end of Kodachrome, RIP

[LCHIEN]

last year 2009, Kodak discontinued the production of its iconic Kodachrome films. For years it was the standard of color slide reproduction. There was almost universal appreciation of its rich color pallette and fine grain and longeveity.

Now, on Dec 30, the last photo lab running Kodachrome processes will use the last of the Kodak chemical stocks to develop the last rolls of film which have been pouring in from all over the country.

I took hundreds of rolls of Kodachrome 64 and my trusty Olympus OM SLRs when i was very into photography in the late 70's through the 90's.

Digital is more cost effective and user friendly but film photography has its afficianados for being the very pinnacle of photo-reproduction - it will be like the vinyl-lovers vs the CD.

Today the Paul Simon song "Kodachrome" keeps running thru my head...

Here's one of the most famous Kodachrome pictures, with its hauntingly beautiful colors and subject, taken w/ K64 by Steve McCurry in 1985 for National Geographic. Kodak gave the last roll of Kodachrome produced to Steve and he flew to Kansas - hand carried it to the lab today - to be processed.
Picture details

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sharbat_Gula.jpg

[Black wallnut]

Truely the end of an era!

[LarryG]

Last week's edition of "Sunday Morning" on CBS had a segment on this, including an interview with the owners of the last processing lab. They were still running a staggering number of rolls per day -- wish I could remember the number, cannot, but it was huge -- sent in from literally all over the world.

I don't know that I shot hundreds of rolls, but I did shoot quite a few. So did my dad, mostly on his hunting trips up into Canada. He captured some fall foilage images that were as good as any I've seen anywhere.

Time always marches on, but it is rather sad when a genuine icon goes away. When I was much younger than my current 58 years, I never dreamed I'd someday live in a world with no Pan Am, no Oldsmobile, no Pontiac, no Mercury ... or no Kodachrome.

[twistsol]

Kodak was one of the companies profiled in the book "Billion Dollar Lessons." When they first started producing film more than a century ago it was much cheaper than photo plates but the quality was inferior. As time marched on, film quality improved and put the glass plate makers out of business. When color film was invented it was also lower quality, but Kodak recognized the threat poured money into R&D not only kept up but produced a superior color film. They apparently forgot that bit of history when digital photography started to take off and film began to decline.

[toolguy1000]

so will this spell the end of 35mm photography?

[Black wallnut]

so will this spell the end of 35mm photography?

No. Kodachrome was a proprietary film and process that was widely used for slide film and some movie stuff.

[gsmittle]

so will this spell the end of 35mm photography?

I doubt it, at least for the next 40 years or so. Ektachrome, color neg film, and B&W film & prints can be processed at home, and with a little bit more trouble, so can color prints.

There are a lot of hobbyists out there and, like woodworking, there's something soothing about creating a good print with your own hands. I still have my darkroom equipment, but I haven't set up a darkroom in almost 20 years. Maybe I should set it up on the 2nd floor of my shop…

OTOH, I mourn the passing of Kodachrome. Shots I took 35 years ago still look brand new, and some could almost pass for 3D.

g.

[Joe DeFazio]

"So Mama, don't take my Kodachrome away"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hSXKjHDKkY

[phrog]

Like Loring, I took hundreds of rolls of photos using Kodachrome over the years (usually ASA 25). Hate to see it go but the cost of the film to be used once vs the cost of a chip to be used over and over tells the story of why production is ceasing. I also used Agfachrome, a German film, but I don't know if it is available now either. Those addicted to 35mm should still be able to get color negative film (from Kokak) and B&W film from European companies such as Ilford.

[Cochese]

Forgot to check if I needed any developed. Too late now.

[LCHIEN]

so will this spell the end of 35mm photography?

The Kodachrome process was proprietary and complex and at its peak there were only 25 labs in the world that had the equipment and licenses (I presume they were required).

Other film technologies are still very much alive altho usage is way down. The common color negative films are used in much greater volume than slide (transparency) films and also are common for multiple film makers and as of a few years ago could be found in 100,000 drug stores across the country vs 25 for the Kodachrome process. You can also buy the chemicals and do it it at home using relatively common canisters, film reels. There are also other common chemical processes for other transparency films still in use. B&W films for hobbiests have been in decline since the 60's bu there is still a niche market for them.

Kodak, Fuji, Ilford would be the big names in film, and processing supplies. Is Agfa still in business? Ektachrome, Fujichrome can still be purchased and developed. They are more sensitive and easy to develop. But Kodachrome had a color so sharp, so vivid and so true there was no contest when it came to choosing a critical color transparency film.

[billwmeyer]

That last lab was about 30 miles from me. I guess one reason for stopping is that it took special chemicals to develop and Kodak also quit manufacturing those.

I really like the digital. Now instead of throwing the pictures in a drawer and not looking at them, I leave them on the computer and ignore them. I do see them some as my screen saver randomly displays them. Of course, I don't look at that too often either.

Bill

[sparkeyjames]

Well I hate to be the negative voice in this but I never liked the over saturation of the film and it's ever so slight muting of lighter colors. Plus the development process used some extremely toxic chemicals
that disallowed it for private use IE in your private dark room. The E6
process was in my opinion much better. At one point in my photography
days I shot a few rolls of the same subject with Kodachrome and the Kodak E6 developed slide film
and I preferred the color and grain of the E100 over even the Kodachrome 25. A lot of people I know
fawned over Fuji's Velvia 50 speed slide film and said it was a fair match for Kodachrome. Ah well the days
of slaving over a hot developing tank are almost gone. Photoshop for the win.

[Knottscott]

It's a sad, but true sign of the times, and a vague summary of many businesses in general today. Enthusiasts tend to represent only small portions of large consumer markets like film and other industries, so convenience and cost tend to win out in the market place over what many feel is better performance technology....ie: transistors replaced vacuum tubes, CDs replaced vinyl records, wireless phones are replacing corded phones, VHS replaced Beta, cells phones are replacing wireless and corded landlines (anyone notice the huge drop in clarity over the years?), gas grills over charcoal, etc.

As a nearly 30 year employee at Kodak, I can assure you that Kodak is a skeleton of what it once was. Though I would like to state that all consumer and movie film is still made in the USA. All Kodak film that was once made in China has moved back to the USA, which is a rare statement today.

Kodak management used to get accused of being "inbred" by promoting only from within, but as outsiders were brought into the top management positions, the decision making started favoring shareholder satisfaction over employee and customer satisfaction. I suppose its what was needed to compete, and many poor decisions have also been made by inside management, but there have been several decisions that appeared to me to be self-serving short term decisions that benefit the elite few as opposed to establishing longer term new markets. They come, line their pockets, pad their resume, and move on with no real vested interest in the future health of the company....not unlike modern politics. It's very different than what George Eastman stood for.

Hopefully, niche markets will survive for the enthusiasts. Where there's enough interest, some small company will provide the necessary materials. Vacuum tubes still live, vinyl records still live, muzzle loaders live, hand tools live, and hopefully silver halide film will survive in some form.

[LCHIEN]

Scott, I enjoyed your post. I'm sure that the proprietary Kodachrome formulas, processes and machinery blueprints were all available for sale to any other manufacturer before being retired but no one wanted to buy them. It's the Brett Farve of film technology - Its not over 'til its over but the end of its time has really come this time.