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Kodachrome

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This article is about the brand of film. For other uses, see Kodachrome (disambiguation).
Kodachrome is a brand of color transparency (slide) film sold by Kodak. It was first sold as 16 mm movie film in 1935, and as 8 mm movie film and 135 film in 1936. Kodachrome is the oldest successfully mass-marketed color still film using a subtractive method (see color photography for details of earlier additive/'screenplate' methods such as Autochrome and Dufaycolor). Kodachrome has been through many incarnations and undergone four major developing process changes over the years; the current (as of 2006) is the K-14 process. Kodachrome is widely regarded as one of the best films available for the archival and professional market because of its colour accuracy and dark-storage longevity.

Contents

Characteristics

The structure of the Kodachrome emulsion is fundamentally different from that of other slide films in that it is non-substantive. The film is also known as an Integral Tripack. Nearly all other color films have dye couplers incorporated into the three emulsion layers to ensure that the correct dye forms in the correct layer when all three are developed at the same time. In Kodachrome, however, the dye couplers are introduced during the development process. This makes its rendering of color and response to light unique. Furthermore, the dye couplers in other color films require thicker emulsion layers that allow light to scatter, whereas thinner layers are generally sharper.

As a direct result of this unique process, Kodachrome film is now losing popularity in the digital age as it is more difficult to scan successfully than other reversal emulsions.

Similar to other reversal films, Kodachrome is at first developed into a black and white negative and stopped but not fixed. Then the correct color dye couplers are added by performing a chemical "fogging" step, followed by development of the subtractive layers, one at a time, adding the dye couplers during each of the three individual color developments.

A Kodachrome slide is quickly detectable by an expert reviewing a series of slides of indeterminate origin: Kodachromes tend to exhibit a visible "relief" image on the emulsion side. Their long-term "dark-keeping" stability under ordinary conditions is superior to any other color film: slides over fifty years old still retain accurate color and grain. (This is mostly because, unlike other color slides, they have no unused color couplers remaining after processing.) However, Kodachrome color stability under bright light, i.e., projection, is quite inferior to E-6 process slide films, mentioned below.

The current Kodachrome developing process, K-14, is very complex, exacting, and proprietary to Kodak; it precludes its use by home amateurs or "minilabs". For many years Kodachrome was sold at a price which included processing by Kodak at a few large labs, except in the United States where this was prohibited as anticompetitive. Users must wait days or weeks for the completed slides to be returned in the mail.

Status

Kodachrome film has mostly been replaced by E-6 process transparency films (e.g. Ektachrome), though it still finds use for applications where its dark storage archival stability is valued. Kodachrome 25 was discontinued in 2002 (many point to Velvia as the culprit in its demise), though Kodachrome 64 and 200 remain available as of 2005.

In May of 2005, Kodak discontinued the manufacturing of Kodachrome in the Super 8 movie format.Kodak News (July 2005) [Kodachrome 40 Movie film (Type A)/Super 8 Discontinued] Retrieved July 10, 2006.

On June 30, 2006, Eastman Kodak announced the end dates for Kodachrome motion picture film processing. As of September 30, 2006, Kodak will cease the discontinue the processing of all Kodachrome films in Renens, Switzerland, due to low volumes. All Kodachrome processing for Europe and North America will be consolidated to one third-party facility in the United States.

For 16 mm customers who pre-paid for processing of Kodachrome motion picture film with the purchase of the film stock, Dwayne's Photo of Parsons, Kansas will honor that processing at no additional charge until December 31, 2006. After that date, Kodachrome 16 mm film processing costs, as well as the responsibility for shipping that product to Dwayne's, must be borne by the customer.

Kodak also announced that the manufacture of Kodachrome 16 mm film has been discontinued.Christgau, Sally (June 30, 2006). "Kodak announces end dates for Kodachrome motion picture film processing" Press release. CCPR.

See also

References

External links

Processing of older Kodachrome including Processes K-11 and K-12 :

 

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