Survey: How many use Kodachrome?

Maurizio · Oct 10, 2009

Hello!
I am wondering two things.
- How many of you used Kodachrome as the main 35mm film in the past three years? I am one of them, tough I wasn't a big user. I think 20 rolls per year.
- Does anyone know if Kodak is going to pretend to dismantle Dwaynes machines, or they can keep them?
Best regards,
Maurizio Grosso

PeteZ8 · Oct 10, 2009

I guess I didn't use enough apparently!

I'm sure Dwaynes can keep their equipment, but with the expense, difficulty, and space required to process Kodachrome film, I'm sure they will be hauling them to the scrap heap not long after they officially cease their processing operation. Doesn't make sense to waste the space when the product they are designed to process is no longer being manufactured.

AgX · Oct 10, 2009

On what base should Kodak be allowed to dismatle Dwaynes' machinery?
And what benefit would Kodak have by this?

Ektagraphic · Oct 10, 2009

I used Kodachrome pretty much exclusivly for the last two years shooting atleast 50 rolls per year. It is really hard for me to see it go. I know I haven't used it for that long but I fell in love with it very much.

Colin Corneau · Oct 10, 2009

Hopefully the machinery will be in a museum somewhere - maybe one run by Kodak, f'rinstance?

I shot a dozen rolls recently and have a few more left. I'd have shot more but Kodak did zippo promotion of the film and I had no idea for the longest time it was still available.

nickrapak · Oct 11, 2009

Unless they are Kodak owned machines that Dwayne's leased, Kodak can't force Dwayne's to dismantle them. However, that's not to say that Dwayne's won't dismantle them of their own free will.

railwayman3 · Oct 11, 2009

I've about 100 Kodachromes to use before the end of next year, and various holidays and visits to historic places arranged to, hopefully, make good use of them.

I'm sure Kodak/Dwaynes will stick to their date of finishing at 31/12/10
(30th Nov for those of us in the UK who mail films to Kodak in Switzerland), and I'm not relying on any processing being available after then. Hope the equipment is put in a Museum, or at least saved....it may look like scrap now, but too many historic items have been lost over the years before their interest was appreciated.

StorminMatt · Oct 11, 2009

For the last couple of years, Kodachrome has been virtually the only film I have shot. It will be hard to let it go, since there is really nothing to replace it (and no, Ektar is not a Kodachrome replacement - it's not even a slide film!). As for Dayne's K14 machine, they may or may not disassemble it. But whether or not they want to keep processing Kodachrome, they can't if Kodak no longer supplies the chemistry.

hrst · Oct 11, 2009

More important question than the processing machine is the availability of processing chemicals. One can process Kodachrome in normal spiral tanks if a special re-exposure unit is made. That doesn't need to be big or expensive. All we need is a small tabletop machine with stepper motor to drive film thru the unit and LED light and some drive logic. The amount of exposure must be determined first but then it remain unchanged. Heck, it can be done even with normal color enlarger without any special units. The process is a bit tedious but completely doable even at home, not to mention small labs ran by enthusiasts. Bigger problem is where to get the chemicals needed. Is there public formulas? Can you get the correct couplers anywhere?

Anon Ymous · Oct 11, 2009

Even more important than the availability of the processing equipment and the chemicals is the availability of the film itself.

hrst · Oct 11, 2009

Yeah. Unless someone starts to make Kodachrome clone film. It's possible. It's easier than today's films with couplers.

railwayman3 · Oct 11, 2009

hrst said:
More important question than the processing machine is the availability of processing chemicals. One can process Kodachrome in normal spiral tanks if a special re-exposure unit is made. That doesn't need to be big or expensive. All we need is a small tabletop machine with stepper motor to drive film thru the unit and LED light and some drive logic. The amount of exposure must be determined first but then it remain unchanged. Heck, it can be done even with normal color enlarger without any special units. The process is a bit tedious but completely doable even at home, not to mention small labs ran by enthusiasts. Bigger problem is where to get the chemicals needed. Is there public formulas? Can you get the correct couplers anywhere?

I really admire anyone who might try to set this up. But, apart from anything else, would anyone trust their important films to something so experimental?

I enjoy experimenting as much as anyone, but all my "valuable" photos are taken on fresh films of brands which I know well, and processed (usually myself, unless in a hurry) in chemicals which I have come to trust over many years.

gr82bart · Oct 11, 2009

Of the 57 rolls I had when Kodak announced their discontinuance, I'm down to 41 now. I'm shooting almost nothing but Kodachromes now. I shot maybe 0-1 roll a year in the past 10 years or so, but had an urge to get back just before Kodak made its fateful announcement. Figures.

Regards, Art.

hrst · Oct 11, 2009

railwayman3 said:
I really admire anyone who might try to set this up. But, apart from anything else, would anyone trust their important films to something so experimental?

I enjoy experimenting as much as anyone, but all my "valuable" photos are taken on fresh films of brands which I know well, and processed in chemicals which I have come to trust over many years.

