Kodachrome

[fschifano]

Can you imagine an art student studying painting, trying to paint like the masters to learn techniques and having the choice of watercolor or Adobe Illustrator?

Can you imagine what the old masters would have been able to do if they had some modern materials to work with? Good lighting? Stable, consistent lighting? Ready availablitiy? In the case of photographers, materials that were far more sensitive to light than anything they could have dreamed of? Sharp, well corrected, and flare resistant lenses? What a concept! I think the loss of Kodachrome is highly over rated. Sure it was great stuff in it's day, but we have many choices in E6 films today and they are just as stable when stored correctly and come in a wide variety of speeds and color pallettes.

 

[PKM-25]

I think the loss of Kodachrome is highly over rated. Sure it was great stuff in it's day, but we have many choices in E6 films today and they are just as stable when stored correctly and come in a wide variety of speeds and color pallettes.

In about 3-4 years, brace your self.

 

[Dave Parker]

In about 3-4 years, brace your self.

Wrong,

I have 15 year old E6 slides that have been stored properly and also printed in many magazines over the years, that look as good as the day they were developed.

I admire your dedication to your project, but please remember those of us that do this for a living are not retards, were not stupid and we do know what we are doing.

Dave

 

[dmr]

I have 15 year old E6 slides that have been stored properly and also printed in many magazines over the years, that look as good as the day they were developed.

I have some Ektachromes from the early 1970s that are amazingly well preserved. I also have some 1980s vintage Ektachromes that have faded to magenta, and amazingly, some that have faded to kind of a washed out cyan, as well as some that look like they were shot and processed yesterday.

The one thing I do know is that the Kodachromes I have, from the 1970s until today, are all in excellent shape.

They tell me (the ubiquitous "they") that today's E6 film and E6 chemicals now approach the degree of permanence that K12 and K14 have. I hope I'll be around and in good health to see my 2000s vintage Velvia shots 30 years in the future.

 

[reellis67]

I too have both clean looking and magenta E-6 slides of varying vintages. I have no idea what the difference is, but some look great while others have gone so magenta that they are hardly viewable. I think that 3-4 years is a bit of an exageration unless they are poorly stored.

I've shot Kodachrome for many years and I hate to see it go, but making statements about expected lifespan without providing hard evidence to back it up isn't going to engender any positive feelings with others.

- Randy

 

[Dave Parker]

The one thing I do know is that the Kodachromes I have, from the 1970s until today, are all in excellent shape.

My Kodachrome from the 70's look great as well, so do the kodachromes from the 40's and 50's my grandparents took. Kodachrome has always been good for longtime storage and holding up I also have some K series slides that have faded, and I also have some of the earlier E6 that has faded, my point is with proper storage E6 will hold up and is getting better every year, and I think some of the ones that I have that have went bad is due to something in processing that seems to have varied in quality over the years from various processors..

I admire anyones desire and tenacity to take on a project to preserve something that is fading(Pun intended!)....but we are photographers, we adapt, we overcome and we continue to make pictures...with new products and old as long as it is around...

Dave

 

[Photo Engineer]

In some cases, E6 films were processed improperly and form cyan leuco dye which gives the image a reddish color. I have been told that this can be regenerated by using a mild solution of ferricyanide but I have not tried it recently. I have tried it while at Kodak and it did work but this was 20 years ago.

So, here is my suggestion to try with a throw away transparency. Wet it, then soak it in ferricyanide, wash well, stabilize and dry and see if the cyan is regenerated. It may work.

When I have time, I'll give it a try, but as I said, it used to work. And, BTW, if it does not, then the leuco dye is past recovery due to further decomposition, so this is not a sure-fire fix.

PE

 

[PKM-25]

Wrong,

I have 15 year old E6 slides that have been stored properly and also printed in many magazines over the years, that look as good as the day they were developed.

I admire your dedication to your project, but please remember those of us that do this for a living are not retards, were not stupid and we do know what we are doing.

Dave

Um, I meant for him to brace him self when the project is done and then look at how different Kodachrome looks. He thinks the loss of Kodachrome is over rated. I disagree.

 

[reellis67]

I misunderstood that too - one of the problems with impersonal communications via computer.

- Randy

 

[PKM-25]

I misunderstood that too - one of the problems with impersonal communications via computer.

Easy to do.

 

[Iskra 2]

When Kodak adds an archival statement to their E6 film data sheets I'll stop using Kodachrome. Am I missing something on the E6 sheets that I can see on the Kodachrome data sheets.

 

[Iskra 2]

Or ...... the Kodak E6 data sheet says it is a direct replacement for Kodachrome

 

[PKM-25]

I just scored 20 rolls of Kodachrome 25 on ebay for a buy it now of $85!! They are 10/1995, refrigerated, so I am wondering what to expect from them.

Magenta? Low D-max?

At 4.25 a roll, I guess I'll try a roll and see.

 

[MMfoto]

Toxicity

Which chemicals in the K-14 process are the ones that make the process so environmentally unfriendly? I've been told the process initially left my state because the chemicals were banned for commercial use, or something along those lines.

 

[Photo Engineer]

Chemicals in Kodachrome are no different than those used in other color films. The only difference I can think of is the presence of the couplers in the color developers. If one of those has been ruled toxic, that might be the problem. OTOH, if it has, then it does not seem to be a problem in the manufacture of color films. The couplers used in other films are almost identical except for their being oil soluable instead of water soluable.

PE

 

[Bob Carnie]

Rather than start a new thread, I have a quick question.. are there any locations that will still process a roll of kodachrome?

I have a client who's father only shot kodachrome and she has his last roll of film which I would like to process somewhere.

any help would be appreciated.

 

[bvy]

Nowhere on Earth. Not since December 2010.

 

[Bob Carnie]

Well that really bites.

Nowhere on Earth. Not since December 2010.

 

[Ken Nadvornick]

A few places will do it as black-and-white. Depends on how important the photos are to your client.

I believe our own Blue Moon lab in Oregon will do it.

Ken

 

[Bob Carnie]

thats a great option Ken as it is her dads last exposures, I will give her the news.
It is extremely important to her.

A few places will do it as black-and-white. Depends on how important the photos are to your client.

I believe our own Blue Moon lab in Oregon will do it.

Ken

 

[Ken Nadvornick]

thats a great option Ken as it is her dads last exposures, I will give her the news.
It is extremely important to her.

 

[MattKing]

Rather than start a new thread, I have a quick question.. are there any locations that will still process a roll of kodachrome?

I have a client who's father only shot kodachrome and she has his last roll of film which I would like to process somewhere.

any help would be appreciated.

Bob:

This thread may also be informative: (there was a url link here which no longer exists)