K-14 (Kodachrome) and Cibachrome Print Possibility in Berlin, Germany

[stealthman_1]

Originally Posted by railwayman3

And this with a film which is discontinued, in limited and finate supply, all of which is many years outdated and, even if frozen, steadily deteriorating.

Well if my recent success with two different rolls of Ektar 25 which expired in 1992 are any indication, I don't think that deterioration amounts to a hill of beans. I think the key to anyone being vaguely successful (financially) if they can do 120 PKR is that the target audience has a decent window of time to shoot the film, a reasonable assurance it will be worth their effort, and cost for processing isn't obscenely prohibitive. Since people are regularly paying $30 to $50 per roll for 135 HIE, I would think processing below $30 would be somewhat palatable.

[EASmithV]

Originally Posted by sinnlicht

Regrettably Uli has renounced his intention, citing his uncertainty of being able to guarantee quality control. Many thanks for your contributions.

Richard

damnation

[dk_samurai]

Originally Posted by EASmithV

damnation

Indeed!!!

[pentaxuser]

Originally Posted by sinnlicht

Regrettably Uli has renounced his intention, citing his uncertainty of being able to guarantee quality control. Many thanks for your contributions.

Richard

I take it from this statement that Uli had already amassed all the necessary equipmentat considerable expense? Can you say what factors made him uncertain of guaranteeing quality control? A summary of how far he got with the project would be interesting. It's a pity that his renouncing of his intention after exciting a lot on interest is simply a one line statement and without any direct contribution from Uli on his thoughts on his eventual decision to abandon the project.

I wonder what he is going to do with all the equipment which I presume he has obtained at considerable expense to prepare for the establishment of a Kodachtrome lab? Is he now thousands of euros out of pocket?

It's always interesting to hear about business plans for the continuation of an analogue process and the background of those prepared to risk money on such ventures be he a chemist/ engineer or simple entrepreneur with an idea

Thanks

pentaxuser

[Ian Grant]

pentaxuser, it's a long time since I heard your Dulcet Daventry accent

Reality is how could any lab produce a business plan to invest in outdated equipment to process a film that's apparently no longer manufactured, although there's still uncut warehoused film.

However if a de-commissioned processing line was available at a scrap/knock-down price and a chemist was available to bypass relying totally onKodak there might be a short window of opportunity.

Today I was reading about Dupont's Bi-pack Colour film 1934/5 very interesting as it actually use two films in the same 35mm cassette, emulsion to emulsion, and they went through the film path/pressure plate of Leica's, Contax's and Exacta's etc with no problems, Kodachrome also started as a Bipack film and unfortunately the Tri-pack will soon join other obsolete processes in the history of Photography.

Ian

[pentaxuser]

Thanks Ian. I am just curious as to the business plan and presumably the amount of planning and expenditure that went in to the projectonly then just to see it suddenly stopped with a one line response. Any investment in an analogue process with such an uncertain future is certainly a brave act given what I have read on this thread about the difficulties.

Maybe it's programmes like the Dragon's Den on BBC that has given me interest in the background to entrepreneurs' thinking and I'd welcome some more information. Pity that we can't hear directly from Uli, whom I presume to be the initiator of the idea with Sinnlicht as his agent/PR man but if Uli doesn't want to enlighten us then I am sure that more than just me would welcome a short history and background to Uli's idea from the OP.

Uli may well be known in Germany for his Kodachrome work and lab in Berlin, I think, but I know nothing about him and would welcome any information about another source of analogue photography service. APUG may well represent the main section of analogue users in the world these days and Uli or Sinnlicht presumably thought likewise as it seems as if the size of the APUG response was to be the main determinant in whether the project went ahead but that changed when it seems that a technical issue of not being able to guarantee Quality Control became the reason for the idea's non initiation.

It's all speculation on my part and maybe those others on APUG who are curious and will remain so unless Sinnlicht can add to his one line explanation of the idea's "death"

pentaxuser