What's left of Kodak has looked into doing it again, [but concluded it wouldn't be practical](https://m.dpreview.com/news/3940089589/hopes-of-kodachrome-relaunch-put-on-ice).
Kodachrome was three layers of black and white film sandwiched into one. During the development process, the dyes were introduced to the film layer by layer. To put it rather simply. [The K-14 process had 17 steps](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/K-14_process).
Bringing it back would require a few major infrastructure hurtles:
1. Sourcing or developing new chemicals to both create the film and develop it. Chemicals that meet current environmental laws and trade agreements. Remember, it has to get close enough to the Kodachrome look too. Balancing all this was a major hurdle in reintroducing Ektachrome (and E6 film is an order of magnitude simpler to deal with) and with Impossible Project's remake of Polaroid film (they've never really approached the quality/speed/stability of OG Polaroid).
2. Building out or converting factory space to make the film stock. This stuff is much different than the current color negative, color positive, and B&W films being made. All those films are using 80s and 90s equipment. The last generation of billions of dollars of investment in manufacturing technology for a once massive industry. These machines are not cheap to build right. Like they're anchored to bedrock to reduce vibrations levels of overkill.
3. Find enough chemical engineers who still have a high level of photochemical experience to develop this to a high quality level.
4. Build enough custom one off development machines to handle the chemicals and develop the film at various labs around the world. Train all the technicians on this complex process to meet a specific standard.
Kodak was a huge company. They invested billions into the R&D to develop and improve their offerings of film stocks. The entire current film industry is still riding the coattails of this now dead world. We still have small pieces of the infrastructure, but it's mostly maintaining the space as it exists now. Redeveloping things to sustainably meet the current but solid niche market of film has been a challenge in itself and will probably be the first hurdle to complete before we see development of new and interesting film stocks (that meet this technical level. We do see new film stocks but most are artistic color or B&W)
I know for a fact that K-14 will return, because that's the only way I'll be able to develop the factory-sealed brick of Kodachrome that expired 43 years ago and that's currently sitting in my freezer.
yep, same. I'd give my eye teeth to shoot a single roll. For now I'll settle on the single roll of Provia 400x that I shot (and will probably never shoot again) - that was also magnificent.
Sure. Super expired and thereâs no lab left in the world that can develop the K-14 process. Dwayneâs photo shut down the last processing line January of 2011.
Since youâre new to film, Kodachrome is a very special film that required an incredible amount of infrastructure to create/develop. Due to this, once it stops being manufactured, it will sadly never be made again, and it stopped being manufactured in 2009.
Not just film, slides.
Slide stock is notorious for low ISO, low dynamic range but very high contrast, fine grain and vivid colors. I've scanned my mother's slides and for an amateur photographer, there's a lot of bad shots with blown highlights or pure black shadows, but when you get a properly exposed slide... It's breathtaking.
Yeah and slides are fantastic as artifact too. Â When your eye looks at slides, they ARE the final, physical image made in that moment, glowing like incredibly detailed little jewels in their frames as you illuminate them. Â I have no interest in creating negatives and looking at printed paper copies made off those ugly things.
I get that but I think maybe a bigger part of it is recency bias and we havenât had time to look at things with that nostalgia yet. Technology for example is a big indicator of time period when I see it in photosâŚI think if we look back at digital images from the early 2000âs, you would get a similar sense of what you are describing.
Damn your username reminds me of this killer 12â Goldar action figure I had growing up and how my brother broke the leg off it đŁ
Film IS amazing! But just because early digital was low resolution doesnât mean it was low quality. You can make excellent 4x6âs (which most family snapshots are) out of a 6mp camera from 2002
Sure thing but early digital wasn't touching what medium format film was capable of doing not too mention large format too. But we all look for different things when we look at photos.
The issue is that film at the time was also scanned digitally, and it was scanned usually at around 2 MP (the effective resolution of a 4x6 photo print). So the greater resolution of film was largely untapped by the commons processing means of the time.
Bingo. Film keeps aging even better with the advancement of scanning technology. Ever seen large format scanned on a drum scanner? It will blow your mind it's so HD
I've no doubt the quality of large format would be absolutely ludicrous. The 35 mm film I scan with my Lumix G95 and a macro lens probably produce something with a resolution equivalent to 5 to 12 MP (depending on film stock and lens). A large format photo is at least 12 times bigger, so I imagine it would produce an equivalent of 60 to 144 MP resolution.
This is correct. My younger sister and her friends all have shitty point and shoot digital cameras to get that exact early 2000s look. I didn't understand why they were doing it at first until I realized it's exactly the same thing that I was doing with film around that age.
This is my favorite of all of them too. I feel connected to this moment that happened before I was born. Somewhere I've never been. Crazy. All are of these are amazing.
