Deadtech: Kodachrome Goes the Way of the Great Auk
Not all legacy tech sticks it out, alas. Preceding floppies into the long techno-dark is Kodachrome.
The last roll of the color film will be developed tomorrow at Dwayne's Photo in Parsons, Kansas, ending a 75-year run. Kodak's "discontinuance notice" explained the simple fact behind the end of a product that first debuted in 1935.
"Due to declining customer demand for KODACHROME, continued production of this film in no longer viable. Over the years people have moved from KODACHROME to other methods of capture, be it new films or digital. Simply put, not enough people are shooting KODACHROME for us to continue offering it."
Only 1 percent of Kodak's still film sales are of Kodachrome, which is complex to produce.
A Tribute to KODACHROME, on the Kodak site, opens a window on the uses to which the film has been put over the years, as well as its unique color profile. Remember the Afghani girl with the bright eyes? Kodachrome.
To a certain generation, this is the way "the present" looks. To some extent, digital photography, which can be simply outstanding, nevertheless looks a little bit like a "now" with slightly too much "future" in it.
Other sources: NYT
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