Kodak Retires KODACHROME Film

LONDON UK, June 22, 2009

Eastman Kodak Company announced today that it will retire KODACHROME colour film this year, concluding its 74-year run as a photography icon.

Sales of KODACHROME Film, which became the world’s first commercially successful colour film in 1935, have declined dramatically in recent years as photographers turned to other, newer KODAK films or to the digital imaging technologies that Kodak pioneered. Today, KODACHROME Film represents just a fraction of one percent of Kodak’s total sales of still-picture films.

“KODACHROME Film is an iconic product and a testament to Kodak’s long and continuing leadership in imaging technology,” said Mary Jane Hellyar, President of Kodak’s Film, Photofinishing and Entertainment Group. "It was certainly a difficult decision to retire it, given its rich history. However, the majority of today's photographers have voiced their preference to capture images with newer technology – both film and digital. Kodak remains committed to providing the highest-performing products – both film and digital – to meet those needs."

While Kodak now derives about 70% of its revenues from commercial and consumer digital businesses, it is the global leader in the film business. Kodak has continued to bring innovative new film products to market, including seven new professional still films and several new VISION2 and VISION3 motion picture films in the last three years. These new still film products are among those that have become the dominant choice for those professional and advanced amateur photographers who use KODAK Films.

Among the well-known professional photographers who used KODACHROME Film is Steve McCurry, whose picture of a young Afghan girl captured the hearts of millions of people around the world as she peered hauntingly from the cover of National Geographic Magazine in 1985.

As part of a tribute to KODACHROME Film, Kodak will donate the last rolls of the film to George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film in Rochester, N.Y., which houses the world’s largest collection of cameras and related artifacts. McCurry will shoot one of those last rolls and the images will be donated to Eastman House.

“The early part of my career was dominated by KODACHROME Film, and I reached for that film to shoot some of my most memorable images,” said McCurry. “While KODACHROME Film was very good to me, I have since moved on to other films and digital to create my images. In fact, when I returned to shoot the ‘Afghan Girl’ 17 years later, I used KODAK PROFESSIONAL EKTACHROME Film E100VS to create that image, rather than KODACHROME Film as with the original.”

For all of its magic, KODACHROME is a complex film to manufacture and an even more complex film to process. There is only one remaining photofinishing lab in the world – Dwayne’s Photo in Parsons, Kansas – that processes KODACHROME Film, precisely because of the difficulty of processing. This lack of widespread processing availability, as well as the features of newer films introduced by Kodak over the years, has accelerated the decline of demand for KODACHROME Film.

During its run, KODACHROME Film filled a special niche in the annals of the imaging world. It was used to capture some of the best-known photographs in history, while also being the film of choice for family slide shows of the Baby Boom generation.

To celebrate the film’s storied history, Kodak has created a gallery of iconic images, including the Afghan girl and other McCurry photos, as well as others from professional photographers Eric Meola and Peter Guttman on its website: www.kodak.com/go/kodachrometribute. Special podcasts featuring McCurry and Guttman will also be featured on the website.

Kodak estimates that current supplies of KODACHROME Film will last until early this autumn at the current sales pace. Dwayne’s Photo has indicated it will continue to offer processing for the film through 2010. Current KODACHROME Film users are encouraged to try other KODAK Films, such as KODAK PROFESSIONAL EKTACHROME E100G and EKTAR 100 Film. These films both feature extremely fine grain. For more information, please visit www.kodak.com/go/professional.


About Kodak
As the world's foremost imaging innovator, Kodak helps consumers, businesses, and creative professionals unleash the power of pictures and printing to enrich their lives.

To learn more, visit http://www.kodak.com and follow our blogs and more at http://www.kodak.com/go/followus.

More than 70 million people worldwide manage, share and create photo gifts online at KODAK Gallery --join for free today at www.kodakgallery.com


(Kodak, Kodachrome, Kodak Professional, Ektachrome and Ektar are trademarks.)

