Kodak Reintroduces Ektachrome.

Arklatexian

Member
Joined
Jul 28, 2014
Messages
1,777
Location
Shreveport,
Format
Multi Format
I get the impression from all of this is that no one really needs for me to buy a 36exp, 135 Ektachrome that I don't even know if I can get decent processing with mounting from Kodak or any one else. It may be a looooog time before I can start shooting slides/dias/transpariences again and I don't have a loooog time to wait. Back to B&W............Regards!
 

Photo Engineer

Subscriber
Joined
Apr 19, 2005
Messages
29,018
Location
Rochester, NY
Format
Multi Format
Heh. Until this moment, I didn't even know Kodak had anything to do with cryptocurrency.

All these side ventures... makes me truly wonder who is going to be producing film 10, 20 years from now.


No one probably will be making film (or plates, or paper) except those working in home darkrooms.

PE
 

Theo Sulphate

Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2014
Messages
6,489
Location
Gig Harbor
Format
Multi Format
And then, what did HE say? That had to be some time before the 1830s was it not?......Regards!

He told me to test the gear-driven shutter at its 1/1250 setting. Yea, verily I did and saw that it was good.
 

Ste_S

Member
Joined
Nov 10, 2017
Messages
396
Location
Birmingham, UK
Format
Multi Format
Pilot scale equipment ?
What's people's take on where Kodak are with this ? I'm not exactly getting a coming soon feeling from this update
 

zen_zanon

Member
Joined
Jun 4, 2018
Messages
63
Location
Halifax, NS
Format
Medium Format
In this day and age, where companies routinely release inferior/incomplete products to consumers...am I the only one happy that Kodak is really trying to bring out the best possible product right from the get go?

There's a whole new wave of film photographers that have probably never even shot slide film before. I imagine Kodak is wanting to make sure their first experience hooks them to continue shooting slide. There's also the generations that have shot slide, but perhaps haven't done so in a decade or more. Does Kodak want to release an inferior product to them? Hell no. These types of consumers need the best possible experience from that first roll.

Sure they've missed their targets...but I can't even imagine how difficult it is to resurrect this film. Unless we get to mid-2019 and there's still no new Ektachrome, I'll be happily waiting and trusting Kodak is working hard to get this stuff released...and not only get it released, but get it released as an excellent product that will push people's desire to shoot slide film to new heights.
 

BrianShaw

Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2005
Messages
16,530
Location
La-la-land
Format
Multi Format
In this day and age, where companies routinely release inferior/incomplete products to consumers...am I the only one happy that Kodak is really trying to bring out the best possible product right from the get go?

...
Assumption... that may-or-may-not be true... that they are REALLY trying to make the best-possible product. May I suggest a re-phrase: ...am I the only one happy that Kodak isn't quickly releasing inferior/bad product. Some of us are taking a rather stoic approach... but I'm very glad that you are so up-beat about it.
 

zen_zanon

Member
Joined
Jun 4, 2018
Messages
63
Location
Halifax, NS
Format
Medium Format
Assumption... that may-or-may-not be true... that they are REALLY trying to make the best-possible product. May I suggest a re-phrase: ...am I the only one happy that Kodak isn't quickly releasing inferior/bad product.

Good fix, let's roll with that!
 

removedacct1

Member
Joined
Nov 12, 2014
Messages
1,875
Location
97333
Format
Large Format
No one probably will be making film (or plates, or paper) except those working in home darkrooms.

PE

You really believe none of the current manufacturers will survive the next ten years? You think this current resurgence in silver-based imaging technologies is going to fizzle out that quickly? I have the impression the industry is healthier than that.

However, it is because of my concerns about the long term viability of film manufacture that I’ve learned to make wet plate negatives. Unless Collodion and silver nitrate also disappear from suppliers (very unlikely), then I’m going to be free to continue my photographic work regardless of what Kodak or anyone else does/doesn’t do.
 

RattyMouse

Member
Joined
Oct 18, 2011
Messages
6,045
Location
Ann Arbor, Mi
Format
Multi Format

With Provia and Velvia available, there's no reason not to try slide film today. Waiting for a film that may or may not appear seems odd to say the least.


The time it is taking to bring Ektachrome back is representative of how much skill and resources Kodak has lost. It is staggering to consider how they once had over 100,000 people, ALL working on film, to what they are today: 6,000 people, with the vast majority NOT working on film.
 

warden

Subscriber
Joined
Jul 21, 2009
Messages
3,042
Location
Philadelphia
Format
Medium Format
The time it is taking to bring Ektachrome back is representative of how much skill and resources Kodak has lost.

That might very well be.
... or it's representative of the difficulty of perfecting a new film, no matter how many brilliant engineers you throw at it.
... or it's representative of management making public promises without understanding engineering challenges and realistic timelines.
... or it's representative of a variety of other issues that might be out of their control.
Or a complex combination of all of the above, which wouldn't surprise me a bit.

Still, I'm happy to see some actual images made with a new Kodak slide film today. Very cool. When it's ready I'll buy plenty of it. Until then I have other slide films to use. It's all good.
 

RattyMouse

Member
Joined
Oct 18, 2011
Messages
6,045
Location
Ann Arbor, Mi
Format
Multi Format

This isnt a new film. It's an old one, perhaps with a tweaked formula. The former Kodak would have had the resources to tackled that problem as well as any other issue beyond their control. Easily. Today's Kodak has 6% of the employee base that they used to have. Probably 3% or less when you subtract the core business of commercial printing. Imagine doing your job with 97% less resources.
 

