Mama, Don't Take My Kodachrome Away!!

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Bob Buchanan

Bob Buchanan

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74 years ago, Babe Ruth hit his 714th & last home run, and Kodak introduced Kodachrome film. In '73 (I think) Paul Simon wrote, "Mama, Don't Take My Kodachrome Away". Looks like Mama Kodak is doing just that this year. I read this AM in the Sacto Bee that Kodachrome Film will be discontinued in light of the digital revolution. Sad . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujhdf9_IO4w
 
I sure am going to miss taking my photos and sending them off and waiting a week to see if they came out. I am going to miss paying about a dollar a shot and ending up with a 4x6 print. I am going to miss trying to load a new roll of film when the old one runs out at the most inopportune moment. I am going to miss setting up the slide projector and screen to look at my slides. I am crying.
 
    When I saw the blerb on CBS Boston yesterday they said that there was only one photolab in the US who can still process that type of film.  I don't know what would make it so specific that there would only be one lab, but that's what they reported.
 
Hfx_Cdn said:
     When I saw the blerb on CBS Boston yesterday they said that there was only one photolab in the US who can still process that type of film.  I don't know what would make it so specific that there would only be one lab, but that's what they reported.
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There used to be a zillion labs that did Kodachrome. All but one has died. There is simply no demand for film anymore. Only a very limited number of die hards still use film, and those that do use film use an emulsion that is far superior to Kodachrome. It was the champion in it's day but that day ended about two decades ago.
 
Kodachrome is unlike any other slide film. Kodachrome is black and white film (in simple terms) just in multiple layers each B&W layer is sensitive to a different colour. the lab will then separate ea layer and develop it to the correct colour and then re-registrar the layers back on the film backing and make your slide. this is all done by hand. the depth if the film is amazing. the only reason that digital is replacing it is due to our acceptance of the lower quality image.

can you tell I was around 2 decades ago when they tried to stop producing Kodachrome then?  I was part a a great number of Professional photographers that bought a lot of expensive film to keep it alive. most of us did not use it as a daily film but I do remember a lot of "artsy" photos at that years convention :)
 
seilerbird said:
I sure am going to miss taking my photos and sending them off and waiting a week to see if they came out. I am going to miss paying about a dollar a shot and ending up with a 4x6 print. I am going to miss trying to load a new roll of film when the old one runs out at the most inopportune moment. I am going to miss setting up the slide projector and screen to look at my slides. I am crying.
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Sorry, you missed my point there, Tom . . .  :)  It's a nostalgia thing.

I don't cry about not having my '51 Ford that I bought in high school with my paper route money, but I miss it. Everytime I see one, I think about it . . .

And, Ohmygosh, Tom -- where you one of those that every time company came over, you set up a slide projector - and when the next slide was a shot of something such as a dam, you would announce, "this is a shot of a dam"??  ;) :)  And did you have more than one reel to show . . . ??
 
Bob Buchanan said:
Sorry, you missed my point there, Tom . . .  :)  It's a nostalgia thing.

I don't cry about not having my '51 Ford that I bought in high school with my paper route money, but I miss it. Everytime I see one, I think about it . . .

And, Ohmygosh, Tom -- where you one of those that every time company came over, you set up a slide projector - and when the next slide was a shot of something such as a dam, you would announce, "this is a shot of a dam"??  ;) :)  And did you have more than one reel to show . . . ??
Click to expand...

No, I got your point. I am actually nostalgic about it also. I shot a million rolls of Kodachrome in my Nikon F2. And yes I was the guy who always ran the projector.
 
I have my old Pentax SLR which takes very good pictures and is easy to use as well as my mom's equipment, she was a talented amateur photographer. It is of very little value now due to the digital revolution which is sad. However, I have to agree with seilorbird even if what he said is tongue in cheek.
 
cyanide gas was also involved in the processing of Kodachrome.  Ektachrome was much easier to develop.  I still have many (1000+) slide mounts down in my darkroom that will probably never get used.  I still have 8 Pentax slrs of varying vintage and still use film for my good pictures.  I gave my darkroom away when I moved and missed it so I took advantage of the E-Bay bargains and got another complete setup.  I haven't done anything there since yesterday.  It is getting more difficult to get chemicals and paper in a local store.  Now most of the material has to be ordered on line.
 
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