Hello EKTACHROME 64T, goodbye Kodachrome in Super8

Post by **Stevie** » Mon May 09, 2005 11:12 pm

Just spotted on the Kodak website......

Eastman Kodak Company remains committed to providing Super 8 camera users a range of products and creative choices. As such, Kodak has added a new color reversal film to its Super 8 portfolio -- the super-saturated, fine grain EKTACHROME 64T motion picture film, available in August of this year

and....

As part of the portfolio revamp, Kodak will discontinue sales of its Super 8 Kodachrome film. Final sales of Kodachrome Super 8 will be based on product availability over the coming months. Sales of Kodachrome 16mm film will continue, unaffected by this announcement.

Full text at:
http://wwwuk.kodak.com/US/en/motion/abo ... per8.jhtml

Stevie

Post by **super8man** » Mon May 09, 2005 11:19 pm

Sorry Stevie...I took too long and you beat me to it...

Post by **Uppsala BildTeknik** » Mon May 09, 2005 11:36 pm

Ah, crap. Now i "must" shoot test stuff with this stock too......

Post by **teadub** » Mon May 09, 2005 11:36 pm

Kodak.com wrote:The decision to discontinue Kodachrome in Super 8 was driven entirely by marketplace dynamics.

That is incredible. I would have thought it was k40 sales keeping the super 8 market afloat. I've always liked the Ektachrome color pallet. But VNF was significantly more expensive than Kodachrome. Nonetheless, I am glad they they continue to support super 8. It seems the market is shifting to (or is going to shift to) the higher end.

Post by **Stevie** » Mon May 09, 2005 11:51 pm

super8man wrote:Sorry Stevie...I took too long and you beat me to it...

I think tejas beat me to it on a previous post, everyone is clammering to 'break the news'......

Post by **tlatosmd** » Tue May 10, 2005 2:17 am

Kodak wrote:"Because the 'home movie' market has shifted to digital, sales of Kodachrome Super 8 film have declined significantly. In tandem with that decline, the availability of processing for Kodachrome Super 8 cartridges has diminished. In other words, fewer and fewer labs worldwide have the machines and the chemistry necessary to process this film emulsion in the Super 8 format," according to Mayson.

Weird. It sounds like an excuse they could've put forward when video came along in the early 80s, just replace the word 'digital' by 'video' there. Heck, S8 hasn't been part of 'home movie market' anymore since about a quarter of a century. I echo teadub's sentiment that it's most likely K40 keeping S8 alive. Kodak themselves said that ever since 1998, their S8 sales were continously increasing. 1998, when 'home movie market' was Hi8, Video8, and DV already! Their only reason to justify less processing capabilities were decreasing sales, which simply...is...not...true for the last seven years! Thus, they can't justify closing Kodak Lab, Switzerland by that, or they are 20-25 years late to realize 'decreasing sales', which can't be another justification, as sales are increasing.

*desperately, emphatically points to his sig line*

Post by **T-Scan** » Tue May 10, 2005 2:19 am

http://www.kodak.com/global/en/professi ... jhtml#proc

Looks like it will require an 85B filter just like 7240.

http://members.cox.net/home-theater/ · Post by **JCook** » Tue May 10, 2005 2:28 am

As much as I hate to say it my days in Super 8 now look numbered. I've shot several rolls of Ektachrome 160 and VNF in the past and have allways grimaced when it came time to pay processing fees.

John

Post by **Lunar07** » Tue May 10, 2005 2:28 am

T-Scan wrote:http://www.kodak.com/global/en/professi ... jhtml#proc

Looks like it will require an 85B filter just like 7240.

If 64T is balanced for 3200K Tungsten then the builtin Super8 cam 85 filters are out and obsolete. One needs the 85B filter.
Where does this leave us with R8. Will there be 64T in R8? Kind of hard to find Series 4, Series 4.5 and Series C 85B filters - one has to worry about the infrastructure :-D

Post by **Paul L.** » Tue May 10, 2005 2:30 am

If this film requires an 85B filter, I'm probably gone from super8. I've been looking for a particular 16mm camera and will probably buy the first quality package that I see.

It's impossible to fight Kodak... I'm just tired of worrying about their decisions, none of which have ever helped the super8 community grow.

Post by **jhoneycutt** » Tue May 10, 2005 2:33 am

Stevie wrote:Just spotted on the Kodak website......
As part of the portfolio revamp, Kodak will discontinue sales of its Super 8 Kodachrome film.
Stevie

Sad day... K-40 is my favorite film.... sniff.
Good thing I am moving to 16mm.

jack

http://members.cox.net/home-theater/ · Post by **JCook** » Tue May 10, 2005 2:49 am

Jack,

How's this for reactionary decision making, I just removed all of my Super 8 related ebay bid snipes.

I've about 10 rolls of K40 laying around and spare funds allowing I'll continue purchasing 10 packs of K40 every two or three months until stock is depleted but after that, depending upon processing fees and the amount of grain inherit in 64T, I'll be gone.

Sad day indeed.

John

Post by **jhoneycutt** » Tue May 10, 2005 2:55 am

JCook wrote:Jack,

How's this for reactionary decision making, I just removed all of my Super 8 related ebay bid snipes.

I've about 10 rolls of K40 laying around and spare funds allowing I'll continue purchasing 10 packs of K40 every two or three months until stock is depleted but after that, depending upon processing fees and the amount of grain inherit in 64T, I'll be gone.

Sad day indeed.

John

Sounds about the same for me. I'll shoot it, then miss it...
So how was that trip to DC? Did you come home with some film?

jack

Post by **tlatosmd** » Tue May 10, 2005 2:57 am

So what now? K40 will be axed due to no lab but continued for 16mm even though there are no labs, or a secretary or html programmer confused Kodachrome with Ektachrome?

http://members.cox.net/home-theater/ · Post by **JCook** » Tue May 10, 2005 3:09 am

Jack,

Still here, fly home Thursday.

I shot three rolls of K40 in Annapolis a couple of weeks ago, last weekend I shot two rolls of K40 and a roll of VNF down at the Capitol Mall. I caught a lot of Uncle Sams military toys on film, there was a large exposition going on celebrating VE-Day. It was a good time, a lot of people at the new WWII memorial.

I spent five hours roaming the Holocaust museum but alas photography isn't allowed indoors. I'd have spent more time lining up shots rather than actually looking at the displays so maybe they did me a favor by keeping my focus on the subject material.

John