Five years ago, I lamented the demise of Kodak Ektachrome film, a beautiful slide film with amazing tonal quality and grain. I thought I would have to live on Fuji Velvia (the last mass-produced slide film) and old frozen Ektachrome stock.
That was until recent news.
According to PetaPixel, the company that holds the Kodak trademark and patents – now known as Kodak Alaris – is beginning manufacture of new Ektachrome stock, to reach store shelves in the fourth quarter of this year.
And not only that … the film will be manufactured right here in Upstate New York, in Kodak’s old Rochester factory. Wow.
So what are the plans for Ektachrome?
Kodak will reformulate their original compounds, and will make the film available in both 35mm and Super 8 movie formulas. The film will still be developable by using the E-6 processing method – a method used by most quality photo labs around the world (including, locally, McGreevy Pro Lab).
And you know… you know as well as anyone can tell…
I’m going to get my mitts on the first batch of Ektachrome 35mm film… Sure as anything. Totally super-excited. I can’t wait to see how Ektachrome looks when shot through my Leica M3 (“Leica Green”) or my Nikon F100. Yeah. Lots of yeah.
Now let’s see if Kodak decides to bring back some of their other formulae. You know … Kodak EIR color infrared … or maybe even Kodachrome.
Now if Kodak brought back Kodachrome… man, I shudder to think of the possibilities there.
But it would be some fun possibilities…
Chuck The Writer 
Let’s keep our fingers crossed for Kodachrome. I’m wagering that 60 years from now, only a small percentage of digital photos taken in the last 20 years will even be recoverable. Not to mention, we’ll see what prints done on an inkjet printer will look like in the same span of time. While the colors of 60 year-old Kodachrome transparencies, stored properly, are still as fresh and vibrant as when they were new, 50-60 years on. Although, with the relative complexity of Kodachrome processing, I won’t be holding my breath.
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But what would Paul Simon say?
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