2009



Visitors, users and viewers of the foregoing content may copy and re-use it in other internet content sites on condition the source of all material so used is acknowledged with the attachment of the following.
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Pushing the envelope

Panasonic's development of the four-thirds sensor format (17x13mm approx.) continues apace with the DMC -G1 and its HD video endowed sibling, the GH1. Both cameras are fitted with the latest LIVEMos sensor developed by Panasonic in partnership with Olympus Optical Co Ltd.


1. The new Olympus Micro Four Thirds camera E-P1. The company promises further developments for this format and one can hope there might be an all black version, preferably in Urushi lacquer.

Thus far, products from both companies deliver an extraordinary level of equipment and image sophistication for their sensor size, although it is apparent that both also arrive at visibly different levels of image aesthetic and technical quality.


2. This was made on the Panasonic G1 at approximately four times life size using an old Visoflex mirror box, a set of M bellows and the lens head from of an Elmarit f/2.8 90mm (first launched in 1959.). The image is exceptionally micro-detailed and sharp right in the centre of the full size image.

I have limited experience of exploring files from Olympus kit. It includes hands-on an OM e400 and subsequent screen use and printing from that model; handling and inspection of large scale prints (A2) out of an e3 and whenever possible, assessing mechanical print reproduction of OM digital files from the earliest days of the e10 through e1 to the present time. Much more hands-on experience has been gained from reviewing all the models produced by Panasonic.

Each of the 4/3rds models so far produced by this company, the L1, L10 (as well as the rebadged Leica Digilux versions.) and now the G series, have some attractive features. These include - for the L1 and L10 - the excellent performance of the 25mm f/1.4 Summilux designed for use on those two models and more recently, high marks for the new Micro four-thirds 7-14mm Lumix Vario f4.


3. Arrival of a new warship on a really crap sea-misty morning. G1 with Lumix 14-45mm kit lens at ISO 200 captured in highest quality Jpeg mode. The image is sharp all over but small details are compromised by compression when enlarged. Noise levels at this ISO are also noticeably higher and far patchier than for equivalent ISO rated frames made on an APS-C/DX sensor.


4. Detail of a section of the side of the ship (5) when viewed at 100%. The noise patchiness is more apparent. In reproduction on the page, the effect is visible.

Another attraction of the L1 is its unique styling and very high build quality. A pity the designer and engineers decided not to incorporate weather proof sealing for the tough magnesium alloy body; I think that would have made the model more attractive for professional use. As ever however, retail cost was already high compared with some other similarly specified products and sealing the L1 would have just pushed the numbers over the edge.

The L10 didn't grab the attention in the same way and while it produces a high level of image quality, I felt it lacked substance. Then along came the G1; Panasonic's first attempt at the Micro 4/3rds lens mount concept with integral electronic viewfinder.

Smaller still than the L10 and lacking a mirror box and opto-mechanical viewing system, the G1 is a compact with interchangeable lens facility. It is very well engineered using an outer magnesium alloy shell but still lacking the all-weather sealing which can be found on some Dslrs. Despite this, it's a real joy to use, although some buttons and dials could do with a little ergonomic improvement.

As it stands, the G1 might almost fit the perfect shape and size requirement of many users. Together with the appropriate downsizing of lenses made for it, the current full kit offering 7mm - 200mm focal length coverage spread between three objectives seems lost in a medium sized gadget bag.

For some, these relatively lightweight Lumix lenses will cover all their needs. The super wide angle zoom is a particularly interesting piece of kit capable of returning exceptional image results. However, not content to let it rest there, Panasonic engineers have beavered away to produce a set of three lens adapters to enable the mounting of regular 4/3rds and Leica M and R type objectives on the camera which, in the case of the latter two, also retain the G1's 'manual focus assist' feature; a device which enlarges a small central segment of the screen image and upon which it is possible to refine focus whenever the focus ring of an appropriate lens is touched.

With these three adapters, the facility to employ a wide range of objectives of different brands is already in place. Further internet investigation reveals dozens more mechanical lens adapters which may also be used in combination with Panasonic's own to allow the mounting of a vast range of glass of many different focal lengths and marque. Users with armouries of Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Minolta, not to mention many independent brands, can all enjoy the benefits now offered.

