[pure-silver] Re: Comparing the Image Quality of Film and Digital
- From: "Richard Knoppow" <dickburk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <pure-silver@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 11:05:27 -0800
----- Original Message -----
From: "bobkiss @caribsurf.com" <bobkiss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <pure-silver@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, December 30, 2014 10:32 AM
Subject: [pure-silver] Re: Comparing the Image Quality of
Film and Digital
DEAR MARK,
Surely you jest! (I know, don't call you Shirley!).
All seriousness
aside, I miss Kodachrome all the time. It was my standard
35 mm film for
fashion and advertising during my 20 years in NYC. And I
shot lots for
personal work as well. I think I went through 3 or 4 300
roll cases per
year (900 to 1200 rolls). Though I loved E6 in my 'Blad,
Kodachrome was
king for 35 mm.
CHEERS!
BOB
I also miss Kodachrome. Unfortunately, I think its doom
was written as soon as Kodak devised an incorporated coupler
film. There is a resonably good history of Kodachrome at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kodachrome
It points out that Kodak had tried two experimental
color films prior to Kodachrome, a lenticular film and a two
color film using dyed gelatin, neither was very successful.
From other sources, George Eastman was evidently
interested in devising a color film very early on. He hired
C.E.K.Mees, and incidently bought Wratten and Wainwright to
get him, because Mees was considered an expert on the use of
dyes to color sensitize emulsions. Mees brought with him
John Capstaff, who eventually invented one of the early
color films and also the use of 16mm motion pictures for
home movies. Eastman later hired Mannes and Godowsky who had
done promising work on color films.
Kodak must have been aware of Rudolof Fischer's work on
incorporated color couplers but does not seem to have been
successful in creating a practical film using them. By
about 1934 AGFA was ready to market such a film and I think
Kodak felt a lot of pressure to get something on the market.
Kodachrome differs from the Fischer type film in that there
are no couplers in the emulsions. Rather the couplers are in
the reversal developing solutions. The problem was
isolating each layer so that only the correct color of dye
was contained in it. Mannes and Godowsky had a patent on a
method of controlling the penetration of processing
solutions into the emulsions and it was adapted for the
Kodachrome process. Actually, the controlled penetration
method was used for only about a year after which time a
method of differential re-exposure was devised and used ever
after. The first Kodachrome was 16mm home movie film but,
after the new processing method was devised, it was also
released in 35mm still film and a variety of sheet film
sizes. It was not available as roll film until very near its
discontinuance. Because the processing method was very
complex and required precision control at all steps it was
carried out only in Rochester. After the differential
re-exposure method was devised a couple of additonal
processing stations were set up by Kodak. Once Kodak had
found a patentable method of sequestering the dye couplers
they began making Kodacolor which had a much less difficult
process but was still developed by Kodak owned labs.
Following WW-2 Kodak began to make Ektachrome and Ektacolor,
intended to be processed by independant labs and immediately
discontinued sheet sizes of Kodachrome. The new film was
generally considered to be inferior to Kodachrome but was
improved with time. Kodachrome was continued as 35mm still
film and 16mm movie film.
I think despite the very high quality of the results
that without the pressure of competition from Agfa Kodak
would probably have waited for a while before producing a
color film and it would probably have been an incorporated
coupler film.
--
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles
WB6KBL
dickburk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
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