Hello fellow Zuiks,
This is a topic that has concerned me for some time - like 3 years or more.
Kodachrome IMHO is perhaps the best slide film around. It is the only one
left that uses the process it does. The material is of legendary long-life. I
have ASA 25 slides that are nearly 50 years old and have lost nothing of their
colour and sharpness. I like the very natural colour rendition.
Compare with transparencies of A*** CT 18 and Professional 50 or whatever
it was that had massive colour shift within 10 years and are now totally
useless. Never touch the stuff now.
Kodak, it seems to me, have not supported Kodachrome with advertising, for
decades.
In New Zealand, they have made it near impossible for retailers to get the
stuff in. They require orders of at least (last time I asked) 300 rolls, and
the
retail price is set at about ? let's say 6 times the USA price (don't quote me
here - I haven't done a recent check - but last time I enquired about retail
official imports it was about $US 12.5 to $US 16.67 a 36 roll.
So, it is probable now that NO New Zealand retailer stocks 35mm
Kodachrome. Bring your own if you plan to shoot Kodachrome 35mm in
New Zealand. You can send it off to be processed OK though. In Melbourne
Australia, via Kodak Auckland.. Any retail outlet should know the drill.
In some places in Australia the prices are also sky-high - though not all.
I raised this with the editor of Pop Photography, and found they had an
article planned - about 18 months ago - but it hasn't made it into print as far
as I know, so I assume they've dropped it. Wouldn't surprise me if Kodak
opposed the idea.
I've also had a letter from Kodak Auckland asking about the source of a
particular roll I had processed through them. I didn't like the tone of it at
all -
they got no change out of me after that. I wasn't about to tell them it came
from Germany, or how.
I guess, after New Zealand's political history over the last 20 years, I'm
sensitive to perceptions of conspiracy. BUT; be that as it may, recently,
several times after an OM group member sent us a post from the
Kodachrome group, I tried to join the Kodachrome group. Nix, Nudda. No
reply. Not after several requests to join. I wonder if Kodak have placed an
embargo on discussion about Kodachrome from within NZ?
I still want to join that group.
So I'm posting this to let you know that in my opinion, Kodachrome is under
a persistent, subtle pressure to die. If photographers value it, use it, and
tell
Kodak how good it is.
I'd like to see comment on this, if people have any thoughts. (I mean about
Kodachrome - I know you have thoughts ;-) )
Brian
...................................................
No trumpet, no clarinet, no oboe;
Just a plain old p - i - a - n - o .
---------------------------------------------------
OM1, 2, and 3, Brian Swale, 140 Panorama Road,
OM4 and Zuiko. Christchurch 8008, N.Z.
Make great day, Tel +64 3 326 7447
THE way to go. http://homepages.caverock.net.nz/~bj/photography/
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