To those asking why not Kodachrome or 120, a couple of observations.
- The E-6 processing needed for Ektachrome is already out there, to handle the Fujichrome films like Velvia that have stayed in production.
- Kodachrome processing requires a far larger scale facility: even while it existed, the USA was down to one Kodachrome developing plant while there were many E-6 processors.
- At the college where I teach, which has a strong visual arts program, I see lots of photography students using inexpensive 35mm format film cameras (for the almost exclusively B&W prints I see in student art shows), but I have not seen a single MF film camera in use. So though one might think that some of these darkroom printing fans would go for inexpensive second-hand MF gear, apparently very few do.
Two things:
1. yes, there was only one plant left during the closing down period, and that made sense within the circumstances. However, there were numeroius plants internationally before that decision, and I used two methods, in that for trips for UK clients I'd return to London, drive to and spend the night in Hemel Hempstead where Kodak did a 24hr Pro turnaround service. For non-pro work, i.e. personal, and sans time constraints, though I was actually based in Spain, I sent my Kodachrome to Switzerland because I found it a far cleaner service than Madrid seemed able to provide. The cost, to me, was identical;
2. I wouldn't base my viability numbers on students. Usually - who knows about the US, though - they were a pretty impecunious bunch and so the smaller the format the cheaper the better! However, for anyone contemplatinmg MF film, it's not
primarily going to be about cost, but quality expectations (note expectations, not always fact!). For older guys with functioning memory, it's probably not so much a quality issue but more about cherished equipment.
Unexpectedly, this brings me to a third point I hadn't thought about when I began: as I mentioned earlier, much of the pleasure of MF is derived from the use of the machines themselves and, with the same photographers also quite likely to be using decent digital cameras too, there isn't really all that need for very expensive,
dedicated 120 scanners unless very large printing is desired. Even with my modest 12mp D700 I have made very pleasing copies of 120 film with an old 2.8/105mm Nikkor micro that sit perfectly happily in the website along with 135 format scans and straight digital captures.
I do think, however, that Kodak has to be very clever with pricing: make it too exclusive and the pleasure of reusing old stuff can rapidly turn to loss of enthusiasm! It's the tools, not so much the medium, I think.
Rob C
