Ektachrome#Ektachrome variants

File:Kodak Ektachrome F 35mm Slide Film - Expired February 1963.jpg

File:High Speed Ektachrome 1970s 35mm Film.jpg

File:Ektachrome 100 Slide Film.jpg

File:Kodak Elite Chrome 160T Cassette.jpg]]

File:Kodak EKTACHROME100 2018.jpg

File:Skylab 3 Close-Up - GPN-2000-001711.jpg space station taken with a hand-held 70 mm Hasselblad camera using a 100 mm lens and SO-368 medium speed Ektachrome film]]

Ektachrome, initially developed in the early 1940s, allowed professionals and amateurs alike to process their own films. It also made color reversal film more practical in larger formats, and the Kodachrome Professional film in sheet sizes was later discontinued.

High Speed Ektachrome, announced in 1959The New York Times: "Color Film Rated at 160 Announced by Kodak", March 29, 1959. provided an ASA 160 color film,{{cite web|url=https://www.photomemorabilia.co.uk/Colour_Darkroom/Early_Kodak_Ektachrome.html|title=Early Kodak Ektachrome|website=www.photomemorabilia.co.uk}} which was much faster than Kodachrome. In 1968, Kodak started offering push processing of this film, allowing it to be used at ASA 400.The New York Times: "Photo Trade Show Opens", February 25, 1968.

Whereas the development process used by Kodachrome is technically intricate and beyond the means of amateur photographers and smaller photographic labs, Ektachrome processing is simpler, and small professional labs could afford equipment to develop the film. Many process variants (designated E-1 through E-6) were used to develop it over the years. Modern Ektachrome films are developed using the E-6 process,{{cite web|url=http://www.kodak.com/global/en/professional/support/techPubs/e27/e27.pdf|title=StackPath|website=www.kodak.com}} which can be carried out by small labs or by a keen amateur using a basic film tank and tempering bath to maintain the temperature at 100 °F (38 °C).

Several years before Ektachrome's discontinuation, some of Kodak's consumer E-6 films were rebranded as Elite Chrome. In late 2009, Kodak announced the discontinuation of Ektachrome 64T (EPY) and Ektachrome 100 Plus (EPP) films, citing declining sales. On February 4, 2011, Kodak announced the discontinuance of Ektachrome 200 on its website. On March 1, 2012, Kodak announced the discontinuance of three color Ektachrome films.{{cite web|url=http://www.kodak.com/global/en/professional/products/colorReversalIndex.jhtml?pq-path=1229 |title=KODAK PROFESSIONAL Color Reversal Films | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120108120232/http://www.kodak.com/global/en/professional/products/colorReversalIndex.jhtml?pq-path=1229 |archive-date=January 8, 2012}} In December 2012 Kodak announced its discontinuance of Ektachrome 100D color reversal movie film in certain formats.{{cite web|url=http://motion.kodak.com/motion/uploadedFiles/PCN120312_Q.pdf |title=Kodak Ektachrome 100D Color Reversal: Film 5285 / 7285 Discontinued |publisher=Motion.kodak.com |access-date=May 14, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102221744/http://motion.kodak.com/motion/uploadedFiles/PCN120312_Q.pdf |archive-date=November 2, 2013 }} By late 2013, all Ektachrome products were discontinued.

On September 25, 2018, Kodak announced that the 35 mm format of Ektachrome was again available, while Super 8 and 16 mm motion picture versions would be available later.{{Cite web|url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/kodaks-retro-ektachrome-film-arrives-after-a-long-wait/ar-AAACg54|title=Kodak's retro Ektachrome film arrives after a long wait|last=Shah|first=Saqib|date=September 25, 2018|website=www.msn.com|language=en-US|access-date=September 26, 2018}}

{{see also|E-6 process}}

Although Kodachrome is often considered a superior film due to its archival qualities and color palette, advances in dye and coupler technology blurred the boundaries between the differing processes, along with Kodak having abandoned Kodachrome research and development after the mid-1990s. Furthermore, the developing of Kodachrome always required a complex, fickle process requiring an on-site analytical lab and typically required a turnaround of several days to allow for shipping times. By contrast, small professional labs have been able to process Ektachrome on-site since the 1950s, with product safety and effluent discharge having been drastically improved since the 1970s, when Kodak reformulated their entire color chemistry lineup. It is even possible for amateur labs to process Ektachrome within an hour using a rotary tube processor (made by Jobo, WingLynch or PhotoTherm), sink-line, or even by hand inversion in a small drum and E-2,{{cite book|last1=Bagby|first1=Robert|title=Anscochrome and Ektachrome Home Processing|date=1961|publisher=AmPhoto|oclc=2935516}} E-4, and E-6 processing chemistry kits were sold for home darkrooms.

