Kodak Reintroduces Ektachrome.

[mshchem]

I dump the 3 liters a year of E6 I use down the sewer. Commercial operations will be pulling out the silver.

 

[Ste_S]

The lady at the photo store sadly shook her head when I asked about the the new Ektachrome.

Whenever I drive past the Kodak plant on Lake Avenue, I'm struck by the vast emptiness of the parking lots, studded with weeds. Half of the original buildings are gone. I get the impression that the film division is staffed by a skeleton crew of old timers who are just hanging on, waiting for the inevitable. I really hope they are able to pull off the Ektachrome trick, but wouldn't expect any new technical ground to be broken. Even so, processing will be a huge problem. There's exactly ONE lab here in the former "Imaging Centre" that still does E6 and the last roll I sent in took a week to get done. Photo processing mailers were acceptable back in analog times, but waiting more than a day or two to see your pictures might be intolerable for the digital generation. If Kodak can provide processing with quick downloads of high-quality scans, the slow return of the actual film might be OK.

I'm slightly optimistic that the 'inevitable' is going to be a good thing. There seems to be a will to keep the Kodak film business going and if the rest of the business tanks, someone will step in to spin off the film division

 

[aleckurgan]

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.

In the age of Instagram no one wants a perfect product, neither consumers nor manufacturers. Everyone just wants the product to hit the market ASAP. Bugs will be fixed in further generations.

 

[RattyMouse]

I'm slightly optimistic that the 'inevitable' is going to be a good thing. There seems to be a will to keep the Kodak film business going and if the rest of the business tanks, someone will step in to spin off the film division

If that were an option, it would already be done by now. Kodak shopped around the film division and no buyers were found. Remember, film is no longer a core part of their business. Kodak could not be more transparent that they wanted out.

 

[RattyMouse]

Whenever I drive past the Kodak plant on Lake Avenue, I'm struck by the vast emptiness of the parking lots, studded with weeds. Half of the original buildings are gone. I get the impression that the film division is staffed by a skeleton crew of old timers who are just hanging on, waiting for the inevitable.

Your observations are almost certainly correct.

 

[removed account4]

Worse than hair-dye? Heck I put Drain-o down my drain, can't be worse than that.

i don't know, maybe? maybe not? im not a chemist i just know that in some areas it is not LEGAL to dump things like that down your drain and it is not non-toxic...
and while the things you mention are certainly toxic, it is LEGAL to use as dircted and dispose of down the drain. to me at least there is a difference ...
i know of amateur photographers who were processing color and e6 in their kitchen and pouring down the kitchen sink at night before mom was making breakfast on
the same counter and putting dishes and flatware in the same sink. totally weird, doesn't seem safe to me and seems sort of irresponsible, but what do i know ...
and it seems people without darkrooms might follow the same route, kitchen counter/sink .. sounds like bad news to me..

I dump the 3 liters a year of E6 I use down the sewer. Commercial operations will be pulling out the silver.

im guessing you might be a bit off, commercial operators will be having all the chemistry HAULED AWAY
or following some sort of protocol to dispose of it in accordance with the local laws and have the paperwork
that shows they did exactly that ... maybe that's dumping it down the drain near you after silver recovery through
an xrite &c system is proper protocol not sure im not from where you live so i can't really comment..
but near where i live they would be in deep doodoo if local labs did as you described ...

 

[Prest_400]

Gotta reach them kids. Kids don't want to go to corporate websites where the man hangs out. Kids want it in their feeds and timelines where it comes to them. It's like, what's this sliding film stuff?

I have a feeling Slide film needs that slight notch to be hyped up. The impression I got of what people think about it, as stills users, is that it's difficult to shoot yadda yadda metering. Think about the now ubiquitous high key airy color negative look and compare the lack of hype towards slide. Even heard "slide film is not meant to be scanned" (in a postprocessing manner). OTOH the way negative film can be bombarded with light and still look great is fantastic.
In S8 and 16mm it could be quite different, no need for inversion and telecine.

Hey didn't everyone want Kodachrome? There you go, a retro Ektachrome On a more serious note, I hope the final material is comparable or better than E100G and the samples aren't in the best conditions to show the best of the stock.

No, emphatically no, from a chemical standpoint. From a management standpoint.... Sometimes...
PE

Well, that's quite widespread over the corporate world...

 

[Ste_S]

If that were an option, it would already be done by now. Kodak shopped around the film division and no buyers were found. Remember, film is no longer a core part of their business. Kodak could not be more transparent that they wanted out.

