Jump to content

Kodak to bring back EKTACHROME film


dahlfors
 Share

Recommended Posts

Quite a surprising move. I didn't expect this!

---

Kodak Brings Back a Classic with EKTACHROME Film

Las Vegas, NV, Thursday, January 05, 2017

To the delight of film enthusiasts across the globe, Eastman Kodak Company today announced plans to bring back one of its most iconic film stocks.  Over the next 12 months, Kodak will be working to reformulate and manufacture KODAK EKTACHROME Film for both motion picture and still photography applications.  Initial availability is expected in the fourth quarter of 2017.

Full press release at: http://photorumors.com/2017/01/05/kodak-to-brings-back-ektachrome-film/
 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

EOSHD Pro Color 5 for Sony cameras EOSHD Z LOG for Nikon CamerasEOSHD C-LOG and Film Profiles for All Canon DSLRs

Are some of you guys still shooting film? I have recently started to shoot analog stills again after a 10 years abstinence or so and I have to say I am blown away how awesome the stuff is looking adding to this the  darkroom experience. Makes me want to get a 16mm camera or something altough I would feel slightly cuckoo....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, hansel said:

Are some of you guys still shooting film? I have recently started to shoot analog stills again after a 10 years abstinence or so and I have to say I am blown away how awesome the stuff is looking adding to this the  darkroom experience. Makes me want to get a 16mm camera or something altough I would feel slightly cuckoo....

You shouldn't feel at all crazy! There's so much to be desired in film that digital has yet to nail down. The dynamic range, color and shutter/motion that film has to offer combined with vastly improving film scan technology is a worthy enough pursuit. I've posted this before I think, but check out this gorgeous 2K scan from super 8 film:

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Could they ever bring back Kodachrome? 

It's so good that film is finding it's groove again. It will never be as popular as it once was, but it's nice that it's still being used. There's no technical advantages anymore, but the act of shooting, developing and the whole look of film is a lot of fun. I was very lazy in 2016, but in 2015 I shot around 150 rolls and developed around 100 rolls of TRI-X 400. 

Hipsters probably have a lot to do with film's revival :)

Good to see these guys nearly back in action and resurrecting the old factory ...

http://www.filmferrania.it

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Super Members

Maybe Kodakchrome could come back but it wont. What was it, 7 baths or something to process and an archival lifespan of just 20 years?

I dont know many Hipsters that shoot film. Frankly I dont know any, they are a lazy bunch. It smore for people who really enjoy photography and film making as an art imo.

I believe the reason its coming back is because after all these years digital still can't beat it. Digital is nice but film is nicer. Every time I watch a Blueray of any old movie I blown away of how much digital suck in comparison :)

Also digital large format doesnt exist and medium format is still out of reach for most. A film MF is $7.

(This of course depended on your definition of "better" and what aspect of image quality you rank highest.)

Ps. Fun fact I heard but dont know if true, Fujifilms Instax division is currently their most profitable business...

I know Im throwing money at them for my Instax printer :)

2017-01-07_09-32-08.md.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am so desperate of fresh color reversal s-8 stock. I have only a dozen left in the fridge... so this is really, really great news. Lets hope Ferrania will pull out a cheaper option (they will for sure not be on the same level quality wise) like it was in the past with Agfa. Matters: I absolutely agree: I have 4 blurays but 100 S-8 feature films. Projecting a movie is so different and has some magic I can't explain. 

12 hours ago, Bioskop.Inc said:

I'm really looking forward to seeing what they do with their new S8 camera - just hope it isn't a fixed lens.

It has c-mount (comes with cheap Ricoh...) but many downsides. I would not buy it. There are enough better and cheaper alternatives. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@dahlfors @Kurtisso @Mathias Burling.... Sorry guys but you got me a bit excited. Is it as easy as 40 bucks for 100ft b&w 16mm reversal film, home develop and then project or scan it? Can I pop a Speedbooster on C-Mount......AAAhhh, so many questions maybe you can point me towards a good forum?

Best

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's ca. $60-$70 for 100ft 16mm, and you can't pop a Speedbooster on a c-mount, at least not without major amounts of hacking/tinkering. Home scanning requires rather expensive hardware (such as this one: http://moviestuff.tv/moviestuff_home.html), but you'll get much better results from professional telecine services, roughly for the same amount of money you spent for the film stock.
Good forums:
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you are going to scan only, you should probably be shooting negative anyway. Ektar and Portra are excellent for stills, and you have the Vision 3 series for motion pictures. Ektar in particular delivers chrome-like saturation at very fine graininess. Scanning chromes is trickier in a sense, and requires more from the scanner. Still, pretty cool to have Ektachrome back so soon after its demise, it makes beautiful punchy pictures.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, Mattias Burling said:

Wittner Chrome?

That is old Agfa stock (I think for military use for planes?) I have never tried it: too grainy - especially because I prefer filming anamorphic. And sorry Mattias for misspelling your name above :)

 

IMG_3185.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've shot and developed B&W, color negative as well as Ektachrome; I've also done color separation gravure printing and several historical printing processes; and I'm afraid I can't share in the excitement. In my opinion, digital has already caught up with film and in some ways exceeded it. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

40 minutes ago, Mattias Burling said:

Not trying to argue or start a discussion or anything, but what was the purpose of telling us that in this thread?

Where did you hope the discussion would go besides the usual mind numbing "film vs digital" (even tough you know very well that one cant replace the other)?

I think it's great that enthusiasts will have access to Ektachrome, but I spent hours and hours developing transparencies and making prints from them. I also worked in commercial labs. If you messed up, there was no second chance. It is an arduous process, time-consuming and expensive. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • EOSHD Pro Color 5 for All Sony cameras
    EOSHD C-LOG and Film Profiles for All Canon DSLRs
    EOSHD Dynamic Range Enhancer for H.264/H.265
×
×
  • Create New...