Dating of 8mm Kodachrome processed reels from the 50's?

[Klio Hobbs]

I'm currently digitizing about 100 reels of Kodachrome family movies from the 50's. I have been trying to get these in chronological order and generally have had good luck. Here are my assumptions about Kodak film packaging/processing from those times. First of all, quite a few of the boxes (and they are all in their original processing boxes (3" x 4" x 1", these were the boxes that the magazines were sold in..)...including the .02 and .03 cent postage from the Chicago lab..!!) have a nicely printed date on the box...might be 1954 for example, these are I am certain, a "Process by...." date. In addition, most of these have a stamped date inside the flap of the box and this includes a month and year...printed in light red ink. Those are, I'm sure, the actual processing date. In addition to these boxes, I have about 3 dozen smaller boxes from Kodak...these are the exact size of the 8mm film reel (3" x 3" x 1/2")...and most of these boxes have no date at all on them. They are a mix of 'regular 8mm" and Super8, so I know the Super8 would be post 1965.

So...I'm pleased that all of these rolls are in their original boxes...(I was the photographer for most of these rolls)...and many of them have had written 'content' labels also on the box. Of course, making the judgement of how old a person looks in one reel as compared with another reel IS part of the process of doing this. I'm also happy that all of this trove has been stored in that proverbial "cool, dry and dark" place...so the Kodachrome colors are all still bright and true.

I've noticed that the 'tail end' of most of these rolls have some sort of coding holes punched in the film. I spent a big part of my career working for IBM, so I'm quite familiar with BCD (Binary Coded Digit) numbering, but I've not been able to 'crack this code'...!!

So...I'd appreciate any thoughts any of the Members might have about this dating issue...

[Ed Gordon]

The following table has compiled by Robin Williams of the East Anglian Film Archive.
Codes are located outside the perforations of Kodak motion picture film stock and refer
to the date the film was manufactured. When possible, codes are taken from Eastman
Kodak documentation. When Kodak lists are not available, alternative markings have
been established by examining films with known dates.

Source: http://www.filmforever.org/Edgecodes.pdf

Kodak Edge Codes.pdf

[Maurice Leakey]

Ed
The date coding as indicated only refers to commercial film stock intended for positive release printing.

[Brian Fretwell]

One of my Kodakchrome Super8 camera films as has the 1988 code from this chart on it. I just checked.

[Ed Gordon]

Here is another chart. date edge codes from Kodak and Dupont chart.pdf

[Klio Hobbs]

Thanks guys, for all of this info...I have not yet verified my film, but I can see the "Eastman Kodak" that is edge printed. I'll have to find some "Vision Enhancement" equipment to examine this more closely. Just knowing the film "Birthday" would help a lot in getting into the ball park...!!

[Maurice Leakey]

Klio
I use a jewellers loupe for close examination of film frames.
Here is one for sale in the US.
30X Jewelers Loupe Magnifier Jewelry Eye Loop Pocket Magnifying Glass Coins Gems 676307329955 | eBay

[Brian Fretwell]

If you are in a hurry a projector lens is also good to use for that. That's what I do.

[Klio Hobbs]

A follow up....with a big Thank YOU!!!....to all who left great info about this subject....here is where I am now...

First thing I did was to rummage through my darkroom gear with the distant memory that "somewhere" I had one of those Agfa Loupes...the kind with the clear bottom part, a black top...and 8X magnification. To my delight, I found it quickly....but then faced a problem of how to hold the small 8mm film strips in a steady place along with having the strip lit from behind, while I scanned it with the loupe. I knew I had "someplace around here" an old 'slide sorter' that I thought might work, but a couple of minutes of searching came up empty. But fortunately, as I was checking my eMail on my iPad, it occurred to me that I was essentially holding in my hands, a 'light table'...or 'light box'...! I found a blank 'page' on the iPad, laid it flat on the table...and I was in business..! The screen area was plenty large enough to hold the strips of 8mm film and move the Agfa viewer along the edge. Within a few seconds I had located the "Kodachrome" designation, and then the "Kodak" name....with....a small square box imprinted right after it...!! Hurray...!

According to one of the charts..(Thanks Ed..!), it dated that roll of film as having been manufactured in 1957 and that sure corresponds with my memory of the people and events that are pictured in the images. Having the "Manufactured" date...along, in many cases, the "Process by" date sure helps to identify a period of a few years as the 'taken' date. All of this sure reminds me of how useful the EXIF data with be in years to come...but I'm so thankful that back in Mid-Century of the 1900's, the technology of 8mm home movie making existed. These glimpses of those days of my family life will be extremely valuable to the current..and future, generations.

Thanks again for everyone's help....I'm sure I will be needing more advice as I move along through this.

[Brian Fretwell]

Some image processing programs remove the EXIF data on images saved from them, so be careful.

[Klio Hobbs]

Some image processing programs remove the EXIF data on images saved from them, so be careful.

Yes Brian, I'm aware of that...and since I do "edits" on most of my posted photos, it appears that PhotoShop does carry the EXIF data along with the pix...in any case, I always save all of my images in original formats...I shoot dual images in both RAW and .jpg..so those should be OK...as long as they last in storage... Your point is well taken and some people, for reasons of their own, prefer to have "bare" photos in any public post. I guess that's to keep others from imitating their style?