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  • Farewell Kodachrome - Kodak pulls the plug

  • Discussion of photography and videography techniques, equipment and technology, and links to personal railroad-related photo galleries.
Discussion of photography and videography techniques, equipment and technology, and links to personal railroad-related photo galleries.

Moderators: nomis, keeper1616

 #685264  by scottychaos
 
a legend dies:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/art ... QD98VMTHO0

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — Sorry, Paul Simon, Kodak is taking your Kodachrome away. The Eastman Kodak Co. announced Monday it's retiring its most senior film because of declining customer demand in an increasingly digital age. The world's first commercially successful color film, immortalized in song by Simon, spent 74 years in Kodak's portfolio. It enjoyed its heyday in the 1950s and '60s but in recent years has nudged closer to obscurity: Sales of Kodachrome are now just a fraction of 1 percent of the company's total sales of still-picture films, and only one commercial lab in the world still processes it.

http://www.kodak.com

:(
Scot
 #685327  by railohio
 
Kodachrome was the film of railfanning through the 1980s but it has been superseded by new emulsions and better technology since then. I'm thankful to have square mount Kodachromes in my collection, but I'm also glad that better films have been introduced (and perfected!) in the last two decades. I'll keep buying Kodachrome, from old timers thinning down their collections, but it hasn't run through my cameras in a decade.
 #685354  by MEC407
 
Official press release:

http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier. ... stid=12463

More info and general discussion:

http://photo.net/film-and-processing-forum/00Tj1r


Truly a sad day in photographic history. But man, Kodachrome had one hell of a run!

Buy a few rolls and shoot it while you still can. It's not the best film by today's standards, but it is undeniably unique. Not even the most experienced Photoshop guru can mimic Kodachrome's look.
 #685357  by mxdata
 
I used to think that I would miss Kodachrome when its production finally ended, but for the last few years I have been having so much fun using a digital SLR that I really haven't given color slide films very much thought at all.

MX
 #685362  by RailBus63
 
If you don't already have a few rolls in the fridge, I'm not sure how much luck you will have trying to find Kodachrome. It's availability has been on and off for a while now, and today's announcement will ensure that most remaining stocks will disappear within hours. Any rolls that do show up for sale on eBay or elsewhere will likely cost far more than the recent $8.50 price at B&H.

It's a sad day for many of us. I can't even count how many rolls I shot of Kodachrome over the years and I have many cherished slides in my collection. It's unfortunate that market conditions and neglect from Kodak management resulted in a slow death spiral for this fine product.
 #685374  by MEC407
 
B&H is currently out of stock; Adorama shows it as being in stock. I imagine that Kodak will be able to continue to supply the major dealers for at least a few more months, until Kodak's own supply is gone.

A friend of mine in Massachusetts uses K64 extensively for slide shows in the art history class he teaches at a local college. He is now stockpiling it, but also preparing to switch to Ektachrome when the time comes.

Processing will only be available through the end of 2010, so I hope that the folks who do stockpile the film will shoot it quickly, otherwise they're going to end up with no way to have it processed. (Unless they have it processed as black & white, which would sort of defeat the purpose of stockpiling it when superior B&W films are available at much less cost.)
 #685462  by Chessie GM50
 
I usually use digital now, but if I do decide to dig up the ol' F100, I usually shoot it with Ektar 100. I'll just have to get a roll, of K64 and shoot it, before the stockpiles die out.
 #685697  by trainwayne1
 
No sure where to post this....Mods please move at your discretion.......

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090622/ap_ ... e_s_demise
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Sorry, Paul Simon, Kodak is taking your Kodachrome away.

The Eastman Kodak Co. announced Monday it's retiring its oldest film stock because of declining customer demand in an increasingly digital age. The world's first commercially successful color film, immortalized in song by Simon, spent 74 years in Kodak's portfolio. It enjoyed its heyday in the 1950s and '60s but in recent years has nudged closer to obscurity: Sales of Kodachrome are now just a fraction of 1 percent of the company's total sales of still-picture films, and only one commercial lab in the world still processes it.
 #685856  by Otto Vondrak
 
railohio wrote:Kodachrome was the film of railfanning through the 1980s but it has been superseded by new emulsions and better technology since then.
It will be interesting to see how the archival quality of a comparable E-6 processed slide holds up against a Kodachrome. I've held Kodachromes from the 1940s that are as sharp and vibrant as the day they were shot, when a comparable Ektachrome, Anscochrome, or other slide films have shifted dramatically in color.
 #685873  by NYC3001
 
When I read, and later on watched a news story about the demise of Kodachrome on the ABC Evening News, I have to admit that it is rather sad to see the passing of this great film. I have thousands of Kodachrome 25, 64, and even a few 200 slides in my collection. I can remember 25-30 years ago, when I first entered into photography, this slide film was the standard staple in every professional photographers camera bag that worked for magazines.

I can remember when Kenneth Smith, a local photographer came to my junior high school on career day. He told us that if we wanted to have our work published in any magazine, the standard film of choice was Kodachrome. Then Ken proceeded to tell us how Kodachrome was the best choice, especially if you wanted a long-lasting permanence, without the fading associated with Ektachrome, which used the E-6 process.

Sadly, thanks to a lack of local store that sold Kodachrome in my small town, it would be another five years before I would use it. However, it became my preferred film of choice in the 1980s through the mid-1990s while railfaning . Sadly, many of the Ektachrome slides that I shot 25 years ago are fading, but the Kodachromes are still maintaining their brilliant luster. Even the ones my mother shot in the 1950s, look like they were taken yesterday.

While I hate to see Kodachrome go the way of analog TV, phonograph records, and mainline steam operations, the reality of this day has been written on the Eastman Kodak's balance sheets for the past several years. The Digital Age has changed everything, especially the medium of photography. Nowadays, you can go out and shoot several hundred shots, download them to your computer, and post your best images to the Web in a matter of seconds. However, its not the same, especially when it comes to attending railfan gatherings where slide shows are the norm. That said, I will cherish and protect my Kodachrome memories for as long as I live.

73s

Ron
 #685875  by NYC3001
 
Does anyone here know when Kodachrome 25 and 64 first made their debut, in the 35mm format?

Thanks,

Ron
 #685956  by mxdata
 
I believe they came out late in 1974. I had been on a long trip overseas with Kodachrome II film and the new films were available when I got back. The early batches of Kodachrome 25 were terrible, they had a very noticable green tint with Kodak processing. I started using the Kodachrome 64 which was initially a little too red but after a couple of months they got that problem solved and it was an excellent film for decades afterwards.

MX
 #685964  by CarterB
 
"When I think back on all the crap Ive learned in highschool
Its a wonder I can think at all
Though my lack of education hasnt hurt me much
I can read the writings on the walls....
So mama don't take my kodachrome away....." Paul Simon
 #687804  by Bartman-tn
 
ASA 25 Kodachrome was actually available about 1961 in the K-12 processing format. The 1974 ASA 25 film used K-14 processing.

Before 1961, Kodachrome was available in ASA 10 and 16 starting in 1936 with the K-10 and K-11 processing systems.