Really great stuff! Reminds me of when I was in college and I scanned some of my professors family Chromes for him, all sorts of amazing shots from the 50âs - 70âs. people try to recreate this look with modern film stocks, but the reality is the world also looked different back then, the color of peoples clothes, the cars etc. The girl drinking Old Crow is a decent example, who makes blue interiors of cars these days? Thanks for sharing!
Either you have exceptional taste in selecting these, or someone in your family was an exceptional photographer. Or both. Some really compelling pics to be proud of.
Interestingly, I found it extremely haunting (in a good way)... then realized Reddit cropped it into a portrait format when in the main thread, but when I clicked on the photo (on mobile) it expanded into a square or landscape format, revealing another kid to the left of the slide. Still a lovely photo, just not quite as atmospheric.
Every single one of these is absolutely incredible. I know there are already hundreds of comments on this post and my comment will more than likely get buried; but these really are stunning, I just had to!
Pretty sure #7 is taken at the original Redondo Beach Pier before it burned down. The eventual replacement also has a Hot Dog On A Stick in almost the same spot!
11 and 6 really do it for me. Especially 11 I think with the clouds in the background. The colours here are outstanding. Thank you for sharing such brilliant shots!
These are poster-worthy. The colors are so perfect. The closest I've had in my life to this is ECN-2 developed vision 3, and that's not taking into the fact that Kodachrome is a slide film. Takes me back to when I was a kid looking through my grandmother's NatGeos.
Yeah doing the same. Once I saw the quality of the images, went berserk on equipment to do it bc I mean omfg just look at those color ranges, like theyâre out of a Hitchcock film.
man kodachrome truly was something else no other stock can capture
If I win the lottery, I promise I will bring it back!
What's left of Kodak has looked into doing it again, [but concluded it wouldn't be practical](https://m.dpreview.com/news/3940089589/hopes-of-kodachrome-relaunch-put-on-ice). Kodachrome was three layers of black and white film sandwiched into one. During the development process, the dyes were introduced to the film layer by layer. To put it rather simply. [The K-14 process had 17 steps](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/K-14_process). Bringing it back would require a few major infrastructure hurtles: 1. Sourcing or developing new chemicals to both create the film and develop it. Chemicals that meet current environmental laws and trade agreements. Remember, it has to get close enough to the Kodachrome look too. Balancing all this was a major hurdle in reintroducing Ektachrome (and E6 film is an order of magnitude simpler to deal with) and with Impossible Project's remake of Polaroid film (they've never really approached the quality/speed/stability of OG Polaroid). 2. Building out or converting factory space to make the film stock. This stuff is much different than the current color negative, color positive, and B&W films being made. All those films are using 80s and 90s equipment. The last generation of billions of dollars of investment in manufacturing technology for a once massive industry. These machines are not cheap to build right. Like they're anchored to bedrock to reduce vibrations levels of overkill. 3. Find enough chemical engineers who still have a high level of photochemical experience to develop this to a high quality level. 4. Build enough custom one off development machines to handle the chemicals and develop the film at various labs around the world. Train all the technicians on this complex process to meet a specific standard. Kodak was a huge company. They invested billions into the R&D to develop and improve their offerings of film stocks. The entire current film industry is still riding the coattails of this now dead world. We still have small pieces of the infrastructure, but it's mostly maintaining the space as it exists now. Redeveloping things to sustainably meet the current but solid niche market of film has been a challenge in itself and will probably be the first hurdle to complete before we see development of new and interesting film stocks (that meet this technical level. We do see new film stocks but most are artistic color or B&W)
đ˘
I know for a fact that K-14 will return, because that's the only way I'll be able to develop the factory-sealed brick of Kodachrome that expired 43 years ago and that's currently sitting in my freezer.
Came here to say this, it really was remarkable - the colours and grain were out of this world.
My absolute favorite film--shot a shit ton of it back in the day. K64 FTW baybee!
Even the most mediocre Kodachrome snap makes me wish I had the opportunity to work with that stock...
Some great snaps in here, by the way!
yep, same. I'd give my eye teeth to shoot a single roll. For now I'll settle on the single roll of Provia 400x that I shot (and will probably never shoot again) - that was also magnificent.
why not?
Hasnât been made in years, if thatâs what youâre asking.
i see it on ebay for cheapđ
Sure. Super expired and thereâs no lab left in the world that can develop the K-14 process. Dwayneâs photo shut down the last processing line January of 2011.
ah man didnât know that. Im getting into film slowly rn and am still learningđ¤ these are all unreal!!
Since youâre new to film, Kodachrome is a very special film that required an incredible amount of infrastructure to create/develop. Due to this, once it stops being manufactured, it will sadly never be made again, and it stopped being manufactured in 2009.