• Before Process AR-5 there was EA-5 for aero film. This is a hot version of E-4 and similar to ME-4 for Ektachrome motion picture film.
• E-6 was made available to the public in 1975, but only the pro films were available at the time. There were some color stability ("keeping") issues to verify before the amateur films could be released.
• E-7 is the "mix-it-yourself" version of E-6. Functionally it was equivalent, but there were a few differences.
• ES-8 is a special process for one type of Super 8mm movie film. It was introduced in 1975.

There were some other Ektachrome processes for 16 mm motion picture films:

• ME-2A
• ECO-2
• EC0-3
• E-89
• E-99
• VNF-1 ("Video News Film", as this film was originally introduced for 16 mm news gathering)
• RVNP
• CRI-1

The following processes are used for amateur Ektachrome super 8 mm movie film:

• Ektachrome Movie process introduced in 1971 (movies without movie lights). The process was later designated EM-24
• EM-25 is the mix-it-yourself version of EM-24.
• EM-26 is the updated process for improved Ektachrome super 8 films introduced in 1981.
• EM-27 is the mix-it-yourself version of EM-26.

; E-1: Initial Ektachrome process for sheet and roll film (1946 – {{circa|1950s}})The New York Times:"News Along Camera Row", February 9, 1947.{{cite web|url=http://www.photomemorabilia.co.uk/Colour_Darkroom/Early_Kodak_Ektachrome.html |title=Early Kodak Ektachrome |publisher=Photomemorabilia.co.uk |date=April 25, 2015 |access-date=May 14, 2015}}

; E-2: Updated Ektachrome process for roll film and 135 film (1955–1966).The New York Times: "A Faster Color Film", January 2, 1955.Popular Photography: "Tools and techniques: 35mm & Bantam Ektachrome", March 1955.The New York Times: "Ektachrome in 120–620 Announced by Kodak ", July 3, 1955. A 1959 modification was called "improved" E-2.{{cite web|url=https://www.photomemorabilia.co.uk/Colour_Darkroom/Early_Kodak_Ektachrome.html#anchor2b|title=Early Kodak Ektachrome|website=www.photomemorabilia.co.uk}}

; E-3: Updated "professional" Ektachrome process for sheet film and Kodak EP professional rollfilm (1959 to 1976)

; E-4: Updated Ektachrome process for roll film and 135 film (1966–1996, see note)The New York Times: "One Solution Processing is Theme of New Volume". July 3, 1966. E-4 was better at resisting fading than the earlier processes, with a life around 30 years.{{cite web|url=https://www.digitalrev.com/article/ektachrome-a-look-back|title=DigitalRev – Focus on photography|website=DigitalRev|date=January 25, 2017}}

; E-5: Research project, only saw minor use in a revised form as the aerial film process AR-5

; E-6: Current Ektachrome process used for all major color reversal films and formats, first released in 1977. The conditioner, bleach and stabilizer baths were modified in the mid-1990s to remove the formaldehyde from the stabilizer: This change was indicated by changing the names of the conditioner step to pre-bleach step, and the stabilizer step to the final rinse step; E-6P: Used for push processing of Kodak Ektachrome films in general, and particularly for Kodak Ektachrome EPH ISO 1600 film,{{cite web|url=http://www.kodak.com/global/en/professional/support/techPubs/e147/e147.jhtml |format=PDF |title=Kodak Ektachrome P1600 : Technical Data |publisher=Kodak.com |access-date=May 14, 2015}} which has a speed of ISO 400 in normal E6, but is exposed at EI 1600 and push processed two stops in the first developer bath (10:00 @100.0 °F) to achieve the ISO 1600 speed rating. (It is natural for a faster film to require a longer first development time. This is sacrificed in the case of most color processing for consistency in processing, especially in machine processing.)

Other film manufacturers use their own designations for nearly identical processes. They include Fujifilm's process CR-55 (E-4) and CR-56 (cross-licensed with Kodak's process E-6; but with slight variations in the first developer); and the now-discontinued Agfachrome and Konica's CRK-2 (E-6 equivalent).

The E-4 process was generally discontinued after 1977, although continued in use for Kodak PCF (Photomicrography Color Film) until the 1980s, and for Kodak IE (Color Infra-red film) until 1996. This was due to a legal commitment by Kodak to provide the process for 30 years.

