At the beginning of last year, Kodak announced that they were bringing back Ektachrome. The thought alone contributed a lot of excitement to the ongoing analog revival spirit, and the very successful reintroduction of T-Max P3200 B&W film (see discussion here) only served to bring our hopes ever higher.
And, finally, IT’S HERE! Mike’s Camera has hundreds of rolls on order, and the store nearest you will be among the first places you can get your hands on your own. You can also place your order online!
36 glorious exposures per roll
For those of you checking your phones now, yes, I know that it’s 2018. However, there are still lots of reasons to use slide film! One of the biggest ones is that your photos, once processed, are immediately ready to enjoy in the physical world. There’s an ethereal beauty in looking at slides on a light table, or even an uncut roll.
We’ll mount your slides (unless you request otherwise) and even provide archival sleeving to keep them safe for years to come, ready for you to grab a loupe and enjoy the crisp fruits of your labor, no devices or extra printing needed.
For those already sold on the concept of shooting film (if you’re not, click here), slide film also offers a number of other unique advantages.
- Finer grain, enabling larger prints.
- Unmatched saturation and generally great contrast. Perhaps a little unrealistic at times, but in a way that looks more realistic than real life.
- Precise exposure control. If you’re happy with your slides, you can rest easy knowing that they’re their own guide print to be matched. In a way, slides were the analog precursor to the WYSIWYG advantage of EVFs (“what you see is what you get”).
- You can also try out wacky stuff like cross processing (click for samples), which is processing slide film in color negative chemistry (C-41) or color negatives in slide film chemistry (E-6).
The danger of slide film is that it has very, very little tolerance for error—recovery of shadows or highlights is possibly within perhaps one or two stops at most—but this quality also encourages you to perfect your craft. Once you see your first page of richly-colored photo jewels, you’ll have all the inspiration you need to hone your skills further!
Ektachrome: truly one of the greats
Born in 1946 and pronounced dead (prematurely) in 2012, Ektachrome was the film we brought to the moon landing in 1969. While Kodachrome was known for its warm, nostalgic look (great for skin tones), Ektachrome emphasized the cool colors in a scene, giving photographers intense blues and breathtaking landscapes for decades.
The first batch of 600,000 rolls was run in late 2017, and after rigorous quality testing, the 35mm rolls are on their way to stores. Super 8 reels should follow in a few days, and 16mm reels later this year. If you’re interested in the process of making film like this, check out a virtual tour of Kodak’s facility by clicking here! And don’t forget to click here to preorder your film now, to make sure you’re one of the first to receive it.
Official press release
To the Delight of Photographers and Filmmakers Everywhere, New EKTACHROME Films to Begin Shipping
Rochester, NY, Tuesday, September 25, 2018 — Eastman Kodak Company and Kodak Alaris announced today the availability of the highly anticipated KODAK EKTACHROME Film line.
KODAK PROFESSIONAL EKTACHROME Film E100, available from Kodak Alaris, will immediately begin shipping to distributors and stock house dealers worldwide. The new film will initially be available in 135/36x camera format and is expected to be a favorite among professional and enthusiast photographers alike.
KODAK EKTACHROME 7294 Color Reversal Film in the Super 8 format will also be available beginning October 1, 2018 from Eastman Kodak Company. Availability of EKTACHROME products in the 16mm format will follow later this year.
Resurgence in the popularity of analog photography and motion picture film has created demand for new film offerings. “We recently brought KODAK PROFESSIONAL T-MAX P3200 Film back to market, and the response was overwhelming,” said Dennis Olbrich, President – Kodak Alaris Paper, Photo Chemicals and Film. “Based on the response we’re seeing to beta test images on social media, we expect the return of EKTACHROME E100 to be equally well received.”
“EKTACHROME Film was the choice for generations of filmmakers,” said Steve Bellamy, President, Eastman Kodak Company’s Motion Picture and Entertainment Division. “The distinct and unparalleled look of films like Tony Scott’s “Domino” and Spike Lee’s “Inside Man” could not have been achieved without EKTACHROME. We are extremely excited to reintroduce this film to those who know and love it, and to a new generation of motion picture artists.”
KODAK PROFESSIONAL EKTACHROME Film E100 and KODAK EKTACHROME 7294 Color Reversal Film are daylight balanced color positive films, featuring clean, vibrant colors, a neutral tone scale, and extremely fine grain. The distinctive look is well suited to a wide range of applications, such as product, landscape, nature and fashion photography. Kodak also anticipates a strong demand for Super 8 and 16mm products for use in commercials, music films, and features.
Learn more about KODAK PROFESSIONAL EKTACHROME Film E100 at Kodak Alaris.
Learn more about KODAK EKTACHROME 7294 Color Reversal Film in Super 8mm and for up to date information about 16mm EKTACHROME products.