8mm Forum: Do Kodak process very old K40?

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Posted by Adrian Winchester (Member # 248) on August 24, 2005, 01:27 PM:

I've come across an unused roll of K40 I have with a use by date of 1995. Seems a shame to waste it - even if the colour balance has declined, I could try shooting one or two titles or even settle for some black leader!

I wondered if anyone knows if Kodak would process a roll that old (if I sent it to the right address) or do they draw the line at any stage and say that a film is too old?

Posted by John Clancy (Member # 49) on August 24, 2005, 01:29 PM:

They'll still process it.

Posted by Adrian Winchester (Member # 248) on August 24, 2005, 01:44 PM:

Thanks, John.

Incidentally, can anyone predict the way which the picture from old stock of this sort, not kept cool, might turn out differently to current stock?

Posted by Maurizio Di Cintio (Member # 144) on August 24, 2005, 01:58 PM:

This is my experience.

I got five rolls of K40 along with a Leicina. The expiry date was in 1992. I kept them in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks, then shot them and sent to process promptly. Guess what! Apart from a few occasional dark spots (like dirt or dust), they came out really beautifully with rich saturated colours and execellent contrast. So shoot it the same way and you won't regret it.

Posted by David Roberts (Member # 197) on August 24, 2005, 02:50 PM:

I bought a canon 514 sound camera off e bay,it came with a kodachrome sound cartridge dated 1982!!!
And guess what?
I havnt used it yet,but have every intension of doing so.I know this is pushing things a bit,but ive nothing to loose.

David

Posted by Tom Photiou (Member # 130) on August 24, 2005, 03:20 PM:

Our own experiences have always been very good, we had a film with a date past the use by of 8 years. They proscessed it and the colour was perfect. I guess the only problems would occur if the stock was stored in a loft or near a heater of some description. 1982 is very old so i wouldnt like to say on that one. Mind you Kodak for me seem to be at the top for colour. Only beaten by IB technicolour [Wink]

Posted by John Whittle (Member # 22) on August 24, 2005, 07:20 PM:

The most important thing for Kodak is that the process is correct. There have been over a dozen different processing schemes since Kodachrome was introduced. The box should say something like "Process K-14" (I think that was the last one). It that's what they're running then you're OK. There is a film lab in Denver (I think) that will process out of date film with out of date processes. In the case of old Kodachrome II which was process K-12, they'll give you back a black and white negative (that can't do the color coupling, etc). They also do ancient Anscochrome/Ektachrome. This is for people that film a camera loaded with exposed film after Uncle Charlie or Aunt Helda dies and must see what's on the film.

Kodachrome film if it's resonablly stored seems to be able to produce decent pictures even when it's 5 years or more out of date. This is probably because the film doesn't contain any couplers or color dyes and all of that is added in processing--the camera film is really three black and white negatives stacked between color seperation filter layers.

John

Posted by Winbert Hutahaean (Member # 58) on August 25, 2005, 02:01 AM:

I once used 3 years old outdated films but stored in the hot and humid country like here. The result was greenish!

In relation with processing, since Kodak will cease its production this year, when is the last they will take our films before they are closing down the service?

I just bought tens brandnew K-40s and only want to process it through Kodak, since they are subsidising the shipping cost.

Thanks,

Posted by David Pannell (Member # 300) on August 25, 2005, 01:24 PM:

Some time back, I found an old spool of Kodachrome 25 Standard 8 cine film in the back of a wardrobe. It had fallen down behind a ledge. It was about 15 years old! I shot it recently at a motorcycle track day at Brands Hatch where my son was riding and it was as near perfect as you could imagine.

Go for it!

Dave.

Posted by Stephen Kent Jusick (Member # 153) on August 27, 2005, 04:09 AM:

I shot some 10 year old Kodachrome 40 earlier this summer, and some of it tunred out a little faded, or pinkish, much to my surprise. I have no idea how the film was stored before I acquired it, but I'm sure that affected it.

As for how long it will be processed, I think Kodak has said they will process it for a good while after the inventory is depleted (possibly a year). Dwaynes of Kansas has said it has no plans to stop processing K40, so it seems that even after Kodak closes up shop, there will be alterantives. There are also people in France negotiating with Kodak to set up a lab there, independently owned, to keep Kodachrome processing alive. So we'll see....

SKJ

Posted by Winbert Hutahaean (Member # 58) on August 27, 2005, 05:16 AM:

Hi Stephen,
I just wanted to send my films to Kodak, due to the shipping cost is subsidised by them. I live in Fiji and I usually sent the cartridges only to Austrlia (cost me US$1.5), eventhough we all know that my catridges will be forwarded to Swiszerland. And after processing, the Swiss' Lab will send them back right to my front door for free. What's huge saving I got here. If I send to an independent Lab, shipping cost only will be around US$20 v.v.

So, if Kodak ceases the production in 2005 when it will stop that processing service.

I knew when AGFA Ektachrome stopped their market in 1992, they still processed it until 1994. In fact, in 1994 they made an advertisment to call all unprocessed film. Will Kodak do this too?

thanks,

Posted by Adrian Winchester (Member # 248) on August 28, 2005, 12:19 PM:

Thanks for all the replies - fascinating reading.

According to an article by Tony Schapps in the latest 'Film For The Collector', current K40 stock indicates that it sould be used by the end of 1997, and that is also the latest when Kodak will process it. So no need to panic yet.

David - amazing to hear about your Kodak Std 8 reel. So Kodak will even process Std 8 if necessary? They must have hung on to some Std 8 50' reels!

Adrian

Posted by Winbert Hutahaean (Member # 58) on August 28, 2005, 09:11 PM:

Adrian,
Did you say 1997 or 2007!?
If 2007, I am still OK since only ten reels I bought. I was thinking of making stock more than 10 if KODAK still take the processing after 2007, but seems it will not, wiil it?

You know, now my wife is smilling with this "disaster" since her plan to buy DV camera cannot be avoided.

cheers,

Posted by David Pannell (Member # 300) on August 29, 2005, 03:08 AM:

Adrian,

I don't know if Kodak themselved did it, or if they sent it somewhere else. It didn't have a 'Kodak' brand leader, but a plain white one. It's my guess they probably had another lab do it.

Anyway, I always send my Standard 8 films to John Schwind for processing now.

Dave.

Posted by Jan Bister (Member # 332) on August 29, 2005, 08:26 AM:

You know - back in the late 80s whenever I sent K40 film in for processing, it always came back with a plain white leader attached. I never saw the red Kodak writing and the centered line on any leader except for other people's (very old) films, which were often standard 8mm.

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