The End Of Kodachrome Film
CHICAGO (WBBM) - It's as much an American icon as Route 66 - and soon to be as extinct: Kodachrome film is no longer being made, and Thursday is the last day that existing Kodachrome film will be processed.
LISTEN: Newsradio 780's Steve Miller talked to a Chicago photographer who's mourning the loss.
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Picture that photograph that was on the cover of National Geographic - the Afghan girl with the wide eyes. That was Kodachrome, the "nice bright colors" that Paul Simon sang about.
No more. There's only one place left in the world that processes Kodachrome. A store in Kansas and this week, that's coming to an end.
"We're now seeing the passing of an era and this era will mean we'll have to adapt," and by "adapt," Chicago photographer Roth Mui means, "Compromising."
Mui is senior manager of pro-digital at Helix Camera here in Chicago, "There was nothing better than seeing a piece of Chrome film on a lightbox. I mean, that still even gives me thrills today when I see a 25-year-old Kodachrome on a lightbox."
He says Kodachrome is sharper than digital, "It'll have better color. It'll have more dynamic range so that you can actually see the vibrant colors of, like, underwater shots - I happen to be a scuba diver - and I love to be able to see the details and the colors of the fish."
It was digital that killed Kodachrome, Mui believes. Kodak stopped making the film. And the chemicals to process the film.
"We're going to mourn the passing just because those of us who've experienced Kodachrome know the value of it."
