RIP Kodachrome...

G

groveChuck

U-matic Member
After 74 years, Kodak has stopped making Kodachrome film.

film- noun:
a cellulose nitrate or cellulose acetate composition made in thin sheets or strips and coated with a light sensitive emulsion for taking photographs.

The film's durability and ability to capture rich, vibrant colors also made it a favorite among professional photographers,

But it is a complex film to manufacture and requires a complicated process to develop, and today there is only one lab left in the country that processes the film.

It also faced competition from Japanese rival Fuji Film.

Kodachrome was used for the photo of the Afghan girl with striking green eyes for the cover of the National Geographic Magazine in 1985.

The assassination of JFK was captured on Kodachrome 8mm film by Abraham Zapruder.

And I began my love affair with filmmaking as a kid shooting stop-motion films with Super 8 Kodachrome many, many years ago...

RIP Kodachrome...(1935-2009) :cry:
 
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This Seems Fitting:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujhdf9_IO4w

When I think back on all the crap I learned in high school
It's a wonder I can think at all
And though my lack of education hasn't hurt me none
I can read the writing on the wall

Kodachrome
They give us those nice bright colors
They give us the greens of summers
Makes you think all the world's a sunny day, oh yeah
I got a Nikon camera
I love to take a photograph
So mama don't take my Kodachrome away

If you took all the girls I knew when I was single
And brought them all together for one night
I know they'd never match my sweet imagination
Everything looks worse in black and white

Kodachrome
They give us those nice bright colors
They give us the greens of summers
Makes you think all the world's a sunny day, oh yeah
I got a Nikon camera
I love to take a photograph
So mama don't take my Kodachrome away

Mama don't take my Kodachrome away
Mama don't take my Kodachrome away
Mama don't take my Kodachrome away

Mama don't take my Kodachrome
Mama don't take my Kodachrome
Mama don't take my Kodachrome away

Mama don't take my Kodachrome
Leave your boy so far from home
Mama don't take my Kodachrome away

Mama don't take my Kodachrome
Uhm uhm!
Mama don't take my Kodachrome away
O.K.!
Click to expand...


Bob Diaz
 
Keep it in perspective though.. Kodachrome was "killed" by Ektachrome more than digital.
It was hardly used anymore. Not a big deal, and not the death knell of Kodak or film.
Sad though, because of the Paul Simon tune.
 
It is sad, but I love the vision film better! and I have always been a fan of the kodak b&w stocks!

Plus, i think that Paul simon song is a metaphor for stashing weed in film containers. :) None the less, this isn't a gain in the film world. Digital may not have directly killed kodachrome, but kodachrome was sacrificed overboard the sinking ship that is photochemical film. :(
 
dadoboy said:
Keep it in perspective though.. Kodachrome was "killed" by Ektachrome more than digital.
It was hardly used anymore. Not a big deal, and not the death knell of Kodak or film.
Sad though, because of the Paul Simon tune.
Click to expand...



Ryan Patrick O'Hara said:
It is sad, but I love the vision film better! and I have always been a fan of the kodak b&w stocks!

Plus, i think that Paul simon song is a metaphor for stashing weed in film containers. :) None the less, this isn't a gain in the film world. Digital may not have directly killed kodachrome, but kodachrome was sacrificed overboard the sinking ship that is photochemical film. :(
Click to expand...

All true (we'll have to get back to you on confirming the film can metaphor thing).
Love the sinking ship metaphor.

No, not the deathknell for Kodak, as they "focus" more on digital and printing.

Kodak Trivia: did you know a Kodak engineer invented the digital camera (1975)?
And Kodak invented the first megapixel sensor (1986)?

Kodachrome wasn't the be-all end-all for pros, but it did have it's moments of fame, and it was the 1st color 35mm film afterall (1935)

Probably better known as a family film for many years as "snapshots" graduated to 35mm.

I'm partial to Velvia myself, love the saturation, and Fujichrome underwater.

But still, marks the end of another iconic product.
(insert metaphor here _____).
 
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dadoboy said:
Keep it in perspective though.. Kodachrome was "killed" by Ektachrome more than digital.
It was hardly used anymore. Not a big deal, and not the death knell of Kodak or film.
Sad though, because of the Paul Simon tune.
Click to expand...

A long time ago, in a lifetime far far away... (1970s) I perfected Ektachrome over Kodachrome, because the colors looked richer and I could develop Ektachrome in my own darkroom.

Come to think of it, my "video" back then was both 8mm and Super8 movie film and my "MP3" player was a reel to reel recorder. What happened??? I think I've fallen into a parallel universe that is somewhat more advanced...


Bob Diaz
 
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