will this diminish Kodak's share of the market to the extent that they will pull the plug on super 8 citing insufficient demand?
As much as we're vocal about using these stocks, I would bet the majority of remaining Super 8 users stick with Kodak manufactured products. And with the exception of issues with 64T they make a decent product.
Brings up another issue though, strange they don't have any product specialists visiting these boards and offering insight as John Pytlak used to. They could do so much more to support and drive this market with very little effort or dedicated resources on their part.
I've actually learned to like 64T. Most of my shots are at close range and 64T is perfect for this. I also like the colors with this stock. I use a Minolta Autopak 8 D-6 and I set the camera to auto and it does a great job ! I also use a skylight filter that came with the camera and it seems to help with certain situations were the sky may be a bit overcast. 64T handles these light changes well overall. The price per cart can't be beat. I also use Walmart (Oh no I may have opened a can of worms) for my processing $4.88, along with being able to track my orders using Fuji's phone service. Funny thing just happen to me yesterday, I called the phone service to track a recent order and the automated system told me that the order was picked up and was classified under video transfer. I talked with a Rep and they told me over the phone that the oder was correct and being sent to Dwayne's for processing. The Rep also said the wrong code had been used. I explained how Walmart Employee's get confused when I pick up my Super 8mm film and the Rep laughed and said she has heard this before.
I told her what I write on the envelope when sending my film out for processing and she told me it was correct.
Can someone who reads German please verify (from the German Text below) that this is indeed "Kodak K40" Film Stock. It would have to be because there is no way that anyone outside of Kodak would know how to make Kodachrome -- which is not a regular Film. Is there any explanation in Wittner's Message for this delay in releasing this remaining K40?
Does anyone know what Executive at Wittner I can contact who understands the English language? Once this K40 Stock runs out, what we really need as Super8 users, for an alternative to E64T, is Kodachrome 64. Kodak is definitely not interested in providing it to Super8mm or 16mm users, but that doesn't stop Wittner or Spectra from doing so. K64 is a beautiful Film -- a lot better than E64!
N. B. regarding K40T: Make certain to put the Camera's Filter OUT when filming INDOORS! I would also suggest testing it outdoors WITHOUT the Filter. I have never used my Filter outdoors because it had some mold smudges. A Filter also degrades colour quality! I don't have time right now, but I will post scans of some of my outdoor scenes for you to observe the higher quality of K40 without a Filter. I don't detect any blue tinge. I personally think that blue tinge concerns are over-rated. Once I post them, you can judge for yourself.
------------------Wittner Message ------------------------ Bei 40T Super 8 handelt es sich um frisch geschnittenes DS8 Filmmaterial (Kodachrome 40 Emulsion 7270) aus den letzten Produktionschargen.
Das Material für die Super 8 Filmkassetten wird aus original Kodak Kodachrome 40 DS8 Rollen geschnitten. Dies bedeutet: original Kodak Perforation höchster Qualität!
Es bedeutet aber auch: das Material ist minimal dicker, als es bei den ursprünglichen K40 Super 8 Kassetten (gefüllt mit K40 Typ 7268) der Fall war. Der minimale Unterschied in der Filmdicke kann vereinzelt dazu führen, daß das Material in manchen Geräten abweichende Laufeigenschaften aufweist. Wir empfehlen daher, zuerst einen Film als Test zu belichten um Ihr Gerät zu überprüfen. Dadurch lernen Sie Ihre Kamera gut einzuschätzen und erhalten einen aussagekräftigen Eindruck von der Material/Kamera-Kombination. Es handelt sich bei der Emulsion 7270 um das gleiche Material, das auch für 16mm K40 verwendet wurde. Einige Kameras können auch durch geringe Erhöhung des Aufwickeldrehmoments der Aufwickelfriktion (durch eine Servicewerkstatt) für diese Materialien optimiert werden.
Positiver Nebeneffekt: Die Entwicklung bei Dwaynes ist seit jeher auf die 7270 Emulsion optimal abgestimmt.
Zusätzlicher Hinweis für technisch interessierte Filmer: Das 7270 Material ist zwar im Träger minimal dicker, als das frühere K40 / Super 8 Material. Es ist aber in seiner Gesamtstärke wiederum noch immer etwas dünner als z.B. Ektachrome 64T oder Ektachrome 100D, da es sich bei Kodachrome Aufnahmefilm im Grunde genommen nicht um ein Farbfilmmaterial, sondern um einen mehrschichtigen SW Film handelt, bei dem sich die Farbstoffe erst in der Entwicklung einlagern.
A Mr. Alexander Lechner was gracious enough to provide an English Translation to Wittner's message. Here it is:
(Kodachrome 40 Emulsion 7270) 40T Super 8 is freshly cut DS8 film material (Kodachrome 40 emulsion 7270) from the last batches of production. The material for the Super 8 film cassettes is cut from original Kodak Kodachrome 40 DS8 rolls. This means: original Kodak perforation in highest quality. Nevertheless this also means: the material is a bit thicker than the one in the
original K40 Super 8 cassettes (filled with K40 type 7268). The slight difference in the thickness of the film can in a few cases lead to altered transport characteristics is some cameras. We advise you to expose a test film for checking your camera first. By that you will learn to judge your camera and you get a good picture of your material / camera combination. Emulsion 7270 is the same material that was also used for 16mm K40. Some cameras can be optimised for those materials by setting the torque of the camera's film transport mechanism higher (done by a technical service). Positive side effect: the processing at Dwaynes has always been set perfectly for the 7270 emulsion. Additional information for technically interested film makers: 7270 is in the supporting material minimally thicker than the old K40 / Super 8 material. jern.
But the overall thickness is still a bit thinner than for example Ektachrome
64T or Ektachrome 100D; that's because Kodachrome film is basically not a
colour film but a multilayered B/W film - the colours have to be introduced
into the film during processing.
