatives. At that point
it becomes a matter of trying some of the options.
 

cooltouch

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Kodachrome did not become obsolete. It was discontinued. Big difference. There is still no other film emulsion that has the archival characteristics of Kodachrome. In my opinion, its discontinuation has left a big hole in film photography, and in fact in photography in general, which may never be filled. I hope I will be proven wrong some day but that's the way I see things now.

So because of Kodachrome's unique characteristics, attempting to "replicate" it may not even be possible. But you can certainly get close. Current E6-based slide emulsions have a different look than Kodachrome, but if you use a well-balanced one, at least your results can be neutral. The two best that are available right now -- IMO -- are Fuji Provia 100 and Fuji Velvia 50. Velvia's grain structure certainly rivals Kodachrome's but Velvia can be rather wild in the way it saturates colors. Provia is more neutral in that respect, although its grain is more obvious. Even so, Provia's grain is still very fine, so it might be the best emulsion to use. Kodak's Elite Chrome 100 was really good stuff -- at least as good as Provia 100, I feel, but it's been discontinued for a while now. You can find quantities of it for sale on eBay still, so it's still out there. Most is probably expired by now, but if it's been kept frozen, or at least refrigerated, it should still do a good job.

So there's two possibilities for you -- three if you want to give Velvia a try. Time to start shooting and see how close this modern E6 stuff compares to the old Kodachrome photos you have.
 

Alan Gales

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I have 35mm Kodachrome slides shot in the 80's that still look as good today as when I shot them. I loved Kodachrome 25 ASA. ISO to you young people. Whether you liked it or you didn't, no other film looked like Kodachrome.

I don't know if you can scan other film and then come close to Kodachrome with Photoshop manipulation. I don't have Photoshop.

Fujifilm claims that it's "classic chrome" setting on their latest digital camera's replicate Kodachrome. I own an X100s but it's too old to have that setting so I don't know. It's hard to tell anything on a computer screen. I used to print Kodachrome on Cibachrome paper. Of course that looked different than having an interneg done and then a print made on Kodak paper.

Lastly if you are trying to duplicate the look of that 1945 photograph then the lens had something to do with it too. A sharp, contrasty, multicoated Nikkor is going to have a different signature.
 

Ap507b

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Pretty sure I remember Kodak suggesting when they discontinued it that users switch to Ektar 100 due to the way it handled colours? Nice film admittedly but for me not a patch on Kodachrome. Haven't found a slide film that I like as much as Kodachrome 64. Do miss the stuff.
 

Ian Grant

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The OP is talking about the look of WWII era Kodachrome and that's quite significantly different to later versions like KII and K25 or the faster versions Koodachrome X or K64 etc. I don't think any modern film will get close to that look, the old Orwo slide films would have been the nearest.

Ian
 

Ricardo Miranda

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You could try Agfaphoto CT Precisa 100. It is an older generation of Provia.
Or an older emulsion type like Rollei CR200.
 

blockend

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When newcomers talk about the Kodachrome "look", I suspect many are referring to large format WW2 Kodachrome which was never available to the general public. A close second would be dye transfer images from medium and large format colour negative materials - also an extinct process and very expensive when it was still available (about 500 dollars per professional print even at 1970s prices).

35mm Kodachrome 25 was warm toned, so anyone experimenting in Photoshop would do well to move the sliders in that direction, and pump up the reds.
 

Chan Tran

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The question is how do you intend to use Kodachrome if it's still available? Do you simply put the slide on a light table? Or project it? Or you make print using Cibachrome (if it's still avaialbe)?
If you were to scan the slides and the doing everything digital from there, I think you have a better chance starting with a digital camera then manipulate the image until it resemble Kodachrome. It won't be exact but you have better chance than using one of the available reversal film stock.
 

MattKing

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I believe that the OP is referring to this image (and others?): https://www.google.ca/search?q=Koda...=9tzuVs-wPMu6jwPmpo3oDw#imgrc=EYJRdX1i4dndTM:



As much as I like/miss Kodachrome, I really don't think the "look" of this image is all that hard to reproduce on a computer screen using modern films and computer manipulations.

If you were talking about the look of the original transparencies on a light box or projected, it would be tough to reproduce that with modern films and processes.

FWIW, the linked image has lousy colour (using modern standards) but fantastic colour (given its 70 year age).
 

Jim Noel

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My Kodachrome slides from 1939-1945 (Weston Speed 8 outdoors, and 12 indoors) are significantly different from those taken in the 1970's. They are sharper,clearer and the colors are more intense, particularly the reds.
If you wonder about the difference in speeds, the outdoor and indoor films were different emulsions.
 

Richard S. (rich815)

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I'm guessing he's likely referring to images like these. Such wonderful colors.
 

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Sarath

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Hi,
I am talking about this kind of photography. I am exactly looking to replicate this picture. Excellent quality.
 

Richard S. (rich815)

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Sarath said:
Hi,
I am looking to replicate this kind of pictures. Please guide me on this.
Click to expand...

Oops, my mistake then. That photo does not have what I call the "qualities", at least how I recognize them of Kodachrome, in fact I think this example is a poor repro of the original Kodachrome colors but if that's what you want...
 

Theo Sulphate

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Whoever did the lighting for those WWII era photos deserves a lot of credit also.

Polished nails and lipstick was a glamorous touch, too
 

Alan Gales

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I believe that this is the photograph that the OP is referring to. I've seen various examples of it on the computer and the colors all look different depending upon the example. That's the problem looking at a computer screen and not the actual print.
 

ic-racer

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Have you tried Ektachrome? It comes as close to Kodachrome as anything available. If these were not labeled I suspect you could not tell them apart either.
 

cooltouch

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Ektachrome doesn't exist anymore. Kodak no longer produces a slide film. For shame.

Here are a few examples of typical Kodachrome colors from the WWII era -- well, close. My dad was in Korea during that conflict and shot some Kodachhrome with his Kodak Pony 35 while he was over there -- from '51 to '54. I duped them a couple years back. Colors are still very good.

Dad at his desk. He was a supply sergeant.


Dad's CO, a colonel. I really like the earth tones in this photo. The reflection of the sunlight off his paperwork illuminated his face very well.


US POWs being repatriated.


A shot up railroad car.


A deuce-and-a-half being swallowed up by mud.
 

Roger Cole

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cooltouch said:
Ektachrome doesn't exist anymore. Kodak no longer produces a slide film. For shame.
Click to expand...

While that's true you can still find Ektachrome stock on eBay or on here, and if it's been cold stored it should be fine. I have some E100G in my freezer still that's perfect. AND unlike Kodachrome you can get it processed or do it yourself.

I don't think the look is that close though. There was something about Kodachrome, particularly old Kodachrome, that seems to me to give it depth, an almost three dimensional look.
 

Ai Print

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Sarath said:
Hi,
I am looking to replicate this kind of pictures. Please guide me on this.
Click to expand...

Learn how to light, how to see color distribution, micro tonality and of course most important, practice, practice, practice. There are tons of bad Kodachrome slides out there, the film did not just turn into gold in the hands of anyone, you have employ a balancing act of vision, color theory and have a keen awareness of light.

All that said, I bet Fuji Astia w/ a warming filter in medium format masterfully shot would come pretty close.
 
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