Why 'chrome' ??

[Q.G.]

It is correct, but many early monochrome films had poorer red sensitivity, but they were fully chromatic in the case of Verichrome etc. Remember that Kodak made Verichrome right into the mid 1950's before introducing Verichrome Pan, many people preferred the look and feel of films like Verichrome it was particularly good for portraits. Adox/EFKE 25 is the closest in response to these older films.

Orthochromatic means not sensitive to the red end of the spectrum, athough the degree can vary.

Panchromatic means increased red sensitivity over films like Verichrome, Selochrome etc, Wratten & Wainwright also made Panchromatic plates before 1910, so did Lumiere.

Just about, i'd say.

First efforts were orthochromatic, only blue (and a bit of green) sensitive.
Panchromatic emulsions began to appear, and became common, in the 1910s, certainly 1920s. Verichrome was introduced in 1931, as one of the new generation of panchromatic (!) monochrome films.

The "chrome" in Autochrome however is not about spectral sensitivity, but about the image produced being in colour, and not monochromatic, and dates from the period that people were trying to figure out how to produce images in colour (1870s - 1890s).
The spectral sensitivity of the plates used however is another matter.

The use of the term "chrome" to denote slide films is due to the choice made by the manufacturers to give their slide films the "chrome" suffix, their colour negative films the "color" suffix.
Not a hard and fast rule, but still the origin of "chrome = slide".

[Ian Grant]

Just about, i'd say.

First efforts were orthochromatic, only blue (and a bit of green) sensitive.
Panchromatic emulsions began to appear, and became common, in the 1910s, certainly 1920s. Verichrome was introduced in 1931, as one of the new generation of panchromatic (!) monochrome films.

That misses out the bulk of films made between the early 1900's and WWII, many were made right up to the 50's. These were also usually the company's highest selling films.

Verichrome was never a Panchromatic film, neither version, Mees was involved with both the Wratten & later Kodak version, it was only replaced by Verichrome Pan in 1956. Kodak's equivalent speed (roughly) Pan film in the 30's was Panatomic.

In between true Orthochromatic (Blue/green sensitive) and Panchromatic are the sub class of films with extended (high) sensitivities to Green , Yellow and often bordering on reds, it's these that the big manufacturers called "chrome"

Some B&W Chrome films.

Wrattern & Wainwright - Verichrome, Allochrome
Kodak - Verichrome
Agfa - Isochrom
Ilford - Selochrome
Bauchet - Hyperchromw
Voigthlander - Bessachrom (made by Gevaert)
and there would be others.



Ian

[gr82bart]

I'd suggest the greek word for colour (χρώμα - chroma).

What he said plus a marketing exec or two along the way.

[Q.G.]

Still: "The use of the term "chrome" to denote slide films is due to the choice made by the manufacturers to give their slide films the "chrome" suffix, their colour negative films the "color" suffix.
Not a hard and fast rule, but still the origin of "chrome = slide"."

[EASmithV]

IT'S BECAUSE IT'S SHINY!!! GAWD!!!

[David Brown]

..

[BetterSense]

I don't think it's ever going to catch on, myself.

[jnanian]

when the autochrome came out
did they refer to them as chromes?
or did they refer to them as diapositives (coined in 1893 ) ...

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diapositives

[Larry.Manuel]

Thomas wrote: "I'd suggest the greek word for colour (χρώμα - chroma)." That suggestion isn't gaining much acceptance here.

[Q.G.]

Thomas wrote: "I'd suggest the greek word for colour (χρώμα - chroma)." That suggestion isn't gaining much acceptance here.

It is generally accepted, as far as i can see.

But it is the answer to the wrong question: the question is not what "chrome" is a derivation of, but why slides are called chromes.
And that is not because "chroma" is greek for colour.