I have found this to be a fascinating experience and during two lengthy review periods, explored the possibilities offered by my own collection of Leica glass mounted on the G1 using a cheap but well made adapter from China for the R type lenses and the VM adapter from Voigtlander for the Leica M glass. Some of these lenses produced outstanding results; others less so, proving yet again that all digital capture devices need prime cuts of glass for the technology to perform at its highest level.

Not suprisingly perhaps, the performance obtained from some older Leica R telephoto lenses was lacking. In particular, the 1970 Telyt-R 250mm f/4, while capable of obtaining wonderfully smooth toned medium contrast images on 35mm Kodachrome, has such a high level of chromatic aberration, nothing obtained with it on the G1's 4/3rds sensor looked good enough for use beyond half a page on glossy magazine paper. The Telyt-R 400mm f/6.8 on the other hand, produced a usable result wide open; on 4/3rds format, the focal length equates to 800mm.

So far, good results have been obtained with a Summicron-R (1976)50mm f/2, the 1975 Apo-Telyt-R 180mm f/3.4, Summicron 90mm f/2 (for M) and Summicron-M 35mm f/2 ASPH, although the earlier version also produced a nicely rounded quality when stopped down to f/4.0. The Summilux-R 80mm f/1.4 struggled to get anything sharp except right in the centre of the image but stopping it down to f/2-2.8 brought improvements. The large aperture of this lens is useful in low light situations but for sheer handiness, the extra reach it offers and good image quality mark, the 90mm-M f/2 (and later ASPH version.) makes a useful 180mm.

When I mention 'good' in respect of image results I refer to a quality, which, in my subjective analyses of both screen and print reproductions, visibly exceeds results of similar motifs obtained with the designed-for-the-chip lenses of similar focal length. Using the Leica lenses brings an increased tonal range and with it an increase in the visibility of subtle colour hues. Sharpness of small objects in the frame is high at the point of focus and the shape and construction of the multibladed diaphragms of Leica mechanical objectives lends a more rounded shape to out-of-focus objects.

The longer Panasonic zoom lenses do produce a good high contrast result but it is not the same as from some old primes mentioned above. On the other hand, the Lumix G-Vario 7-14mm f/4 zoom gave such a fine performance, I have yet to be persuaded there is a prime lens of equivalent focal length (when used on 4/3rds.) designed for use on 35mm capable of exceeding it.

Files out of the G1 made in Fine Jpeg mode are recorded at 180ppi default resolution at 22.5 inches on the longest side. Print industry standard resolution requirement for mechanical reproduction is 300ppi despite the fact that the majority of photographs supplied for newspaper use are at 200ppi. For the purposes of magazine repro, I supply files at 300ppi, and so far the number of printed samples seen used up to DPS (A3), or an equivalent size, have pretty much matched the high expectation of them first seen on screen.

But, some problems remain.

Where motifs incorporate large areas of single or similar colour from files made at an ISO 200 - 360, noise (grain) artifacts are visibly patchy in print. This effect was not commented on by viewers I showed examples to, so for them at least, the problem was not an issue. More disturbing perhaps, are the moire effects seen in a series of motifs obtained with a G1.


5. Again, shot with the kit lens in a moment of boredom but after I had discovered the fault in 7. The moire effect discussed in the text is clearly seen here.


6. And this is it (5) as seen at a 1:1 screen level. Panasonic claims it can't be fixed.

The cause, according to Panasonic's DSC product development department, is that of the resolution of certain uniform pattern areas in the recorded motif exceeding the capacity of the camera's anti-aliasing filter to prevent moire. According to them, the filter is set at the theoretical limit of sensor resolution and lowering it would have affected the delineation and appearance of image micro detail.

This is where Olympus and Panasonic products differ. Results from the former have always struck me as being a little soft, not quite as sharp as one would like or is used to, as if a layer of something transparent has been added to the image. Small details are clearly seen but the overall effect lacks the more sharply edged appearance of large scale prints from the latter. An analogy might be the effect on print appearance similar to the one manifest by diffuser and condenser enlargers.