Prest_400

Member
Joined
Jan 1, 2009
Messages
1,436
Location
Sweden
Format
Med. Format RF
Indeed, PE did mention there wasn't anyone involved in Reversal materials anymore, plus the whole ordeal of the downsizing at Kodak. Nor the budget of, say a Gov't contract for a specific material that benefits R&D out of a single project. Good to see it is advancing although they still have to make the jump from pilot coater to B38 full production... and it IIRC isn't easy. Basically paraphrasing the struggles and experience that PE expressed in diverse discussions around here. More appreciation to Ron's insight!
Then Ferrania is also taking a huge undertaking with a very small team, although their facility will/should be "right sized".

MIght be a bit wild to say this, but the Palette on those samples have a bit of similarity to Kodachrome and that of a tamer classic Ektachrome. Perhaps they tuned this Ektachrome to cover that ground. Would welcome to see more examples in different light as well as some rolls to shoot!
 

RattyMouse

Member
Joined
Oct 18, 2011
Messages
6,045
Location
Ann Arbor, Mi
Format
Multi Format
Indeed, PE did mention there wasn't anyone involved in Reversal materials anymore, plus the whole ordeal of the downsizing at Kodak.

Exactly. The same goes with cameras too. Kodak's few posts about their new Super 8mm camera stated clearly that they had lost all knowledge on how to build a camera and had to relearn the whole process. The chemists who lived and breathed E6 chemistry are long gone from Kodak. I dont know how Kodak can attract any fresh blood in their industry. What chemist fresh out of college would want to attach themselves to a a clearly struggling company? Fuji probably had the same problem but it matters not so much since they are ending film production, not resurrecting it.
 

removed account4

Subscriber
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
Messages
29,832
Format
Hybrid

not sure how true this is ... its probably taking extra time because they have to
formulate the batch for a smaller amount seeing kodak was used to making like 100 thousand miles of film at once, and now they
have to retool their formulas and machinery to make 100 miles instead.


i agree it is good they are taking their time to do it right, but if they wait too long, the "new wave of film photographers" you speak of won't be able
to get the film processed! kodak built their company not only on film and paper, but as a photofinisher. ... the " do the rest" in the slogan " you push the button and we do the rest"
unfortunately they don't do the rest anymore ( which is a real drag ) and there are fewer and fewer people who are ,,, and while some might chirp in and say " they can process their slide film at home
it is super easy, easier than black and white" ... most people not only do not want to "do the rest" on their own, especially when they have no experience, when exposures put on film
are fleeting moments which never return, a rorll of film is $$$$ ,, and probably don't want to deal with nasty chemicals and trying to figure out
not only how to process slide film without a darkroom ( or equipment needed to do it ) but what to do with the nasty chemicals after they are done with seeing it isn't a good thing
to dump them down the drain ... i kind of wish kodak took a cue from ilford / HT and set up some sort of photofinishing operation so people who can't process their products would
have them continue to "do the rest" ... but i think those days are over and will never be reanimated ...
 

Lachlan Young

Member
Joined
Dec 2, 2005
Messages
4,943
Location
Glasgow
Format
Multi Format

They did a wide coating at the end of last year - which will have been to find out if the emulsions would cost correctly. At the time, they said there was further fine tuning of the colour balance to be done & I suspect that will be being done via a test coater. Bear in mind that the whole R&D team might only be a couple of dozen strong & the necessary work to keep current films in production will always take priority. In other words, it might be almost ready to go, but it has to fit around work needed to keep TX & Portra & 5219 etc in production.
 

GarageBoy

Member
Joined
Nov 5, 2012
Messages
992
Format
35mm
The samples on facebook and instagram look like crap... Like faded ra4 prints. Worst of all, people are commenting "great pics!"
 

faberryman

Member
Joined
Jun 4, 2016
Messages
6,048
Location
Wherever
Format
Multi Format
Here's the Ektachrome update posted by Kodak on Facebook:

"Our development team has been making some great progress over the last few months with the Ektachrome update. We want to share a few photos which were shot on Ektachrome film made on our pilot-scale equipment. Hopefully you like them as much as we do! Be sure to like and follow us for more Ektachrome announcements."

So essentially nothing. And the photos aren't anything to write home about. The results look blurry to me with a retro palette reminiscent of the 1960s. Hopefully, they are just lousy scans.

https://www.facebook.com/kodakprofessional/
 
Last edited:

NJH

Member
Joined
Dec 30, 2013
Messages
702
Location
Dorset
Format
Multi Format
It used to be known for superb greens, green separation and even cleaner shadows than Provia100f. This is what I am looking for, you're right in that a retro film will be of very little interest outside of the lomo crowd. I really hope they don't go down that path.
 

FilmCurlCom

Member
Joined
Dec 2, 2016
Messages
103
Location
Graz, Austria
Format
35mm
I fully understand the "no need to rush" attitude from a photographer's point of view and it makes a lot of sense here since this is a forum about that.
But don't forget those that wait for Ektachrome to use it in their 8mm and 16mm motion picture cameras.
I am such a guy for example. For photography I almost only use negative film, but motion pictures in 8mm and 16mm I want to project at home.
Yes, you can do it on negative and have it copied afterwards, but this is very expensive and as it will mostly be done by companies (instead of doing E6 yourself at home) it takes forever until you see the results. Plus it looks different too.
Whilst photographers still have Fuji E6 films, what is left of motion picture color reversal films? Nothing really, since Wittner finally ran out of the last stock they still had, beside a few old films someone stored somewhere maybe. And it is not even only connected to Kodak's new Super 8 camera either. I have several very nice motion picture cameras in 8mm and 16mm and no intention to buy the new camera as mine still work fine for me, but now I am forced to switch to negative stock, which is really sad.
 
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn more…