The Ektachrome process differs significantly from the Agfa Process AP-41, used generally until 1983 to develop films such as Agfachrome CT18 and 50s Professional.

The Washington (W) Processing Lab operated between 1967 and July 1999. The lab facility was located in Montgomery County at the address of 1 Choke Cherry Road, Rockville, Maryland.{{cite web |url=http://www.mde.state.md.us/assets/document/brownfields/Former_Kodak.pdf |title=Former Kodak Processing Plant Property : Voluntary Cleanup Program |publisher=Mde.state.md.us |access-date=May 14, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304031207/http://www.mde.state.md.us/assets/document/brownfields/Former_Kodak.pdf |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |url-status=dead }}

The Palo Alto (P) California Processing Lab was located at 925 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto, California.{{cite web|url=http://start.cortera.com/company/research/l1k1jsn7p/kodak-processing-lab/ |title=Kodak Processing Lab, 925 PAGE MILL RD, PALO ALTO, California (CA) – Company Profile |publisher=Start.cortera.com |date=June 26, 2014 |access-date=May 14, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518102756/http://start.cortera.com/company/research/l1k1jsn7p/kodak-processing-lab/ |archive-date=May 18, 2015 }}

The Rochester (R) New York Processing Lab was located at Kodak Park in Rochester, New York.

There were also Kodak processing laboratories in other locations, including Chicago, (Illinois), Hollywood, (California-H), Atlanta (Georgia), Findlay (Ohio), Toronto (Canada) and Hemel Hempstead (England).

On January 5, 2017, Kodak Alaris announced that Ektachrome would return{{cite web|url=https://www.kodak.com/bd/en/corp/Blog/Blog_Post/?contentId=4295004769|title=StackPath|website=www.kodak.com}} in both ISO 100 35 mm still frame and Super 8 motion picture formats, before the end of the year.{{cite web|url=http://www.thephoblographer.com/2017/01/05/exclusive-kodak-ektachrome-100-is-coming-back-in-35mm-format/| title=Kodak Ektachrome 100 is coming back in 35mm format| date=January 5, 2017| publisher=thePhoblographer.com| access-date=January 5, 2017}} However, the release date was later pushed to 2018 after it was discovered certain materials used in its manufacture were now unavailable, requiring a reformulation.{{cite web|url=https://petapixel.com/2017/11/15/kodaks-ektachrome-reboot-track-despite-46m-loss-425-layoffs/|title=Kodak's Ektachrome Reboot is on Track Despite $46M Loss and 425 Layoffs|website=petapixel.com|date=November 15, 2017}} Kodak will manufacture the film and market the Super 8 version. Kodak Alaris will market the 35 mm still version.{{Cite news|url=https://petapixel.com/2017/09/13/return-kodak-ektachrome-film-nigh/|title=The Return of Kodak Ektachrome Film is Nigh|last=Zhang|first=Michael|date=September 13, 2017|work=PetaPixel|access-date=November 29, 2017|language=en-US}}

The Super-8 version was exhibited at the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show, and was named Ektachrome 100D 7294.

In fall 2018, Kodak released the newly-formulated Ektachrome with 35 mm format being the first to arrive on September 25 and in Super 8 format on October 1.{{cite web|url=https://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/about/news/new_ektachrome_films_to_begin_shipping/default.htm|title=Press Release: New Ektachrome Films to Begin Shipping – Motion Picture Film|website=www.kodak.com}}

On June 1, 2019, Kodak Alaris announced a wide coating trial of Ektachrome in 120 format for the end of July.{{cite web|url=https://www.filmphotography.com.au/kodak-ektachrome-120-coating-trials-next-month/|title=Kodak Plans 120 Ektachrome Coating Trials Next Month|website=www.filmphotography.com.au|date=June 6, 2019}} Previously, in January 2019, a Kodak Alaris representative indicated work was progressing on Ektachrome in both 120 and larger formats.{{cite web|url=https://sunny16.podbean.com/e/ep-135-hop-on-the-hot-scoops-express/|title=Sunny 16 Podcast, Episode 135|website=sunny16.podbean.com}} This project reached completion when, on December 10, 2019, Kodak Alaris announced the availability of Ektachrome E100 in a 120-format 5-roll propack and a 4 × 5 box of 10 sheets.{{cite web|url=https://imaging.kodakalaris.com/sites/default/files/files/products/EKTACHROME_Dec_10_2019_.pdf|title=Kodak Alaris Announces Ektachrome E100 Availability in 120 and Sheet formats|author=Kodak Alaris|date=December 10, 2019|access-date=December 29, 2019}}