The trade-off in attempting to squeeze so much out of such a small sensor vacillates between these effects. One gives a very acceptable and smooth visual appearance while the other obtains a harsher (and noisier) but apparently sharper result when images from both are reproduced to the same size.


7. I made this frame out of a coach window (again, boredom.) and looked at it several times before spotting the moire effect (see red box.) caused by the even pattern and resolution of the netting. The frame wasn't made with this in mind, I was more interested in the distant ship at the time. The moire problem is one to watch out for as it could easily be manifest by any number of motif situations. Again, Panasonic were not keen to offer a solution.


8. And just in case you missed it first time around, here's the enlarged section. Frankly, if I had spent the money on this product, I'd be really pissed off by this problem. It doesn't happen with a Leica loaded with film.

When post processing is applied with care, G1 large Jpeg files can just about nudge my A3 benchmark; not with the clarity or tonal creaminess of files from a D300 or D700, nor with the more filmic edginess of what can be squeezed from a D1X. The two formats give a different image appearance. GH1 image quality differs slightly as the sensor in this model is a modified version of the G1 sensor. RAW image files from the GH are on a par with those obtained from its older sibling, but Jpeg quality is down slightly compared with the G1, and further down in comparison with similar files captured on APS formats - the result of a/d signal processing attempts to better control noise artifacts.

The G1/GH1 compact design concept offers outstanding versatility with large scale repro image quality pegged at a considerably higher level than that obtainable from much smaller sensors found in pocket compacts like the Ricoh GRII, GX and Panasonic LX models. The new Olympus Micro 4/3rds EP-1 (lead picture.) may offer improved pocketability, compared with the G1/GH, but it is again very different from those models.

Larger APS-C/DX format sensors produce excellent results for the purpose of most editorial reproduction and there can be little doubt that full frame 35mm ( equivalent) sensors are not now capable of emulating 6X4.5cm medium film format quality. Yet sophisticated small cameras have their own attractions and when these devices incorporate the technology required to deliver a good level of image quality, they invite inspection. It's how the Leica rangefinder became the tool of choice for generations of photojournalists. Perhaps now, will mark a similar beginning for micro four-thirds in the digital world.


Visitors, users and viewers of the foregoing content may copy and re-use it in other internet content sites on condition the source of all material so used is acknowledged with the attachment of the following.
Copyright; Jonathan Eastland.
www.ajaxnetphoto.blogspot.com 2009.
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Tiananmen Anniversary

TANK MAN DEJA VU - COLLECTS DART AWARD.

Associated Press photographer Jeff Widener's image of a lone man halting a row of military tanks in Tiananmen Square in June 1989 has become one of the few iconic news images of the 20th Century. Following the student pro-democracy uprising that was so brutally quashed by the Chinese Government, Widener's photograph made the front page of thousands of newspapers world wide.

Recently, he was invited by the BBC to return to Beijing for an anniversary interview about his experiences there two decades earlier.

"I felt a sinking sensation in my stomach when the BBC offered to fly me back. I had almost lost my life from a stray rock as demonstraters cornered a burning armored car, " said Jeff in an exclusive interview, " but a Nikon I was using absorbed the blow."

"I was rather shocked that my Chinese visa had been approved. I thought they must surely know who I am? My picture had caused the Chinese government more embarrassment than just about anything else in the last 20 years. I was concerned."

At the Jianguo Hotel where Widener and a group of other journalists had stayed in 1989, Jeff recalled events.

"The view was nothing like 1989. There were so many large office buildings and where were all the bicycles? Looking over the balcony I couldn't quite line up the same view with a 400mm lens. It looked like flag poles had been installed. Still, I could not help feeling an overwhelming sense of deja vous."

After leaving the Ap, Widener freelanced from the US mainland before joining the Honoloulou Advertiser newspaper as a staff photographer. He was recently honoured for his photographic contribution to the newspaper's seven-part investigative series telling the stories of native Hawai’ian women whose lives were forever changed by domestic violence. 'Crossing the line: Abuse in Hawai'i Homes' collected The Dart Awards for Excellence in Coverage of Trauma.

