Re: Kodachrome processing and mounting problems

[P3D Gregory J. Wageman <gjw@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Jon Golden writes:

>1) Although not the biggest of issues, I dont like having to wait several
>days when I can have my E-6 in three hours....or less if really needed.

I know the feeling... that's what prompted me to try the Polachrome film.
You process it yourself in two minutes.  Too bad it's so grainy, 'cause
it sure satisfies that urge for *immediate* results. :-)

What I've started doing with regular slide film is to make sure I get out 
and shoot *something* on my list each weekend.  Bring the film in on Monday,
and pick up the previous week's developed film.  It takes me several
evenings during the week to mount what I've gotten back.  This way, I
pretty much always have something in the pipeline, something needing
mounting, and some new stuff to look at.  Works for me.

BTW, according to Kodak's Web site,  Kodachrome is more stable for long
term dark storage, but Ektachrome stands up better to repeated projection.

Frankly I wasn't terribly impressed with Kodachrome 200 at all.  As far
as color saturation goes, it was fairly "flat" (undersaturated), and the
grain was quite visible in what should have been clear, blue sky.  I
probably won't use it again, especially given the pleasant results I've
gotten with Ektachrome.

>2) I have had several experiences with Kodachrome coming back with dust not
>on the film....but "IN" the emulsion.....or these funny brownlike crusty
>specs "IN" the emulsion.  

Yup, I have had this problem, too.  My best guess is that it is from the
tape they use to attach the film rolls to each other for the trip through
the processor... the brown crystalline junk very much resembled the fragments
of hardened, brown tape on the end of the film, and seemed to be much more
prevalent near the ends of the roll.

In my case, the stuff was also loose inside the sleeve they packed the
film in, resulting in scratched emulsion when they rolled it up for
shipment.

I understand Fuji will also process K-14 film.  So far I have only used
Kodaclucks, but that may change if this turns out to be a regular "feature"
of their "Premium" processing.

>3) I just did a Kodachrome mount job for Ed Shaw....who took some fantastic
>shots of the pyramids in Egypt.....there were several images in the bunch of
>25 that had large "threads of dust" not on, but imbedded "in" the film.  

Embedded in the emulsion, you mean, yes.  I've seen that too.  Sometimes,
if you're really, really careful, you can break the hairs loose, but they
will often leave a trough in the emulsion.  I've found that in a projector,
though, the trough is much less disturbing than the hair.  In a viewer it
doesn't seem to maater, though.  The problem is if you're not exceptionally
careful, you can scratch the emulsion and ruin the slide.  Isn't film fun?

	-Greg


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