I get the impression things will be more desperate by the time the Hollywood contract is up for renewal (if not before). Ie buy the film division or you won't be making movies on film anymore.
It'll be a sink or swim moment for Kodak film and I'm slightly optimistic a deal will be done

 

[RattyMouse]

I get the impression things will be more desperate by the time the Hollywood contract is up for renewal (if not before). Ie buy the film division or you won't be making movies on film anymore.
It'll be a sink or swim moment for Kodak film and I'm slightly optimistic a deal will be done

Desperate on the selling side, not buying side, so I dont see how that improves the situation. Perhaps you think the price will drop enough for a sale to occur. It's possible I suppose, but that is such a huge leap, it's really hard to see it happening. Or even working if it did.

I dont know if it is sink or swim for Kodak, since not much revenue and profits come from making and selling film . They could just shut the whole thing down and continue trying to eek out survival with their commercial printing business. That is what the whole organization is committed to.

 

[Cholentpot]

i don't know, maybe? maybe not? im not a chemist i just know that in some areas it is not LEGAL to dump things like that down your drain and it is not non-toxic...
and while the things you mention are certainly toxic, it is LEGAL to use as dircted and dispose of down the drain. to me at least there is a difference ...
i know of amateur photographers who were processing color and e6 in their kitchen and pouring down the kitchen sink at night before mom was making breakfast on
the same counter and putting dishes and flatware in the same sink. totally weird, doesn't seem safe to me and seems sort of irresponsible, but what do i know ...
and it seems people without darkrooms might follow the same route, kitchen counter/sink .. sounds like bad news to me..



im guessing you might be a bit off, commercial operators will be having all the chemistry HAULED AWAY
or following some sort of protocol to dispose of it in accordance with the local laws and have the paperwork
that shows they did exactly that ... maybe that's dumping it down the drain near you after silver recovery through
an xrite &c system is proper protocol not sure im not from where you live so i can't really comment..
but near where i live they would be in deep doodoo if local labs did as you described ...

If it's illegal but safe who cares? I don't follow the law because it's the law, I follow the law because I'd get in trouble if I don't. If the law is stupid and I can't get caught there's no way I'm going to follow it.

If it's legal to pour hair dye down the kitchen sink but illegal to pour stop bath down the sink I think I know what I'm going to be doing.

I have a feeling Slide film needs that slight notch to be hyped up. The impression I got of what people think about it, as stills users, is that it's difficult to shoot yadda yadda metering. Think about the now ubiquitous high key airy color negative look and compare the lack of hype towards slide. Even heard "slide film is not meant to be scanned" (in a postprocessing manner). OTOH the way negative film can be bombarded with light and still look great is fantastic.
In S8 and 16mm it could be quite different, no need for inversion and telecine.

Hey didn't everyone want Kodachrome? There you go, a retro Ektachrome On a more serious note, I hope the final material is comparable or better than E100G and the samples aren't in the best conditions to show the best of the stock.


Well, that's quite widespread over the corporate world...

Gotta tell them to put on a record and enjoy a slideshow without powerpoint. Like you don't even need a screen! It's air gaped! No-one can hack this slide show.

 

[trendland]

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!

Yeah : the "self-mounting"

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!

Well - if the last service will tell you : "No way to mount your slides any more ! " there will be still a chance to mount your slides by yourself with much less costs.
Sorry to hear (you don't need E6 films again) but may be you change your mind ( when Ektachrome will come / is comming ) .
.....with regards
PS : Gepe proffessional mounts are not bad. .....

 

[GarageBoy]

It's not the facebook/instagram compression, it's horrible scanning - looks like a 1970s print ad in a magazine - go on flickr and look up any proper ektachrome scan

 

[AgX]

Even heard "slide film is not meant to be scanned"

Could have been me who said that.

 

[removed account4]

If it's illegal but safe who cares? I don't follow the law because it's the law, I follow the law because I'd get in trouble if I don't. If the law is stupid and I can't get caught there's no way I'm going to follow it.

If it's legal to pour hair dye down the kitchen sink but illegal to pour stop bath down the sink I think I know what I'm going to be doing.

stop bath is not color chemistry E6 chemistry,
its, kind of nasty stuff ..
good luck with that !

 

[Diapositivo]

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?

Kodak might give a normal wage to the "fresh blood" and some options on the success of the film endeavour. If the boat sinks, one has earned a wage and experience. If the boat flies, those couple dozens men who kept the boat afloat will be rewarded very nicely.

 

[trendland]

PE e6 chemistry is not NON TOXIC
it is more TOXIC than some BW chemistry,
you can't dump it down your drain
and for the average consumer it is not run of the mill "stuff" is it ?
yes i know i know there are things like drain cleaners and stuffs people
use as household cleaners that are not good &c but im not talking about them
and i am guessing if you use TIDYBOWL as directed it isn't as bad as dumping
E6 Chems down your drain.. which is probably regulated ...

