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Posts Tagged ‘revival’

Analog revival rolls on: Rollei Vario Chrome slide film coming soon

28 Jun

Dear film photographers! Rollei Vario Chrome 135-36 is a medium to high-speed color reversal film that is intended for photography under low-level daylight illumination or under other light sources using proper filtration. Rollei Vario Chrome has a medium degree of sharpness, its image results are characterized by a slightly visible grain and a warmish image tone. As the name of the film suggests it has a broad exposure latitude from 200 to 400 ISO (DX coded at 320 ISO). If you intend to project the slides we suggest to shoot the film at 200 ISO whereas 320-400 ISO is preferable for scanning applications. Pre-sale will start next week on Monday July 3rd. We expect the supplies to arrive in week 28 so that we’ll be able to start shipping between July 10th and 14th. We hope you’ll like the film as much as we do and thank you all for the support.

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Well this is some unexpected, but exciting news: German photography shop and producer of Rollei-branded film, Maco Direct, has announced Rollei Vario Chrome 135-36. It’s an ISO 320 color reversal film stock with medium sharpness and a warm tone, which sounds perfect for grey Seattle days.

That brings the count to four new, reformulated or resurrected film stocks that will become available this year. The others include: Kodak Ektachrome, Ferrania P30 b/w film, and a reformulation of LomoChrome Purple 400 film. Not to mention Lomography also announced three new single-use cameras and German film maker ADOX announced it will doubled the size of its film plant. All this means more options for analog diehards.

You can pre-order a roll (or more) of Rollei Vario Chrome come July 3rd, and orders will begin shipping as soon as the middle of the month. Of course, it makes some sense to wait and see what images from this new film look like, unless you’re the gambling type. In that case, please share your results as soon as possible.

Has this Rollei news whet your appetite for film? Here are 10 excellent, affordable film cameras that are easy to track down and get started with.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Analog revival? Increase in film sales spurs Kodak to bring back Ektachrome

06 Jan
A box of Ektachrome. Photo via Wikimedia commons

The list of discontinued film stocks is lengthy and after Kodak pulled the plug on our beloved Kodachrome, it seemed like any film could be next on the chopping block. But perhaps those dark days are behind us because today Kodak announced the company will be bringing back a different film stock: Ektachrome.

Discontinued in 2012, Kodak’s decision to raise it from the dead is directly related to a recent increase in demand for analog film. Yep, you read that right. So does this mean that film photography is about to start down a similar path of revival as we’ve seen from vinyl records, which are currently selling at a 25 year high? We sure wouldn’t mind.

From the Kodak announcement:

“Sales of professional photographic films have been steadily rising over the last few years, with professionals and enthusiasts rediscovering the artistic control offered by manual processes and the creative satisfaction of a physical end product. The reintroduction of one of the most iconic films is supported by the growing popularity of analog photography and a resurgence in shooting film. Resurgence in the popularity of analog photography has created demand for new and old film products alike.”

Ektachrome is a color reversal film and was first developed in the 1940’s. Used for decades by National Geographic photographers, it’s been long favored it due to its fine grain and excellent color reproduction.

So come the end of 2017, you’ll once again be able to pick up a 35mm roll of it. And you’ve likely got a bearded, glasses-wearing hipster with a turntable to thank for that.

What do you think of the prospect of an analog revival? Let us know in the comments.

Kodak Brings Back a Classic with EKTACHROME Film

Las Vegas, NV, Thursday, January 05, 2017 —

To the delight of film enthusiasts across the globe, Eastman Kodak Company today announced plans to bring back one of its most iconic film stocks. Over the next 12 months, Kodak will be working to reformulate and manufacture KODAK EKTACHROME Film for both motion picture and still photography applications. Initial availability is expected in the fourth quarter of 2017.

KODAK EKTACHROME Film has a distinctive look that was the choice for generations of cinematographers before it was discontinued in 2012. The film is known for its extremely fine grain, clean colors, great tones and contrasts.

“It is such a privilege to reintroduce KODAK EKTRACHROME Film to the cinematography community,” said Steven Overman, Kodak’s chief marketing officer and president of the Consumer and Film Division. “We are seeing a broad resurgence of excitement about capturing images on film. Kodak is committed to continuing to manufacture film as an irreplaceable medium for image creators to capture their artistic vision. We are proud to help bring back this classic.”

Kodak will produce EKTACHROME at its film factory in Rochester, N.Y., and will market and distribute the Super 8 motion picture film version of EKTACHROME Film directly.

Kodak Alaris, an independent company since 2013, also plans to offer a still format KODAK PROFESSIONAL EKTACHROME Film for photographers in 135-36x format. KODAK PROFESSIONAL EKTACHROME Film is a color positive film, also known as “reversal,” “slide,” or “transparency” film. Unlike all of the other KODAK PROFESSIONAL Films available today, which are color negative films, EKTACHROME generates a positive image that can be viewed or projected once it is exposed and processed. This makes it ideal for high-resolution projection or presentations. It is also well suited for scanning and printing onto a range of professional-grade photographic media. Availability is expected in the fourth quarter of 2017.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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