Kodachrome 25 Slide Film

Dwayne’s Photo, the last lab in the U.S. (and so far as I can tell, in the whole world) to process Kodachrome slide film, will quit processing Kodachrome at the end of this month.  This is the end of an era. Your film must be in by noon on December 30.  After that date, it will no longer be possible to process Kodachrome slide film. If you want push processing, the deadline is December 23.

If you have Kodachrome you have been meaning to process, now’s the time to get at it. Check your film cameras just to be sure you haven’t forgotten any Kodachrome film.  If you have some Kodachrome you’ve been saving in the fridge for sentimental reasons, now’s the time to get it out, shoot it, and send it in. Don’t be late!

It was a sad day a year and a half ago when Kodak announced they would discontinue the production of Kodachrome, a wonderful film with a 75 year run.  My dad’s Kodachrome slides from the early 1950s look as good as the day they were taken.  His slides from the same time period on other kinds of slide film are fading fast (and being digitally scanned before they are gone forever). As long as it is stored in the dark, Kodachrome has the longest, archival life span of any film ever produced.

It is time for us all to sing a chorus of Paul’s Simon’s 1973 song “Kodachrome” (on YouTube). “Don’t take my Kodachrome away.”