Kodachrome

[Sirius Glass]

Probably zero.

Much less than zero. I would have to be paid Megadollars or Gigadollars just to touch a roll of Kodachrome.

Give it up. Enough already!

+1*10(99)

 

[Ai Print]

It's gone, as in ultra-permanently. I think we have a better chance of seeing dinosaurs, a Tasmanian tiger or a Dodo bird before Kodachrome again.

I launched my photographic career in my late teens using the stuff in the Navy decades ago...

I shot my very last roll of it on January 17th, 2011 out in Parsons Kansas, the last roll anyone shot of it for that matter...

I had a wonderful time with that film but it is gone and the book that I am ( finally ) going to be putting out will bring closure to that chapter of my life....

 

[Theo Sulphate]

In the 14 years between 1964 and 1978, I bought about only 20 rolls of Kodachrome (8mm movie film). I was just a kid, so I couldn't afford to buy more.

Although I like the look of Kodachrome, these days I would buy no transparency film - I prefer prints.

My interest is in preserving the existing film types we have today, especially instant film.

 

[MattKing]

I have Kodachrome in my blood. Kodachrome fed me, clothed me, sheltered me and educated me. It was much of my father's life work. I learned a huge proportion of my early photographic skills on Kodachrome.

If someone came up with a new film with modern but Kodachrome-like impact on the film industry, I would be happy to see that new film given a name that included Kodachrome. But otherwise, I think it is okay to let Kodachrome Rest in Piece.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

I have Kodachrome in my blood. Kodachrome fed me, clothed me, sheltered me and educated me. It was much of my father's life work. I learned a huge proportion of my early photographic skills on Kodachrome.

If someone came up with a new film with modern but Kodachrome-like impact on the film industry, I would be happy to see that new film given a name that included Kodachrome. But otherwise, I think it is okay to let Kodachrome Rest in Piece.

I don't know about the impact that Kodachrome had (I don't think that kind of impact is possible again - the industry has changed so much for starters), but if you want the Kodachrome look, shoot Ektar 100. It's the closest thing to Kodachrome available today.

 

[BrianShaw]

I have Kodachrome in my blood. Kodachrome fed me, clothed me, sheltered me and educated me. It was much of my father's life work. I learned a huge proportion of my early photographic skills on Kodachrome.

If someone came up with a new film with modern but Kodachrome-like impact on the film industry, I would be happy to see that new film given a name that included Kodachrome. But otherwise, I think it is okay to let Kodachrome Rest in Piece.

Amen.

 

[CMoore]

 

[Theo Sulphate]

I wonder what the reactions to that song were at Kodak.

 

[mrred]

I would buy as much Kodachrome as I have before......none. It never fascinated me. One of the few good decisions that Kodak actually made...... It made economic sense.

 

[rwreich]

I'm very curious and I would probably buy some and shoot it until I could figure it out. I don't quite understand why it offends so many. I am fascinated by the stuff and I can see why many others are, also. For years, many said that it was the stuff of legend, but bringing it up in a conversation is very prickly.

 

[Gerald C Koch]

Kodachrome had two unique features for its time. First, due to its thinner emulsion it had better resolution than any other slide film on the market. Second and far less important, there was that unique color palette that many who used the film liked. My question is this, since films have improved greatly since Kodachrome how do today's slide films compare in terms of resolution? If there is even one that is better then this and every other Kodachrome thread is pointless. If anyone has any actual measurements this is the time to post them.

 

[fstop]

Pop Photo ran test after test on film. Kodachrome was no execption.
that horse was beat so hard glue was flying every where.
I found if I shooting primarily green or blue (cool) colors 25 speed had the edge in color, where if the color was red,orange (warm) 64 speed was better.
I shot over 5000 exposures of Kodachrome 64.Certainly a favorite of mine.
These days I use what is available and don't waste time lamenting the old days and as hard as it was I use brands other than the great yellow father.Velvia is popular for a good reason.

 

[Ai Print]

For years, many said that it was the stuff of legend, but bringing it up in a conversation is very prickly.

It's not as prickly as it may seem, I loved it and actually still have about 40-50 rolls of the last batch made buried in the very back of my film freezer.

I think the prickly part is that out of all the films ever made that are no longer with us, Kodachrome and especially it's complex processing would be the hardest to bring back by many orders of magnitude and there would still be no garuntee it would be exactly the same.

I feel bad for those who never got to use it, I shot a lot of it, it's a spectacular color film.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Kodachrome had two unique features for its time. First, due to its thinner emulsion it had better resolution than any other slide film on the market. Second and far less important, there was that unique color palette that many who used the film liked. My question is this, since films have improved greatly since Kodachrome how do today's slide films compare in terms of resolution? If there is even one that is better then this and every other Kodachrome thread is pointless. If anyone has any actual measurements this is the time to post them.

You left out Kodachrome's best feature: Kodachrome could produce muddy brown skies that Ektachrome could only yield as blue.

 

[ColColt]

I feel bad for those who never got to use it, I shot a lot of it, it's a spectacular color film.

Ditto. what few rolls of Ektachrome I tried couldn't touch it...neither can anything today including it's archival keeping properties.

 

[MattKing]

The last Ektachromes were/are wonderful.

And considering the posts here from one Photo Engineer (aka R. Mowrey, one of the named individuals on the K-14 Kodachrome patent) about the superior quality of recent E6 materials vs. Kodachrome, I would be content if we still had Ektachrome.

These are all from relatively recent Ektachrome:

 

[Photo Engineer]

Considering the changes made in negative film technology, E6 would have to have a huge market to carry those changes over to improve E6 films. I appreciate all of the comments, but I only worked on the yellow color developing agent for Kodachrome. Very small contribution.

There is actually very little market for any reversal film of any kind and it is dwindling fast. Negative film is holding its own, but only because of Motion Picture.

PE

 

[ColColt]

When I first getting serious about photography, K64 was my best teacher for exposure and other techniques.After keeping many notes and awaiting the processed roll to get back from Kodak I'd put the slides on a light table and compare the shots with my notes. I soon looked to photograph a squirrel or dog in snow you couldn't expect the camera's meter to get it right. I found out how but the slides showed me best what went wrong with the grey snow and underexposed squirrel/dog. There were no instant digital tell-tale signs then.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

... but I only worked on the yellow color developing agent for Kodachrome. Very small contribution.

Considering that your work has made an uncountable number of priceless images possible, I think many would agree your contribution is highly significant.

 

[Photo Engineer]

Nonsense. Consider the coating engineers and the emulsion enginees among a few.

PE

 

[farmersteve]

Vinyl records are dead and will never come back... ooops, wrong there!

 

[Photo Engineer]

Vinyl records are dead and will never come back... ooops, wrong there!

They are very easy to replicate, but film is not. See the lengthy discussions elsewhere.

PE

 

[Prof_Pixel]

Vinyl records are dead and will never come back... ooops, wrong there!

... but nobody is using wax cylinders

 

[Sirius Glass]

... nor paper tape for computers

 

[farmersteve]

... nor paper tape for computers

Speak for yourself! I have a PDP-11 running a teletype and paper tape in my basement, just like I had in high school!