Re: Silly little Kodak History question.

----- Original Message -----
From: <Argon3@aol.com>
To: <alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca>
Sent: Thursday, July 14, 2005 5:25 AM
Subject: Re: Silly little Kodak History question.

> Ah!....the 120 format Kodachrome! Boy, was that one of
> those things that
> looked like a great idea and which then went down the
> dumper.
>
> There was a lab set up here in Chicago (on Lake Street
> just west of the Loop)
> that was basically a dedicated Kodachrome 120 lab. I
> shot some and sent it
> through this lab and the results were mixed...Kodachrome
> and i never seemed to
> get along...it was a contrast thing, I guess.
>
> But there were probably a dozen professional labs in
> Chicago proper back
> then...there are probably three or four in the entire
> Chicago area now...but I
> still have faith in film.
>
> best
>
> argon
>
   I've shot a lot of Kodachrome over the years. Mostly in
35mm but also some 120. The 120 looked about the same as the
smaller film. I think processing variations could have a
large effect on the film. Most of the Kodachrome I shot in
last fifteen years was processed by A&I here in Los Angeles.
It all has a very slightly magenta look which I do not see
in older Kodachrome. I am pretty sure this was caused by
somehing in this particular processing set up.
    All reversal materials made for direct viewing are very
contrasty compared to negatives. Ideally, the contrast of a
transparency for projection or viewing on an illuminator
should be around 1.0. Projection transparencies are
sometimes a little more to compensate for system flare.
Negatives typically have a contrast index or around 0.6.
Reversal printing materials are designed to compensate for
the greater contrast and density range of transparencies but
overall contrast can still be too great.
  Kodachrome's principal virtue is its long dark storage
life. Other materials withstand projection longer but fade
in dark storage. Kodachrome has a very long dark storage
life.

---
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA
dickburk@ix.netcom.com