Was going through my old slides----wow, the Kodachromes have stood the test of time! From 1967 and still high res , great color. From the 80's, same story.
Strengths:
Will last a long time, great color(understatement).
Kodachrome 64 is a great film. It reproduces color naturally, has fine grain, is exceedingly sharp, and has that special "look" to it that you just can't get with any other film.
It is adaptable. I can go from shooting flowers in the garden to my sister's birthday party, and not have to worry about horrible skin tones or overblown colors that happen with Velvia.
While it can be a little finnicky to scan (it comes out with a blueish cast to it), simple corrections in Photoshop can easily get around this.
Its longevity is un-matched. I've picked up boxes of my grandfather's WWII-era Kodachromes and they looked as good as new. I dug through and found some Ektachromes or other E-4 process films also. What image there was left was hard to discern.
Kodak, with their screwed-up ideas about "product marketing" has foolishly decided to put this classic film on the brink of extinction. It's very survival depends upon the results of the next market survey. Also, ther is only one lab left in the entire country (indeed, only two or three in the WORLD) that will process K-14, Kodachrome's special processing. The results are well worth the 2-1/2 week wait, though.
That said, it is a great film, and I would reccomend it to anyone who is looking for a great slide film.
Strengths:
Fine grain, realistic colors, superb sharpness, extreme longevity. It also has that "Kodachrome look" to it that you just can't get in any other film.
Weaknesses:
Survival depends solely on Kodak's whimsy. Requires special K-14 processing, so you won't get it back in a day.
Similar Products Used:
While there's nothing like it, I have also used Provia 100F and Velvia 50.
Customer Service:
Excellent. All of my e-mails to Kodak were answered promptly and expertly.
I have been a loyal Fujichrome user for all of my landscape photography. That was until I got back my first roll of Kodachrome 64. This was by far the sharpest chrome film I have ever used, along with better and more realistic color reproduction compared to velvia or provia. It scans beautifully, far better than velvia or provia. If there is any grain, I can't see it, even on large projection. Soon I will experiment with E200, which has some great reviews. For now its bye bye to velvia and provia. BTW, the skin tones were beautiful. For print film I will continue to stick with Fuji Reala; it's the sharpest print film I have ever used. In summation, Kodachrome 64 is so good that I will no longer knock Kodak film products.
Strengths:
Great, accurate colors
Beautiful skin tones
Extremely sharp
Incredible scanning
Better contrast then high contrast velvia
Little grain
Weaknesses:
None. Unless you're on a tight schedule - processing is a two week turn around.
Similar Products Used:
Velvia 50
Velvia 100
Provia 100
Sensia 100
Customer Service:
I called Kodak several times. They were surprisingly helpful.
Well, I bought this film with high expectations for realistic, sharp colour, and that's what I got!!! I had heard about Kodachrome's unmatched realistic reproduction of colour and this was true, the sharpness is excellent and the archival qualities of Kodachrome make it an ideal film for preservation. Although the grain was not as fine as many of the new generation films (Velvia, Provia, E-Series), I found it small and acceptable. It's a shame that Kodak doesn't market this product better, its the best one they have. The only problem I had was the 1 month wait for it to be processed and returned to me, but it was worth the wait!
Strengths:
VERY Sharp
True to life colour
Archival
Weaknesses:
Slightly more grain than other transparency films, but still small and very acceptable
Not for those who want over the top saturation (i.e. Velvia)
Long ago in a place far, far away, I used Kodachrome all the time. Then my camera found the dark recesses of my closet. Six years ago, I picked the camera up again and began using the newer slide films from Ektachome and Fuji instead of Kodachrome. In the past few months, I have been reunited with Kodachrome 64. I now appreciate how great this film truly is. There is nothing better (except perhaps KM25). I have thousands of other slides, but the sharpness and accuracy of Kodachrome is unbeatable and beautiful. It is almost haunting at times to look at Kodachrome slides taken so long ago, they still look like the day they were taken.
I hope this film is around for a long time. It will be a sad day if and when it is gone. After delving into digital photography, I find this slide film to be a welcome relief.
Strengths:
Sharpness. Color accuracy. Its archival qualities are legendary. It is dependable and predicatable.
Weaknesses:
Cannot be processed in less than a week it seems. Totally dependent on the whims of Kodak. It is like riding a bike - you can pick it up after a long absence and it's as if you never left.
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