Hello EKTACHROME 64T, goodbye Kodachrome in Super8

[timdrage]

Apparently this came as a surprise for Kodak Sweden, they heard about it this morning and had no idea it was coming.....

This is starting to look more + more like a highly unfortunate typing error! (Wishful thinking.... )

Anyway, we've got at least a couple of years of processing still avaliable, so time to become Super-8 Survivalists! Fill up the refrigerated bunker with K40 to film the apocalypse!! :twisted:

[Stevie]

Well I'm disappointed, not just that Kodachrome is going but with the way the 'replacement' has been announced. I would have liked to see the new stock introduced in tandem with announcements about processing facilities and/or pre paid mailers ( ). A statement that answers more questions than it raises would have been nice.
A quick check on the Motion Picture Laboratories Directory for the UK shows no labs currently processing colour reversal. I'm going from the comfort of a product that I can buy, shoot and get processed in an easy and effective manner to uncertainty. Will Kodachrome stocks run out before the new stock is here? quote 'Final sales of Kodachrome Super 8 will be based on product availability over the coming months.'
I am however looking forward to the new faster stock but for a humble 'home movie' person it's got to be as easy a product to use.
If not I'll have to have a 'portfolio revamp'.
Kodak celebrates 40th anniversary of super 8 film - seems like a good day to bury bad news.... :roll:
Stevie

[T-Scan]

It's early, there has been a suggestion that mailers may be announced closer to the release.

[Stevie]

Hey, are Kodak listening in?!!!
Check out the same link at the beginning of this topic (http://wwwuk.kodak.com/US/en/motion/abo ... per8.jhtml) and it now has a couple of FAQ's attached at the bottom. :biggrin:
Just keeping my eyes peeled for news of process paid mailers [-o<
Stevie

[JCook]

Well I just voted with my wallet, ordered 10 rolls of K40 from Kodak.

What I don't understand is how any film with more grain can be considered superior. Won't 64T exhibit larger grain dots when projected?

John

[Evan Kubota]

I ordered 12 carts of K40 today...

[tlatosmd]

As Patrick noted quite correctly, to say any dwindling sales of K40 within the S8 market would be an outright, shameless lie, the opposite is true. Thus, less labs can't be an excuse as less labs would only be excusable by less sales. You might say it costs money to process film but if it wouldn't be a bussiness Kodak wouldn't have started it, and even sticked to it for four decades. Nor have they ever referred to expensiveness of processing, only to the fact there aren't that much labs anymore (let's not forget about Dwayne's and Wal-Mart mailing in the US though that, as I think I've heard mentioned several times, started after S8 lost the 'home movie market').

S8 hasn't lost 'Home movie market' to DV, it's lost that to video a quarter of a century ago. It's an even worse lie to refer to 'home movie market' as an excuse to discontinue K40.

Thus, the only somewhat reliable reason for discontinuing K40 would be environmentalist protests. As I've noted in another post, all named chemicals we know for now is that it's dioxin and methylene chloride, or rather, improper handling of these within production of Kodak products that is protested on.

So, what does improper handling of these two chemicals have to do with production of K40? Is it necessary to handle them improperly? I doubt it, just as I doubt that investments in proper handling wouldn't pay, after all environmentalist protests make courts demand Kodak to pay millions and millions in fines.

I have a feeling here Kodak might be trying to dry out S8 by killing K40 to show environmentalists they've done 'something'. They did 'something' about which gave them their least profits of all their formats, S8...

[tlatosmd]

The end of pre-paid K40 signals the same as the introduction of Polavision did - utter ignorance of market demands.

[badtiming]

SO this really sucks. I was so excited to win a Canon auto-zoom 518SV on ebay only to find out this travesty a week later. Can anyone tell me if it is even worth getting into the hobby now???? The manual says it can be used with ASA 25-400, including 64/40, but Im a poor college student. WHAT SHOULD I DO???????

[monobath]

Look, badtiming. It is not the end of the world. Not yet, anyway. I admit that the sky is on the brink of falling, but it really ain't nothing to worry about yet.

1) Buy and shoot Kodachome while you can. It'll be available for a while longer, and processing will be available even longer.

2) Buy and shoot Plus-X and Tri-X. It's a little more expensive when you factor in processing than K40 is, but if you are determined, you can process it yourself. I do and many others do. Black and white is under utilized, in my opinion.

3) Buy and shoot the 64T stock when it becomes available. OK, so it'll end up costing you more than K40. Guess what? You can process it yourself too. Although to be perfectly clear, E6 processing needs to be done in sufficient volume to use up your chemicals in the very short (4 to 6 week) lifetime they have once mixed.

If it's a hobby you're looking for, don't worry too much about the cost to you right now. Just make the footage you can afford to shoot really count by learning about your hobby and shooting carefully. You won't be a poor college student forever, I'm sure.

[reflex]

SO this really sucks. I was so excited to win a Canon auto-zoom 518SV on ebay only to find out this travesty a week later. Can anyone tell me if it is even worth getting into the hobby now???? The manual says it can be used with ASA 25-400, including 64/40, but Im a poor college student. WHAT SHOULD I DO???????

Be excited! This new film should support more local film labs, and should look great. It won't cost much more than Kodachrome to buy and process.

You still have plenty of film stocks to choose from (and hopefully more to come soon), and there are some fantastic telecine options like the Workprinter and higher-end digital transfer houses that do amazing jobs.

Learn to shoot film well, and the world is your oyster. Not to mention that while your friends are making videos, you'll be making movies.

PS - And take the opportunity to buy any fantastic bargains that appear on eBay in the next little while because people panic at the discontinuation of Kodachrome.

[Alex]

When Kodak axed Ektachrome VNF, they should have quickly replaced it with 64T. At that same time, they should have made a pre-announcement as to why Kodachrome was in trouble.

Nobody really knows, some say it's environmental, others say it's lower sales. I say the processing lab was killing them. Face with the idea of no kodachrome or higher priced kodachrome and paid processing, Kodak could have then done a study to see if it was still profitable after a price increase.

Yes I know there were two small price increases, but Kodachrome film and processing is still 60% cheaper than Pro-8mm negative stock, there was wiggle room to raise the prices and be still be a fantastic deal for film enthusiasts.

Kodak could also consider leasing or simply giving their machinery to others who may want to take over the processing and just concentrate on making the Kodachrome film.

[LastQuark]

Yes I know there were two small price increases, but Kodachrome film and processing is still 60% cheaper than Pro-8mm negative stock, there was wiggle room to raise the prices and be still be a fantastic deal for film enthusiasts.

I am not going to use this argument. Pro8mm caters to a small market at outrageous prices.

Kodak could also consider leasing or simply giving their machinery to others who may want to take over the processing and just concentrate on making the Kodachrome film.

This, I agree assuming their real issue is processing. But do they even want to continue making the film? Dwaynes said they will continue K40 processing beyond 2006 and it is the main type they have processed. I don't believe Kodak didn't know this. They are partners and Dwaynes handles all their pre-paid processed films in the US.

This begs the question why Kodak only gave 1 year to process process paid films when they knew Dwaynes will be around much longer than that to process K40???
 

[agingeri]

Any word as to what this new stock will end up costing (in terms of stock and processing)?

I'm in preproduction on a film now and I wanted to use some S8 in it. I was hoping to wait until the market stabilized, but is that ever going to happen?

[tlatosmd]

They said E64T will be out in August, hopefully we'll get its price before that. Anyway, up to the end of this year you'll be able to buy K40 which you'll be able to get processed at least up to the end of last year.