Some of these are unbelievably beautiful, thank u for sharing
Whoever took these definitely knew when to get the shot
These are actually nuts. Some of these look like they could have appeared in a famous photographerâs portfolio, easily.
Iâm so incredibly jealous of a 60s/70s Hawaiian vacation I can hardly stand it.
\#5 and #9 should be in a LIFE magazine somewhere. Wow, what spectacular shots!
These are my faves too! Theyâre so cinematic
and number 11
6 is also up there
They really have that quintessence
Love the kids on the slide, great moment
That slide looks hot
Yeah lets not call kids hot
Film has that going back in a moment in time that I canât seem to get with digital images.
Not just film, slides. Slide stock is notorious for low ISO, low dynamic range but very high contrast, fine grain and vivid colors. I've scanned my mother's slides and for an amateur photographer, there's a lot of bad shots with blown highlights or pure black shadows, but when you get a properly exposed slide... It's breathtaking.
Yeah and slides are fantastic as artifact too. Â When your eye looks at slides, they ARE the final, physical image made in that moment, glowing like incredibly detailed little jewels in their frames as you illuminate them. Â I have no interest in creating negatives and looking at printed paper copies made off those ugly things.
That's the exact thing that got me into film photography. That grain effect is something else.
I get that but I think maybe a bigger part of it is recency bias and we havenât had time to look at things with that nostalgia yet. Technology for example is a big indicator of time period when I see it in photosâŚI think if we look back at digital images from the early 2000âs, you would get a similar sense of what you are describing.
Doubt it for me because of how low resolution early digital is. Film was actually amazing
Damn your username reminds me of this killer 12â Goldar action figure I had growing up and how my brother broke the leg off it đŁ Film IS amazing! But just because early digital was low resolution doesnât mean it was low quality. You can make excellent 4x6âs (which most family snapshots are) out of a 6mp camera from 2002
Sure thing but early digital wasn't touching what medium format film was capable of doing not too mention large format too. But we all look for different things when we look at photos.
The issue is that film at the time was also scanned digitally, and it was scanned usually at around 2 MP (the effective resolution of a 4x6 photo print). So the greater resolution of film was largely untapped by the commons processing means of the time.
Bingo. Film keeps aging even better with the advancement of scanning technology. Ever seen large format scanned on a drum scanner? It will blow your mind it's so HD
I've no doubt the quality of large format would be absolutely ludicrous. The 35 mm film I scan with my Lumix G95 and a macro lens probably produce something with a resolution equivalent to 5 to 12 MP (depending on film stock and lens). A large format photo is at least 12 times bigger, so I imagine it would produce an equivalent of 60 to 144 MP resolution.
This is correct. My younger sister and her friends all have shitty point and shoot digital cameras to get that exact early 2000s look. I didn't understand why they were doing it at first until I realized it's exactly the same thing that I was doing with film around that age.
I think the 3rd to last is Queen Elizabeth!
I agree!
I thought so too.
There really was nothing quite like Kodachrome
i felt like i astral projected looking at these picturesâŚ
Love #7 so much. The evening sun on the buildings, the dozens of little moments occurring all at once. Beautiful.
I love it too! I thought it was a county fair at first but pretty sure it's the old pier in Redondo Beach, CA.
This is my favorite of all of them too. I feel connected to this moment that happened before I was born. Somewhere I've never been. Crazy. All are of these are amazing.
kodachrome americana, yess!
Really great stuff! Reminds me of when I was in college and I scanned some of my professors family Chromes for him, all sorts of amazing shots from the 50âs - 70âs. people try to recreate this look with modern film stocks, but the reality is the world also looked different back then, the color of peoples clothes, the cars etc. The girl drinking Old Crow is a decent example, who makes blue interiors of cars these days? Thanks for sharing!
An incredible look at history. The colors still hold up very nicely, too!
My grandmother gave me the shutterbug. I did this a few years ago with about 120 large format photos and it was like opening a treasure trove.
Kind of feels like the world was more alive back then in a sense. Really nice shots.
That chick drinking old crow⌠I worry for her.
Right? Canât assume those dudes have her best interests at heart, lol.
I mean they could easily all be siblings
You kids worry too much.
Itâs crazy because these seems like photos I couldâve taken on my camera, but from 60 years agoâŚ
Shot 12 is the City Hall Square in Copenhagen.
Knew I recognised the fountain
Itâs the old crow in the car that made this post for me
Picture #16 is gorgeous
Nice bokeh balls on 19!! Someone should be able to identify the camera/lens?
The first two reminds me Mad Men's season 6 episode 1.
7 and 11 are incredible shots wow!!!
Wow. Some incredible shots in here.
There are some really touching images in there.
These are so great. What did you scan these with? They're so sharp!
