Posted on 09/22/2008 2:58:14 AM PDT by decimon
It is an elaborately crafted photographic film, extolled for its sharpness, vivid colors and archival durability. Yet die-hard fan Alex Webb is convinced the digital age soon will take his Kodachrome away.
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Digital pictures can be stunning, to be sure......but I agree with the article’s point. There is a certain........sterility?.........to many digital images. I liken it to the difference between CD’s and vinyl records: same music, and yes it’s very clear......but there’s a ‘warmth’ missing with CD’s.
Make sense at all?
I still use it in my Nikon manual focus SLR’s. Its still the best slide film ever made and it will be a tragedy if it goes away.
Digital images, while certainly convenient, have no soul.
I just purchased 20 rolls of Kodachrome for my trip to the Philippines. I hope Kodak doesn’t discontinue this. It’s really the best transparency film out there. Thoughout my 20 years of photography, my favorite images are in Kodachrome. It captures the light of the late afternoon sun like no other.
I’m really not qualified to judge Kodachrome versus other captures but you two echo what is said by many, including the photographers quoted in the article.
I thought this interesting, “Steve McCurry’s portrait of an Afghan refugee girl with haunting gray-green eyes that landed on the cover of National Geographic in 1985 is considered one of the finest illustrations of the film’s subtle rendering of light, contrast and color harmony.”, as that pic got a lot of play here at FR.
I stopped using Kodachrome in the early 80s when the new generation of Fujichrome hit the market. Fujichrome 50 had the same grain and sharpness as Kodachrome 25, much better colour rendition (especially fleshtones), cost less and could be processed anywhere.
Turncoat! Quisling!
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 dont take my Kodachrome away
0101010101010101010101010101010
Has no soul.
Has no soul.
But it has rhythm.
It seems to be a common result of technology advancement. Think of the automobile whose 'soul' was lost with the now common computer components, the Golden Age of the airlines lost when passenger jets replaced the four-engine prop, or the death of the home-cooked meal after the introduction of TV dinners, fast food and the microwave.
There are good things and bad things about new technology, and we all have the right to stick with the old. If enough stuck with it, the new would never gain traction and the old would flourish. If enough don't, the manufacturers can't justify the expense involved in making it and it dies.
Sadly, much like the major award in A Christmas Story, maybe the old is best laid to rest beside the garage as we hum Taps.
I don't think so. I don't believe George Eastman would think so.
Are some lamenters here only sentimentally attached to film (and vinyl records)?
Yes. As with wine, a blind test would likely reveal that few can tell the difference between capture devices.
There’s a program, probably a Photoshop plug-in, that simulates all kinds of different film types and brands. I think Kodachrome and Fuji Velvia are included. I haven’t got it yet; I’m still working on figuring out how the damn digital camera works...
The "real" original Kodachrome 10 was replaced by Kodachrome 25 in the early 70s, and big-name Life Magazine aces did the same thing. I got about 25 rolls at a big discount and stored them in the freezer for a year or so until they were all used up. My earliest Kodachrome 10 slides from 1951, shot with an Argus C-3 (the GI's PX special at about $30) are still sharp after 57 years.
I Think what I will miss most is some of the great Black and White films which digital doesn't seem to be able to come close to. PanX developed using direct positive to produce Black and White transparencies is absolutely beautiful. If you have never tried it, you should before it's gone. Also, I forget the film name right now, but there is a scientific B/W film that you can use a special low contrast developer for that produces sharp 4’x6’ B/W prints with almost no grain at 12 ASA.
I will miss film so much. Kodachrome, Fujichome, PanX, CibaChrome, Tri-X, VPS, etc...
The only thing though is that the very best digital SLR’s from Canon and Nikon have just about reached the same sharpness level as slide film (though they won’t compare to larger frame medium-format film for a while). I’ve seen the image results from Canon’s new EOS 5D Mark II with its 21-megapixel full-frame sensor and the sharpness of detail leaves nothing to be desired.
My personal favourites in black and white are the Ilford products, especially Pan F and HP5. HP5 pushed to 1600 or 3200 can produce stunning results- very grainy but the grain pattern is such that it enhances the image. I also like shooting with IR film- HS infrared and Ektachrome Infrared will definitely be missed.
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