Once done right, there would be nothing "experimental" in the process. There are specifications available. Of course, the reversal exposure steps would need some experimenting at first, but then the process could be run with quality surpassing even the professional lab, just like you can process E6 and C-41 at home at equivalent or even better quality than pro labs.

railwayman3 · Oct 11, 2009

hrst said:
Once done right, there would be nothing "experimental" in the process. There are specifications available. Of course, the reversal exposure steps would need some experimenting at first, but then the process could be run with quality surpassing even the professional lab, just like you can process E6 and C-41 at home at equivalent or even better quality than pro labs.

I take your point, it would be wonderful if film and chemicals were available for this to be done. My point is that it could (hopefully wrongly) be seen as experimental or unrealiable until proven, and the demand would be not there to make it viable at a reasonable cost.

I've seen several indications (rumors?) on the web that K14 has been home-processed, but I've never seen any examples to confirm this. I'd like to be proved wrong?

Sorry, I'm really not intending to be negative.

hrst · Oct 11, 2009

The reversal exposure could be calibrated this way:

First, chemical reversal exposure is removed from the process; Otherwise, process runs normally.

Then, one roll is fogged completely.

Then, the red re-exposure is incremented step by step during this roll. Blue re-exposure is bypassed/off.

When processed, we could look (with densitometer, or a film scanner, or even by eye) where the cyan Dmax is achieved. This is the absolute minimum red exposure needed. Then we would look further until the point when the magenta and/or green density starts to increase. This is the absolute maximum red exposure. Then we take the average of these values.

The same procedure is done with blue exposure.

Two rolls will be sacrified in this calibration; but then, this requires exact specifications with the exact chemical formulas to avoid experimenting with them.

Does anyone see any problem here? The one I see is the availability of the chemicals (and the exact formulas).

I really believe that the biggest obstacle is how to get the chemicals and how to know what to get.

brianmquinn · Oct 11, 2009

About 2 dozen rolls a year on average. I have 50 rolls now so that will go up next year.

Prest_400 · Oct 11, 2009

hrst said:
Yeah. Unless someone starts to make Kodachrome clone film. It's possible. It's easier than today's films with couplers.

If Mannes and Godowsky did it back in 1935, it should be still be possible to do it now. I wonder how many resources they had.
Just modify some couplers, and then you should have a 1950's kodachrome. Original 1930s Kodachrome didn't have as much archival stability compared to later versions, as far I know.

Jeff Kubach · Oct 11, 2009

I used Kodachrome a lot many years ago, now I wish I kept it up to this point!

Jeff

mopar_guy · Oct 11, 2009

I believe that Dwaynes processor was a larger capacity machine that was specially made for them. Some years back, Kodak was trying to push smaller machines known as K-labs. Where are all of these? I thought that one of these was for sale on eBay a while back with no takers.

mopar_guy · Oct 11, 2009

By the way, I have never used much Kodachrome but I have 20 rolls that I will use before next December.

railwayman3 · Oct 11, 2009

Prest_400 said:
Just modify some couplers, and then you should have a 1950's kodachrome.

How easy is that.... perhaps with a masters in chemistry and a fully equipped organic synthesis lab to start with, of course.

Kaboom · Oct 11, 2009

railwayman3 said:
(30th Nov for those of us in the UK who mail films to Kodak in Switzerland)

So wait, you send it to Kodak in Switz and then they forward it to Dwayne's or does kodak actually process them in Switz? i have a roll that i REALLY want to get developed but i haven't yet gotten round to mailing it to dwayne's because the shipping from Spain is almost more expensive than the developing itself.

Also, would any charitable soul consider selling me a couple of rolls for a less abusive price than they seem to be commanding on ebay send me a PM? Unfortunately I'm a victim of the digital generation and never got to experience the full might and glory of Kodachrome. I'd like to give it a shot before it dissappears forever...

with regards to the equipment... It'll definately be dismantled and if Kodak doesn't want to bother with shipping and finding space for it in a museum it'll end up in the scrapyard shortly after the 31st of dec...

Maurizio · Oct 11, 2009

Yes, to Lausanne

Hello! Yes, you have to ship to Lausanne. They will forward it to Dwaynes.
The address is:
Kodak Photo Service SA
Case Postale
1001 Lausanne
Switzerland

Well... What is the price of a not expired Kodachrome on ebay?
I don't think you'll pay a fortune for a couple of rolls...
I think tough, the best kodachromes I have ever used are the K64 professional, expired by one- even two years.
I find the not expired Kodachromes too much contrasty and the ones expired by more than two years with too little colour.

Prest_400 · Oct 11, 2009

railwayman3 said:
How easy is that.... perhaps with a masters in chemistry and a fully equipped organic synthesis lab to start with, of course.

Just like Mannes and Godowsky didn't invent it all by themselves. They had a lab and a team of chemists and all was backed by EK or some investor.

If KR was so easy to make, there should be a clone or impossible project around.

I forgot to say if I'm a KR shooter. SO far, ordered a few rolls to an UK dealer, but they ran out of stock and (I suppose) it's in backorder status.

Survey: How many use Kodachrome?

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