The Last Kodachrome

Wednesday, 26th January.
So, my last 16mm Kodachrome film has just dropped onto the doormat. Quite an emotional event. It somehow feels rather like the first time that happened way back in the 1960s. And as exciting.

Posted to Kansas quite early in December, I had been getting a little concerned about the outcome, as I'd particularly taken shots to match the colours of other Kodachrome footage in a film I'm making. Did it get to Dwaynes before the December 30th deadline ? What if... the processing machine had a heart attack ? etc.

I needn't have worried. Apparently, Dwaynes was swamped by other last minute orders for Kodachrome processing. Somebody has quoted these staggering figures SINCE Boxing Day:
35mm 20,564 rolls
8mm 3,565 rolls
16mm 57,655 feet

Hence the delay !!

It would be nice to think somebody at Kodak is having second thoughts about ditching wonderful Kodachrome. But no, that's a pipe dream I know. At least it survived through Christmas 2010. Remember my post of July 7th, 2009 ? So Kodachrome flourished for 75 years, eh ? I wonder what people will think of our pictures 75 from now.

A Kodachrome Christmas in 2010 ?

Kodachrome-lovers... here's the latest news. Kodak has finally ceased manufacture of Kodachrome 64 slide film. That marks the end of the 74 year dynasty that, as I think I said in my earlier post, produced some of the world's greatest colour images.

That last production-run will be bought up fast, so don't delay if you want to have a final fling. Steve McCurry will be using one of the last rolls, and donating it to their museum, I understand. See www.kodak.com for some of his stunning photos and in-depth view, as well as those of many others in mourning... quite moving stuff.

In their defence, Kodak say that Kodachrome sales are a tiny fraction of their turnover. But then, these past 20 years, they haven't exactly advertised the stuff have they ?

The good news is that Dwaynes in the US are to carry on processing all types of Kodachrome until the end of next year. So you just might be able to cover Christmas 2010 on Kodachrome ! A happy thought.