Ektachrome has occasionally been used as a motion picture film stock, particularly for TV news gathering in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In fact, Kodak released Ektachrome 7/5240 VNF (125T) in 1975 for that very purpose, where "VNF" stood for Video News Film.[https://filmcolors.org/timeline-entry/1420/ Eastman Ektachrome, type 5240 (VNF)] at Timeline of Historical Film Colors

It has been featured in three 1990s and 2000s productions, none of which showed a genuine portrayal of the high technical standards of then-modern Ektachrome:

• Both the 1999 film Three Kings and the 2006 film Inside Man were shot on then-modern Ektachrome, but in both cases, the stock was cross-processed in C-41 color negative chemistry and subjected to a bleach bypass, in order to achieve a particularly gritty or "different" look.{{cite web|url=http://www.creativeplanetnetwork.com/news/news-articles/filmmakers-visual-story-points/373931|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170109193903/http://www.creativeplanetnetwork.com/news/news-articles/filmmakers-visual-story-points/373931|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 9, 2017|title=Filmmakers on Visual Story Points|date=7 June 2014|access-date=23 September 2017}}{{cite web |last=Calhoun |first=John |url=http://www.theasc.com/ac_magazine/April2006/InsideMan/page3.php |title=Cop vs. Robber |date=April 2006 |access-date=June 29, 2013 |work=American Cinematographer |publisher=American Society of Cinematographers |page=3 |archive-date=December 7, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161207110606/http://www.theasc.com/ac_magazine/April2006/InsideMan/page3.php |url-status=dead }}[http://digitalcontentproducer.com/mag/video_filmmakers_visual_story/] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101122072706/http://digitalcontentproducer.com/mag/video_filmmakers_visual_story/|date=November 22, 2010}}{{cite web |last=Calhoun |first=John |date=April 2006 |title=The ASC – American Cinematographer: Cop vs. Robber |url=http://www.theasc.com/ac_magazine/April2006/InsideMan/page3.php |access-date=June 29, 2013 |work=American Cinematographer |publisher=American Society of Cinematographers |archive-date=December 7, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161207110606/http://www.theasc.com/ac_magazine/April2006/InsideMan/page3.php |url-status=dead }}
• The Ektachrome sections of Three Kings (1999) were made on custom-made rolls of Ektachrome 100 Plus, aka EPP,{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120188/technical/ |title=Three Kings (1999) - Technical specifications - IMDb |language=en-US |access-date=2024-07-31 |via=www.imdb.com}} originally introduced as a still-photography stock in 1988.
• The Ektachrome sections of Inside Man (2006) were made on Ektachrome 100D 5285,{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0454848/technical/ |title=Inside Man (2006) - Technical specifications - IMDb |language=en-US |access-date=2024-07-31 |via=www.imdb.com}} introduced in 2005/06 as a movie version of the still-photography stock Ektachrome EBX.
• The 1998 film Buffalo '66 was also shot on Ektachrome and actually processed in its genuine E6 reversal process, however this production used Ektachrome 160T 5239,{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118789/technical/ |title=Buffalo '66 (1998) - Technical specifications - IMDb |language=en-US |access-date=2024-07-31 |via=www.imdb.com}} an old stock originally introduced in 1975{{Cite web |title=Eastman Ektachrome, type 5239 |url=https://filmcolors.org/timeline-entry/1419/ |access-date=2024-07-31 |website=Timeline of Historical Film Colors |language=en}} that would turn out greenish upon processing and the film properties of which, although still sold by that time, were heavily outdated by the standards of 1990s Ektachrome.

Unlike the above films, one professional motion picture that shows the genuine properties and high standards of 1990s and 2000s Ektachrome was Oliver Stone's World Trade Center (2006). Released the same year as Inside Man, it also used Ektachrome 100D 5285 (alongside negative Kodak Vision 2 stock),{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0469641/technical/ |title=World Trade Center (2006) - Technical specifications - IMDb |language=en-US |access-date=2024-07-31 |via=www.imdb.com}} but in this case, the stock was developed in its standard E6 reversal process.