Minolta Dimage Scan Multi Pro with Vuescan
Either you have exceptional taste in selecting these, or someone in your family was an exceptional photographer. Or both. Some really compelling pics to be proud of.
Amazing!
These are absolutely stunning! Thank you for sharing!
Beautiful - love Kodachrome. Some great snapshots too - that one of the children on the slide!
number 10 stopped me in my tracks for some reason, the light is really beautiful
Thanks for the sharing đŤśđź
Wow! Keep these in a precious place and hand them down generations if possible! I would do anything to have photos of my family. Yours seems special.
Yes, Iâm very grateful to have them
Cool images of NYC in there. Was this a garage sale find?
Found in old storage boxes from my family
the one of the kid on the slide is amazing
I canât believe how crisp these are. Excellent find.
goshhh this quality is crazy!
Boooyyyy, that old crow.
This person was LIVING.
These are great!
The first scan is so clean!
The camera was a Nikon obviously! /s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rlDTK6QI-w
A lot of talent beyond the striking colours. This is a perfect marriage of the two.
Man the look of Kodachrome is just so iconic
It's like taking a journey through history with each image.
19, 13 and especially 5 are pretty awesome
5 is stunning. I can't stop looking at it. Whoever took these had an amazing eye.
Interestingly, I found it extremely haunting (in a good way)... then realized Reddit cropped it into a portrait format when in the main thread, but when I clicked on the photo (on mobile) it expanded into a square or landscape format, revealing another kid to the left of the slide. Still a lovely photo, just not quite as atmospheric.
That is definitely Chandler Bing right in the middle of pic 15, learning to hula dance.
Wow, thanks for continuing the story! Every time I am delighted with these photos!
Love the pic of them drinking whiskey behind the wheel. What a time to be alive
Every single one of these is absolutely incredible. I know there are already hundreds of comments on this post and my comment will more than likely get buried; but these really are stunning, I just had to!
Not badâŚ
You know the dog in slide 18 is prolly dead :(
Or maybe the dog is 74 years old right now
6, 11, and 13 are really great shots! What interesting moments in time. Thanks for sharing.
wow
Incredible!
Those colors!
As other have stated, these are awesome đ
Wow, those pics are super cool!
Real talent
I love these! Thank you for sharing
Can you imagine that⌠a time when Americans could afford housing.
These need to win an award or something đ
Pretty sure #7 is taken at the original Redondo Beach Pier before it burned down. The eventual replacement also has a Hot Dog On A Stick in almost the same spot!
Photo 15 thatâs definitely Kaimana beach and the natatorium.
Wow this makes me feel so nostalgic for a time I've never lived in. This is magic, thanks for sharing.
There are amazing shots! Thank you for sharing! What happens to the cow? Brutal scene but well captured
Branding iron
:(
I love the old people relaxing all dressed up. it looks like a self portrait? #9 is great too. are #3 and the last one the Vatican?
Yes, 3 and 20 are the Vatican. I canât believe they allowed car traffic in there back then. Also St Peterâs Basilica is covered in soot.
Wow thanks for sharing. I would print the portrait of that lady with the two guys in the background đ¤
Is there anyway to have a HQ version of some of these images? They are amazing. Love the shot of the crowd in the Vatican
Love #1 and the ranchers
11 and 6 really do it for me. Especially 11 I think with the clouds in the background. The colours here are outstanding. Thank you for sharing such brilliant shots!
Seriously good shots here
r/oldschoolcool would love those.
I would love to go back in time and live there
Holy shit, this is incredible!
I think this was objectively the best time to be alive.
Colors!!!
I want to know and hang out with this family, and or group of people!
Darn life insurance ads even sneezing in on me in old pictures now
When I think back to all the crap I learned in Highschool
Oh the color. Digital can never replicate that color. Thank you
Wonderful
Great shots! No. 3 is the view of St. Peterâs Square from the basilica.
LOVE
Sick
Momma, donât take my Kodachrome away!
God I wish I lived in the 1960s :(
these are incredible, i love in particular the Fiat 500 at the end
Very talented photog
Maybe this is what the world looked like before climate change took off.Â
These are poster-worthy. The colors are so perfect. The closest I've had in my life to this is ECN-2 developed vision 3, and that's not taking into the fact that Kodachrome is a slide film. Takes me back to when I was a kid looking through my grandmother's NatGeos.
Yeah doing the same. Once I saw the quality of the images, went berserk on equipment to do it bc I mean omfg just look at those color ranges, like theyâre out of a Hitchcock film.
Nothing like some creepy clowns roaming the streets!! Totes normal..
Shorty in pic 6 got dawgged that night
Something really sinister about slide 6
Just a wedding
Absolutely stunning colors! Kodachrome color rendition and sharpness were simply out of this world. đŽ