The end of Kodachrome super 8

[Cybrvanr]

I've always been a film nut, and several years ago when I read that Kodak still made super 8 movie film, I started scouring yard sales for an old camera and a projector. Finding both was not hard nor expensive, and since then, I've been shooting several reels a year of silent movie films both in color and black & white. The picture quality of fresh movie film is really nice, especially when viewed through a projector. For some reason, transferred super 8 to video looks nothing like it does in it's original form.

I went to a local camera shop this evening hoping to buy a few reels of super 8 movie film, I found out that Kodak has discontinued this ever-popular movie film. I guess it was too few of us out there that still enjoyed shooting with the stuff. It's been replaced with Ektachrome 64, but I imagine it won't look anywhere near as nice as Kodachrome. Sure hope Kodak keeps producing the Kodachrome 35mm slide film. That stuff is absloutely amazing how nice the pictures made from it are!

 

[kevinpreston8]

Super 8mm nut here myself

I mourn the loss of Kodachrome too, especially when Dwayne's processes it cheaply!

I have also been shooting REGULAR 8mm "Cinechrome" (same thing) and been really enjoying it, but the larger Super8mm with Kodachrome is amazing.

I have a roll of 64T, its replacement, but have not shot it yet. I have heard it is pretty good. However, many of the old Super 8mm cameras will not work with it, or will only work if you make special compensations for it, with 64T. That's because their meters are calibrated for either 40asa or 160asa, the old Kodak Super8mm standards.

On many cameras then, unless you feel bold about recalibrating meters, they won't expose correctly. If you have a higher end camera, you can compensate.

For film transfer, I have gotten pretty good results with my camera and my bright Elmo Super8mm projector right at home, after much experimentation. I eliminated most flicker and did some things to keep the color from draining out as bad. Still not as good as projected though.

Here's a frame grab off my video editor of my home transferred Super8mm shot. This is Kodachrome 40 Super8 shot with my Bolex Macrozoom 155.

 

[nasadowsk]

GRRRR, they're trying to kill Kodachrome, period. Basically, to apease Wall Street (Look! We're killing off old film lines!), and basically to apease the EPA (Kodachrome's chemicals are slightly nasty, though I don't see why they're any worse than anything else).

Kodachrome is the only readily available archival grade color film, period.

Stored in a cool, dry, dark place, Kodachrome is proven to last 50+ years. Ektachrome can't - period.

They killed Kodachrome in 16mm, too The Vision stocks work somewhat for me, but they're more expensive(though they've got pluses of their own), and they don't look like Kodachrome. Vision2 500T with a Wratten 85 can look nice, though, at least in my Bolex (H16 reflex - poor man's Arriflex

Everyone knows Kodak's gonna kill 35mm Kodachrome. It's only a matter of time. Then again, Fuji's wiping the floor with Kodak's ass now. But one less manufacturer isn't a good thing (competition -> better pricing + innovation)

I've not tried any of the Fuji Mmotion picture stocks. Kodak's are good, save for Ektachrome which looks like crap (surprise!

 

[chad_hauris]

I have a collection of 16mm films and I was amazed that most have very good color...these must be Kodachrome. Whatever was used in the late 60's through the 80's seemed to always turn pink.

 

[buffalo-joe]

Kodachrome is Dead..........

All Kodachrome is gone. I work at Kodak in Rochester, NY and they are indeed discontinuing Kodachrome Film. Its really too bad as its a great film, especially for slides. Its drawback is that its chemically intense and the processing is a three step one verses Ektachrome which is only a one step process. Kodachrome needs a process for every base color. That's why processing labs are few and far between. Kodak outsourced Kodachrome processing some years ago.

I was an avid slide user until I went digital and almost exclusively used Kodachrome. I tried Ektachrome, but it never had the color saturation that Kodachrome had. Kodachrome holds up well with time. Just for kicks I've attached a scan of a Kodachrome that was dated 1964. It a shot of a '63 Ford and the scan did show the colors well. Its not my slide, I found it in a box of slides I bought at a flea market. I like buying old slides for this reason, you see cars, appliances and stuff that other poeple had.

Anyways, I loved Kodachrome and hate to see it go.

Joe

 

[maytagbear]

Oh, my

"Kodachrome....gives us the nice bright colors, the greens of summer, makes all the world a sunny day....I got a Nikon camera, I love to take photographs...oh please, don't take my Kodachrome away." ---Paul Simon.

Lawrence/Maytagbear