The God of Kodachrome Processing...FOUND!

[Alex]

Link deleted at the request of "God". "God" however has forwarded my communique to the proper department at Kodak. (I have asked God a follow-up question now that contact has been established).

I've asked that our contact read this topic. (I know officially feel foolish for calling him God).

[wahiba]

????????????

[S8 Booster]

Do not know if this helps a lot but nevertheless :?:

http://www.cs.bgu.ac.il/~elhadad/summar ... data5.html

Amateur night OLD fogies often bemoan technological advance . For some audiobuffs the johnny - come - lately transistor will never replace the purity of the valve , nor the compact disc the long - playing record . And in photography it is generally agreed that nothing recent has been as good a colour film as Kodachrome - - which turns 62 this year . The thinner gel , tighter grain structure and purity of the emulsion used in Kodachrome makes for sharper detail and richer colour than either the rival E - 6slide films , such as Ektachrome and Fujichrome , or any colour - print film .
But in a world that prizes immediacy ( another thing that fogies despise ) Kodachrome has a problem: it is a nightmare to develop . Bringing out those perfect images requires 18 different photochemical processes . As a result , the machines used to develop Kodachrome are huge , expensive and rare . Most people have to send the stuff away by post and will probably not see the results for a week or more . Not surprisingly , many prefer to use a lesser film that the local chemist can develop and return in an hour .
Now , though , the Kodachrome process has been revamped into something that corner - shop developers can afford . And , since many old fogies also believe that a gifted amateur is worth a dozen slogging professionals , they will probably be pleased to learn that the job was done not by Kodak 's own engineers but by a dilettante chemist ( albeit one who is also a professional photographer ) .
In making his invention , Richard Mackson is merely following tradition . Kodachrome itself was devised by two gifted amateurs - - Leopold Mannes and Leopold Godowsky . Their day jobs were as classical musicians , and they timed the steps in the development process by whistling the final movement of Brahms 's C Minor Symphony . But the method they came up with - - though a big advance on the multiple lenses and filters that had previously been required to take colour photographs - - was still fiendishly complicated .
Even a modern Kodachrome processor is a behemoth . It is 33 metres ( 100 feet ) long , costs $1m, occupies 1,000 square metres of floor space and needs to be served by a staff of ten , including an analytical chemist to formulate fresh solutions . Moreover , it uses thousands of litres of chemicals a day , and must run the film through high - pressure sprays at speeds in excess of 100 metres a minute in order to produce a sufficiently strong chemical reaction .

R

[S8 Booster]

And this: :?:

http://www.kodak.com/global/en/consumer ... ndex.shtml

Press Release

Dealers

KODACHROME Film
K-LAB Processors Improve KODACHROME Film Processing
Today, only 8 photoprocessing laboratories worldwide process KODACHROME Film. Because they are so few in number and far between, they cannot meet the time demands of photographers who may require overnight or faster photoprocessing service.



Traditional KODACHROME Film Processing vs. The K-LAB System

For the past 20 years, KODACHROME Film has been developed using Process K-14 - known for its heavy demands on capital space, time, and operator attention. The improvements in this film processing made possible by the new KODAK K-Lab Processor will bring significant benefits to those areas and more.

Like traditional Process K-14, K-LAB is a cine-processor in which individual rolls of film are strung together in a magazine to make a long strand of film that runs through the processor. At the end, the processed film simply winds onto another reel ready for mounting and packaging.

Space requirements are a prime example of the advantages of the K-LAB Processor. The K-14 processor itself uses 1,000 or more square feet of floor space and its support requirements (including mixing and storage tanks, a full analytical laboratory and bulk chemical storage) can take 10,000 or more square feet of space. Requiring only 46 square feet of floor space, the K-LAB Processor can fit through a standard 32-inch doorway. The total space required by a K-LAB System (including processing unit, replenishment rack, computer, splicer, and mounter) can be as small as 200 square feet of floor space.

Lowering Tension

Depending on the size of the K-14 processor, film in process travels between 30 and 100 feet per minute. This rapid rate is necessary because in the K-14 processor, KODACHROME Film is agitated by impingement using a series of spray bars that project processing chemicals onto the film as it moves along. The K-LAB Processor takes a revolutionary approach to agitation using a tube-within-a-tube configuration that runs the film through an elliptical agitation tube made with an exacting pattern of holds, which is inside a recirculation tube that holds the processing chemicals. By bringing the chemical energy closer to the film, this innovation has enabled Kodak's engineers to lower the speed of the film to 6.5 feet per minute, and the chemical pump-size requirements for the K-LAB Processor to one-tenth that of the traditional K-14 processor.

The K-LAB Processor can process 75 to 100 rolls (24 to 36 exposures respectively) of film per hour, dry to dry, translating to a maximum of 600 rolls in an eight-hour shift. The tubes used in the K-LAB Processor also are easily removable for cleaning or replacement.

Precision Computer Control

A touch screen control, Windows-based computer monitors and controls a wide range of processing parameters in the K-LAB Processor. For example, the computer adjusts fluid temperatures to within one-tenth of a degree Fahrenheit; tells the operator of the K-LAB Processor when film is in process; and monitors the K-LAB Processors' replenishers alerting the operator when it's necessary to replace the prepackaged, bag-in-box chemical containers.

Maintaining Chemical Stability

Chemical stability has always been a challenge with the K-14 processor. In their final mixed state, the developers used to process KODACHROME Film oxidized rapidly from air exposure and lose their effectiveness. This problem was overcome by providing K-14 processors with full-scale chemical laboratories which are used to mix processing solutions from bulk chemicals on short notice.