PE e6 chemistry is not NON TOXIC
it is more TOXIC than some BW chemistry,
you can't dump it down your drain
and for the average consumer it is not run of the mill "stuff" is it ?
yes i know i know there are things like drain cleaners and stuffs people
use as household cleaners that are not good &c but im not talking about them
and i am guessing if you use TIDYBOWL as directed it isn't as bad as dumping
E6 Chems down your drain.. which is probably regulated ...

That isn't much correct : If you handle E6 chems in a good way it is relative untoxic. But the real danger is comming from unproffesional "careless" combined with highest dosis. So PE might had some protection in use to avoid higher dosis.
(dosis in concern of 8,5h/5 days a week/some decades)
with regards
PS : Remenber the unforgettable Robin Williams alias "Sey Parrish" in "One Hour Photo" !
And you may notice : From minilab C41 chems is a quite real danger (not possible with E6 chems)

 

[trendland]

No, emphatically no, from a chemical standpoint. From a management standpoint.... Sometimes...r




PE

Same procedure in your labs ?

I guess this was just a little "overdriven" by "Sey Parrish".
But " conflict by management " (C.b.M.) is exactly the same you described :

.......
with greetings

 

[dutchsteammachine]

I would like Kodak to make a low saturation slide film. Currently we have two high-saturation slide films, Provia and Velvia. I do not see the need to have a third? it will be much of the same, no particular reason to buy New Ektachrome.

 

[bvy]

 

[trendland]

View attachment 201966

By the way, here they are : " GEPE MOUNTS " as mentinoned.

 

[AgX]

A entry level Kodak branded film scanner is the last I want from Kodak.

 

[AgX]

Concerning the mounts, there still are different manufacturers of mounts for hand mouting, but the current problem seems the lack of a manufacturer for mounting machines, maybe the respective mounts too.
If it becomes uneconomical for a lab, small or industrial, to keep their machine going, they will stop offering mounting.

 

[removed account4]

That isn't much correct : If you handle E6 chems in a good way it is relative untoxic. But the real danger is comming from unproffesional "careless" combined with highest dosis. So PE might had some protection in use to avoid higher dosis.
(dosis in concern of 8,5h/5 days a week/some decades)
with regards

not so sure about that..
do the people who work at kodak or other people with professional motives dump their chemistry down the drain ?
don't think so they probably had disposal protocols, although kodak was one of the biggest polluters in the USA for years, so maybe ?
mini labs get fined and arrested if they do that ... but whatever .. i guess some people don't follow laws when it suits
them not to follow them because they think they are dumb ..
oh well, takes all types to make the world go round i suppose. im happy i don't eat food out of your garden or play in your lawn..
one person used to post online here that selenium toner was non toxic as well.
glad i never ate at her house either !

btw
Materials Safety DataSheets from freestyle for their E6 kits
https://www.freestylephoto.biz/static/pdf/msds/arista/AristaE6.pdf

for every chemical included says this:

13. DISPOSAL CONSIDERATIONS13.1 Waste treatment methods

Product

Preferred options for disposal are to send to licensed reclaimers, or to permitted incinerators. Any disposal practice must be in compliance with federal, state, and local regulations.

ive suggested nothing different than what freestyle and probably other chem makers who make E6
say to do ...

 

[BMbikerider]

I wish there were some reasonably priced E6 film around, and a better selection too. I always thought very highly of slide film, carefully exposed, using a tripod, then equally carefully processed made the most glorious colour photographs. I have succumbed to making digital projected images and they are just not the same. Quality is down sharpness is down, (Genuine sharpness not induced by Photoshop) and the saturation of most was completely natural. Not like some of the digital ones produced which are over cooked and not worth the effort. It really is too easy.

All you needed to project slides was a half decent projector, a screen and a stand to place the projector on.

However to project digital, first play about with them on a computer, digitally remove things or add them in lighten/darken/adjust contrast, resize them and bring out the laptop and digital projector costing a small fortune with a bulb which is equally astronomically priced. All to project an image that was/is, 'not quite as good as a slide'. In my view not progress at all, just an acceptance of the inferior.

 

[warden]

I wish there were some reasonably priced E6 film around, and a better selection too. I always thought very highly of slide film, carefully exposed, using a tripod, the equally carefully processed made the most glorious colour photographs. I have succumbed to making digital projected images and they are just not the same. Quality is down sharpness is down (Genuine sharpness not induced by Photoshop) and the saturation of most was completely natural. Not like some of the ones produced which are over cooked and not worth the effort. It really is too easy.

All you needed to project slides was a half decent projector, a screen and a stand to place the projector on.

Then to project, first play about with them on a computer, digitally remove things or add them in lighten/darken/adjust contrast, them bring out the laptop and digital projector costing a small fortune and a bulb which is equally astronomically priced. All to project an image that was/is, 'not quite as good as a slide'. In my view not progress at all, just an acceptance of the inferior.

+1. Slides are wonderful to project, or just hold up to the sky. There's nothing else like it.