"You either love Kodachrome or you don't. If you want "nice" colors,
stay away from it. But it comes closest to what my eye/brain
sees. I guess I "see" in Kodachrome. "
So true! Aside from its sharpness, to me its greatest benefit, in some
situations it is the best film. But remember, a film's "pallette" is a tool.
You wouldn't use it for portraits, Astia would be better. Certain landscapes
need a higher saturation. Commercial shooters match film's color
reproduction to a product's color.
"I read that one reason Kodak consolidated it's K-14 labs was that
Kodachrome use was concentrated in the northeast and north-central U.S.,
which I find interesting. It's the only color film that comes to mind
when I think of "moody" color. (Lots of moody color up here this time
of year...)"
A really interesting comment! This could use further examination.
"Last week when I submitted a couple of E6 rolls for processing to Kodak I
was
asked if I wanted cardboard or plastic slide mounts, so it looks like you
can
now get plastic mounts if you don't care for the cardboard."
Finally! A good plastic mount will allow the film to float as it heats, so
"popping" will be less of a problem. The first plastic mounts were quite
thick, and worked well, except when used in the 140 carousel trays, when
they huing up a lot. The various manufacturers used different means to get
the mounts thinner, some more successful than others. Whatever plastic
mount, though, none shed cellulose fibers!
"Agreed! to me Kodachrome is worth the wait. It only takes 3 or 4 days for
the
lab to turn my slides around. I do use E6 films, but fast processing isnot
the
issue."
Perhaps the most important comment of all! For commercial shooters, who use
more film in one shoot that most advanced amatuers use in a year, even 3 or
4 days is too much. Although most of us will agree instant return is not
that important, try to tell that to an account executive. And, in all
fairness, there are situations where confirmation is needed in case a reshoo
t is necessary.
For someone who is shooting for a living, though, look at it this way: I
live in an area that has a population at best of about a half million. I
have available within a drive of from five to fifteen minutes, two or three
labs with well regulated E lines. I can count on getting repeatable results,
with turnaround times less than a half day M-F. I know I will get constant
color, clean film free of spots and scratches, at less than $7 per roll.
This holds true for much of the US.
If I send Kodachrome to Kodak/Qualex, it will go to one of about three labs,
that have been keeping the plastic mount thing secret. I know I will
sometimes get exquisite chromes, sharp, clear, and accurate in their color.
I also know that sometimes I will get ugly water spots, scratches, and an
overall magenta shift (remember, K14 is far harder to keep in control). If
lucky, I will only have to stew about this for a week or two.
As a result of all this, though, I do think I will try some Kodachrome at
the next appropriate time, and send it to A&I. It is something that I would
like to have available when I want that distinctive look.
It also seems to me that people who live in Europe and Austrailia have
either a higher tolerance to slightly damaged or out of tolerance film, or
are blessed with better labs. I suspect it is the latter.
OM content: "Why the blazes these evil doers don't just stick a cheap OM
body on the end of these lenses beats me. It would surely cost far less
than the original modification, not to mention preserve the re-sale value."
A Nikon shooting photojournalist friend needed the 24 shift lens. He could
have sent it to Professional Camera Repair and have an F mount installed,
but he saw the price, and did just that, he got a brand new OM1. Still uses
it today. Don't think the lens has ever been off the body. As I've said
before, I wonder what percentage of 24 shifts have retained their original
mount?
Bill Pearce
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