Kodak eliminated the need for on-site chemical production for the K-LAB Processor by producing stable, premixed developers that are suitable to be shipped and stored. To ensure the freshest possible developer replenishers, the K-LAB Processor uses an in-line, real-time replenishment system that ensures optimum chemical-process stability. In addition, the chemicals used in the K-LAB Processor are mixed and packaged under an inert nitrogen atmosphere, and placed into a bag-in-box container that prevents air oxidation, ensuring fresh, consistent, high-quality solutions every time.

User Benefits of Processing With the K-LAB Processor

The K-LAB Processor's minimal space requirements and easy operation make it ideal for widely-distributed use. In time, K-LAB Processors could be operated in dozens of metropolitan areas around the world providing a network of processing that would serve a demand for faster turnaround times on KODACHROME Film processing.

Generating the Idea for the K-LAB Processor

Richard Mackson had never used a processor for KODACHROME Film, but he set out to design one anyway. As a commercial photolab owner, Mackson designed and built computer-controlled processing equipment; and as a photographer under contract to Sports Illustrated, he was frustrated in the lack of availability of KODACHROME Film processing.

With the concepts and a novel idea for the K-LAB Processor mapped out, he approached Kodak with a proposal and worked with a dedicated Kodak design team to build a new processing system for KODACHROME Film. Today, Mackson serves as senior business and technology associate for Kodak in Rochester, New York.


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R

[wahiba]

Now that does make sense. Actually the really good news is in Kodak investing in updating the processing of an old product. If this technology is viable, and sells, then possibly we can expect Kodachrome to be marketed more than it is at present.

Maybe they will reintroduce stard-8 for all the old clockwork cameras still working out there :roll:

[Alex]

Hi alan,

perhaps you could remind Eastman Kodak that they invented the "K-Lab processor" for process K-14 in 1997.

See http://www.kodak.com/global/en/consumer ... ndex.shtml

It`s a small machine and uses improved developer solutions in special containers.
Unfortunately, K-Lab processors only treat 35mm Kodachrome film.
But why doesn`t Kodak update one or two machines to 8 or 16mm film?
It can`t be such a challenge to adapt rollers, tension and speed of these machines to the size of 8 or 16mm films.
They could get rid of the environmental and quality problems immediately.
But I believe they won`t do this because they fear not getting back their return on investment.

Thanks nik for the link. I read it and did research on the inventor of the new Kodachrome processing machine. He seems to be a former freelance photographer who has been hired by Kodak.

His title sounds quite impressive. The million dollar question is does he gain or lose stature by expanding Super-8 Kodachrome processing. (assuming his invention can be modifed to process Super-8)

[Alex]

So when I put the word Super-8 in parenthesis, I get (Super-8) this. :lol:

[marc]

I believe that it is only for the slides and not the movie film unless someone decides to use that application for that purpose.

[Alex]

So we're in the dark as to whether these new machines could develop Kodachrome 40 Super-8 film if they were modified.

[marc]

Are you in the dark?

[Alex]

I am in the dark about your response. :?:

[paulcotto]

I really don't mean to be a wet blanket but that article is at least 4 years old. The processer lacks a remjet removal tank and other parts needed to remove the black remjet backing from the movie film before processing. There is NO WAY kodak is going to invest money to convert one of these processers to process super-8 K-40. This was discussed alot in the super-8 news group if you want to do a google groups search.

Cheers,
Paul Cotto

[Alex]

No problem Paul. Your input is appreciated, your knowledge seems thorough, and your conclusion erroneous. :lol:

Lets look at this from your main point, paraphrased below...

"Kodak isn't going to spend any money on Kodachrome processing enhancements."

Sounds logical. Sounds completely on point and correct.

But then why hire the guy who invented a streamlined Kodachrome processing machine and give him the title of "RESEARCH FELLOW: EASTMAN KODAK".

Why?

I wonder what Richard Mackson does everyday at Kodak. Does he just go into work and sit in his office and do nothing? Does he have a yearly R & D budget to spend?

If he has a 1/2 million dollar yearly budget to spend, and he could rekindle Kodachrome Super-8 processing, and increase Kodak revenue by 10 million in sales, while in the process creating future revenue streams via 16mm & 35mm projects from these Super-8 filmmakers, AND create the future possibility of Super-8 Scanning Technology so every filmmaker could actually transfer their own Super-8 film, he could be re-opening a kettle of fish left for dead that could generate a lot of revenue.

The Super-8 Kodachrome processing machines could open doors to many aspects of post-production technology. Kodak Super-8 Scanners and Hard Drives made to Kodak Specs for the serious filmmaker. Kodak printers, and of course, all of it printed on Kodak Paper.

So the question becomes, does the filmmaker/artist get redefined because the digital revolutions is campaigning that an artist tools should only be of the instant variety.? Digital is touted for it's instantaneousness. "It's Digital, and it's INSTANT!"

So the final question becomes, is Kodak, as a corporation, embarrassed by film's inherent characteristic of not being an instant technology? Can non-instant technology survive in the digital world that is being formulated by the Corporate establishment and it's drive to make everything in life, instant?

Do Corporations drive artists, or do artists drive corporations?

[nik-super8]

Here you will find the complete technical details of a K-Lab processor:


http://www.kodak.com/cluster/global/plu ... 2mar99.pdf

The processor lacks a remjet removal tank and other parts....

In my understanding of the processor, it doesn`t lack the antihalation layer removal step.
35mm Kodachrome films have this backing, too.
How should the machine treat these films correctly without the previous removal of this layer?

[marc]

Then maybe you should get out of my darkroom!