Analog film lovers rejoice: Kodak’s long-awaited revival of its Ektachrome slide film is finally here (via Digital Trends). The camera company is beginning its rollout with the 35mm version of the film, while Super 8 (8mm) and 16mm formats will be released later in the year.
The color reversal film, which was previously mainly used in projectors and professional print work, has been off store shelves for over six years after a lack of demand and complex manufacturing issues led the company to discontinue it.
From Chapter 11 bankruptcy to a cult revival
Renewed interest in analog film led the company to announce a revival back at the beginning of 2017. Ektachrome, with its vibrant colors and relatively easy developing process, was the obvious candidate, and Kodak announced its intention to make its 35mm variant available again by the end of the year.
However, actually manufacturing the film was another matter entirely. Reportedly, the process requires over 80 ingredients, which are no longer easily available after the rise of digital photography. You can read more about the painstaking process in Popular Science’s write up from earlier this year.
The demise of analog film has taken a harsh toll on Kodak. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy back in 2012 and would then spend years experimenting with various different business models, at one point even licensing its name to Bullitt to build a Kodak-branded smartphone.
Most bizarrely, at the height of the cryptocurrency boom the company launched KodakCoin, which it claimed would work alongside the KodakOne platform to attempt to pay photographers fairly for their work. The announcement caused Kodak’s share price to more than triple.