Next to his above film Inside Man (2006) where the Ektachrome stock was cross-processed, American filmmaker Spike Lee is known for using Ektachrome for some of his iconic works as soon as digital intermediate scans (instead of traditional film prints, a process not suited for reversal stocks such as Ektachrome) had matured enough by the mid-1990s, namely Clockers (1995),{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112688/technical/ |title=Clockers (1995) - Technical specifications - IMDb |language=en-US |access-date=2024-07-31 |via=www.imdb.com}} Get on the Bus (1996),{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116404/technical/ |title=Get on the Bus (1996) - Technical specifications - IMDb |language=en-US |access-date=2024-07-31 |via=www.imdb.com}} Summer of Sam (1999),{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0162677/technical/ |title=Summer of Sam (1999) - Technical specifications - IMDb |language=en-US |access-date=2024-07-31 |via=www.imdb.com}} and 25th Hour (2002),{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0307901/technical/ |title=25th Hour (2002) - Technical specifications - IMDb |language=en-US |access-date=2024-07-31 |via=www.imdb.com}} until Kodak discontinued Ektachrome in 2012.

Upon the revival of the 16 mm format of Ektachrome in October 2018, Lee used the film stock again in some of the scenes on his 2020 critically-acclaimed film, Da 5 Bloods. In that film, Lee specifically used Ektachrome in Super 8mm to simulate the footages captured by the actor Norman Lewis.{{Cite web |title=DP Newton Thomas Sigel ASC used KODAK EKTACHROME 16mm Film to… |url=https://www.kodak.com/en/motion/blog-post/spike-lee-da-5-bloods |access-date=2023-06-11 |website=Kodak |language=en}}

For the second season of the American TV series Euphoria released in 2022, Kodak revived the 35 mm motion picture format of Ektachrome at the request of the filmmakers.{{Cite web |title=Marcell Rév adopts an EKTACHROME approach for 'Euphoria' in pursuit… |url=https://www.kodak.com/en/motion/blog-post/euphoria |access-date=2023-06-11 |website=Kodak |language=en}} Ektachrome was also used to photograph sections of the critically acclaimed film Poor Things (2023), whereupon its cinematographer Robbie Ryan noted that the unique colour produced by the stock was referenced throughout the grading process to inform the film's overall visual style.{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-sZZzsVw0A&ab_channel=Variety | title='Poor Things' Cinematographer Robbie Ryan Breaks Down Yorgos Lanthimos' Hilarious Ball Room Scene | website=YouTube }}

Music videos featuring new Ektachrome include:

• Who cares (2018) by Paul McCartney (16 mm, used alongside 65mm Kodak Vision 3 stock)Peters, Oliver (2020). [https://web.archive.org/web/20230320134644/https://www.fcp.co/final-cut-pro/articles/2252-paul-mccartney-s-who-cares-65mm-16mm-and-final-cut-pro-x Paul McCartney's "Who Cares" - 65mm, 16mm, and Final Cut Pro X], 25 March 2020, fcp.co (Wayback Machine snapshot)
• All Too Well: The Short Film (2021) by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift (35 mm, alongside Vision 3){{Cite web |last=Williams |first=Tom |date=2021-11-26 |title=Rina Yang on shooting Taylor Swift's All Too Well: The Short Film |url=https://britishcinematographer.co.uk/rina-yang-on-shooting-taylor-swifts-all-too-well-short-film/ |access-date=2023-06-11 |website=British Cinematographer |language=en-GB}}
• Body Paint (2022) by British indie rock band Arctic Monkeys (16 mm){{Cite web |date=October 10, 2022 |title=Body Paint is conceptually a deep dive into visualizing film lore and process. Ektachrome was discussed from the jump. Ben Chappell and... {{!}} Instagram |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/Cji2FZGvrEi/?img_index=1}}

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.kodak.com/global/en/service/Zmanuals/z119.shtml Kodak process E6] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070715005022/http://www.kodak.com/global/en/service/Zmanuals/z119.shtml |date=July 15, 2007 }} Ektachrome (color transparency) processing manual Z-119
• [http://www.kodak.com/global/en/service/Zmanuals/z6.shtml Kodak process E6 Q-LAB] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070207080023/http://www.kodak.com/global/en/service/Zmanuals/z6.shtml |date=February 7, 2007 }} processing manual Z-6 (more details than processing manual Z119 above)
• [http://www.kodak.com/global/en/professional/support/techPubs/e147/e147.jhtml Ektachrome type EPH film data sheet]
• [http://www.kodak.com/global/en/professional/support/techPubs/f3/f3.jhtml Kodak sheet film] notch codes

Processes E-2, E-3 and E-4:

• [http://www.filmrescue.com Film Rescue] USA and Canada
• [http://www.super8camera.com/processing/ E-6 Ektachrome] Super-8 DIY processing
• [http://www.oldfilmprocessing.com Fotostation] UK & worldwide

{{Eastman Kodak}}

Category:Kodak photographic films