Interested in Kodachrome 64

[cigrainger]

I'm going to Mexico City for a few days with my dad in one week. I'm going to shoot slide film and b/w because I prefer the look, I like the archival quality, and I don't want my digital stolen.

I will be bringing my Pentax Spotmatic, Pentax ME-F, a tripod, my M42 Super Takumar 50/1.4, my SMC Pentax M 50/1.7, my SMC Pentax M 200/3.5, and I may get an M42 Super Takumar 35/3.5 or 28/3.5. I will bring a warming filter for shooting in shade with the slide film, but most of what I'm going to shoot will be out in bright sunlight.

Namely, architectural shots in Mexico City, the Pyramids, the Volcanoes. I will do street stuff, but that will mostly be b/w.

So anyway... from what I've heard, Kodachrome 64 is close to unmatched in accurate color reproduction and high natural contrast. I've heard it is the most archival film you can buy, so long as it's kept in the dark.

I'm really interested in shooting Kodachrome 64 on my Mexico trip, and I think it would be awesome to see what shots in 1964 would look like, as that's the year my Spotmatic is from, and I'm sure Kodachrome was popular then.

I've heard Velvia 100F lacks the vibrant reds of Velvia 50, and I have seen it produce orange instead of red in some flower shots I took at the botanical gardens. I'm worried about red reproduction in Mexican landscapes.

My questions are really, if I send Kodachrome 64 directly to Dwayne's, how long should it take? And, if I'm used to shooting Velvia/Provia, would Provia provide similar accuracy in color reproduction? Because obviously, Provia is much more convenient to get developed than Kodachrome. How about Astia?

Should I hold on the Kodachrome until after my Mexico trip, in case my inexperience with the emulsion leads to improperly exposed film?

 

[montresor]

Never shot Kodachrome myself (been meaning to correct that omission), but other people posting in various places here indicate they've had roughly a 5-day turnaround from Dwayne's. Which sounds pretty good to me.

 

[cigrainger]

Never shot Kodachrome myself (been meaning to correct that omission), but other people posting in various places here indicate they've had roughly a 5-day turnaround from Dwayne's. Which sounds pretty good to me.

Sounds pretty good to me as well. I suppose I could shoot a couple rolls of Provia along with some Kodachrome, and send the Provia along for the ride to Dwayne's. I've heard they do great work.

 

[selmerdave]

I sent a set of five rolls to Dwayne's a couple of months ago. Sent from the post office airmail on a Tuesday morning. They were on my doorstep processed and mounted that same Saturday. So from that perspective I can definitely highly recommend them. One of the reasons it's quick is because they return them by USPS priority mail (you can pay extra for FedEx if you want), and because of that there is a $5 base charge for shipping. That's a bit of a hit if you're sending one roll, but add'l rolls are only $.50 so five rolls was $7 shipping total, which is much more cost effective. So bring several rolls, shoot everything, and then send them to Dwayne's.

Kodachrome is I think less "euphoric" than Fuji films, and if you're looking for over-the-top colours and "jaw-dropping" photos Velvia might be more what you're looking for. But personally I prefer the realistic and natural presentation of Kodachrome which gives beautiful colours and great detail. The one thing I would say is perhaps a little more than some other films be careful about underexposing skin tones, which tend to end up rather gray. Properly exposed they look great and natural.

Dave