P3D Re: Prints vs slides - Archival Qualities

["Dr. George A. Themelis" <DrT-3d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I never thought I would be forced to defend Kodachrome... but here
it goes:

Bill Walton writes:

>My oldest Kodachrome planar slide was made in Sep 1957, upon completion
>of my first solo flight in a Army helicopter.  It is still viewable, but
>fading badly...

A couple of comments/questions:

- In the Alpha folio of the Stereoscopie Society, the Markley brothers 
  are putting in stereo slides from 40 years ago.  All show vivid colors 
  as if they were shot yesterday (better make this "tomorrow"... these 
  slides are more vivid that the slides that I shot some time ago with 
  Kodachrome <g>)

- I have in my collection stereo slides from 1947.  None shows any 
  signs of fading.  I have read that Kodachrome will fade in such short 
  time only if projected.  

- Also in my collection I have black and white prints from less than 
  100 years ago that have faded.  I mean almost totally gone.
    
- I think the original question was to compare color slides with color
  prints.  Color prints of several decades ago are now fading.

- I do not know of many workers that shoot B&W prints.  Allan 
  Lewis is stereophotographing weddings today.  Is he using B&W or
  color prints? I think it is a good idea to shoot some family 
  pictures in B&W but it makes not sense to suggest shooting
  everyday pictures in B&W, unless some kind of "special effect" 
  is desired.

- When a color slide is fading, does that mean that the colors are
  shifting or the image strength is decreasing?  I am asking because 
  I also have some old Ektachrome stereo slides in my collection that 
  have shifted colors.  Some of them have turned red.  The image 
  however is still strong.  If you do not care for color, you have not 
  lost anything.

- Some time ago you expressed faith that technology will be converting
  flat pictures to stereo and urged us not to throw away our 3d pictures
  just because they are 2d.  The same technology could be used to 
  preserve images.  So, what difference does it make if our stereo slides 
  will lose some color and strength 50 years from now?  By that time we 
  should be able to scan them in very high resolution, intensify the 
  colors and store them for ever.  (Of course, the same technology can 
  be used to colorize your B&W pictures :-))

Regards, George Themelis


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