The awards recognize exemplary journalism on the impact of violence, crime, disaster and other traumatic events on individuals, families or communities and are team prizes, reflecting all the elements shaping an entry and contributing to its strength.

The Dart Center is a global network of journalists, journalism educators and health professionals dedicated to improving media coverage of trauma, conflict and tragedy.



Visitors, users and viewers of the foregoing content may copy and re-use it in other internet content sites on condition the source of all material so used is acknowledged with the attachment of the following.
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Olympus PEN Fifty years on

THE BEAUTY OF BIC

The best thing about the ubiquitous biro is its simplicity.

In France, Bic is the generic name of all such writing instruments. Flip the cap off a slender yellow plastic stalk and apply to paper. Usually, it works.

In 1959, the Olympus Optical Co Ltd., launched the Pen camera; a product designed for writing with light conceived around the principle of functional simplicity in a compact but elegant package. It worked and the company made and sold hundreds of thousands of the many different models of the Pen and Pen F half frame cameras produced over the next 20 odd years.

But half frame was nothing new. Other companies, in an effort to woo more customers to the miniature 35mm film format by marketing the advantage of economy to be gained from obtaining 72 frames from a single cassette instead of the normal 36, had launched similar products. Mostly, until Olympus launched the Pen series, half frame models were built around regular full frame cameras with the film gate and viewfinder masked off to the appropriate 18X24mm format.

Two factors point to reasons why the Pen series were so successful; the cameras were simple to operate and the D type Zuiko lenses were specially designed for the task of maximising image quality from such a small area of film.

Olympus had developed new D type objectives for its earlier medium format cameras and it continued to refine this technology as it researched new products in the early post-war decades. The whole concept of compact elegance and superb functionality would probably not have worked for Yoshihisa Maitani's 1970s Olympus OM system had it not been for the company's parallel development of new compact lenses designed for that system.

Now, Olympus hope to do it all over again.

Fifty years after launching the first Pen half frame model, the company's first Micro four-thirds digital camera is about to be unveiled. A steady stream of full page advertisements featuring the 1959 Pen camera and what appears to be a box covered in red silk or velvet have already appeared in print. Some readers, no doubt, may be struggling to retain composure in the face of such taunts. You will not have long to wait; June 25th has been slated as unveiling date.

The wind-up to this event promises something extra special. I don't want or mean to be a Killjoy, but the mathematical facts point more in the direction of something coming down the tube which will not be significantly better than the Panasonic G1/GH1, the company with whom Olympus are the development partner of the LIVEMos 4/3rds format sensor.

What aficionados of the Olympus brand can probably be sure of however, is that the company's new micro four-thirds camera will be blessed with a styling 'wow' factor. Will it be close to or mimic the revolutionary products like the Pen of 1959 or the Pen F launched in 1963?

The more I think about this aspect and the maths, the more I deviate away from the whole half frame (digital four-thirds.) concept. The Panasonic G1 styling is appealing for lots of reasons, not least of which is that the camera fits snugly and firmly in the hand. From an operational perspective however, the placement and size of certain function buttons compromises its aim to be small,compact, appealing and efficient.

What I would like to have seen coming from Olympus is a replica OM body into which has been shoehorned the electronic gubbins. Maitani's thinking produced a device that was approximately 30% smaller than a regular 1970s slr but the functionality of it was not impaired by its size or shape. If anything, it was enhanced. A Bic in another world.


Visitors, users and viewers of the foregoing content may copy and re-use it in other internet content sites on condition the source of all material so used is acknowledged with the attachment of the following.
Copyright; Jonathan Eastland
www.ajaxnetphoto.blogspot.com 2009.
www.ajaxnetphoto.com 2009.
This content may NOT be used in any media made available for commercial resale.
The products and companies named in this website content are trademarks , registered trademarks or servicemarks of their respective owners or licensed user.