Tag Archives: Kodak

Disposable Waterproof Camera

So I picked up a disposable waterproof Kodak camera before my trip to Costa Rica. I’ve been tempted to get a waterproof camera but couldn’t justify the cost.

The weird part was getting it developed. It’s been years since I got film developed. I can’t even remember the last time. When I stood at the counter at Walgreens it was weird, I knew I wanted it on CD but did I want prints? It seemed so foreign to want prints of the photos I hadn’t even seen yet…

But in the end I ordered a set of the prints. And they weren’t as interesting as I’d hoped. It’s hard to stell that the shots I took from the water are six feet deep, they could be ankle deep. And the waves that are crashing down at me, you can barely tell.

The resolution was pretty disappointing at 1545 × 1024 they weren’t very detailed, even for 800 ASA (IMHO). I’m not saying the pictures are bad, they just weren’t any better (visually) than many that I took from shore…

Here’s a few for your viewing pleasure :)

me-11580026.jpg
Me at the upper falls (actually the upper-upper-falls about 15-20 feet high).

sunset-11580018.jpg
Sunset from way up the coast from Montezuma.

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This a cRaZy one of me jumping in the water.
I’m at the lower falls, it’s probably only about 20 feet (15?).
It looks like I’m hurtling to my doom.

I think the above shot of me jumping is from the same spot as this video of me jumping off the rock. Kodak Zoom ISO 800 Speed, 27 Exposure Single Use Camera KodakSo the camera was $10 (for 27 shots) and I think it was $12 for developing (developing, negatives, and one set of photos) so $22 for an experiment; I’ve certainly spent more for something I’ve never used again. I’m not saying the camera was disappointing in itself, although the pictures were only 1545 × 1024 pixels (but that just might be the Walgreens scanner), I just hoped taking the pictures from different angles in the water would look much more interesting. I’d try it again, but I think I’ll try again with this Snap Sights Waterproof Underwater Reusable Camera with Flash, especially if I was to go snorkeling.

What is Kodachrome?

So they were talking about the last roll of Kodachrome being developed last week. But what is Kodachrome? Kodachrome is non-negative film; that is the colors are correct, as in: slides and film.

I shot a lot of slides on a trip to Alaska a (long) while back, I never really got into slides though. I keep meaning to send to send my slides in to get them scanned, I think I have some great ones, but I digress…

On 14 July 2010 it was announced that the last produced roll of Kodachrome was developed by Dwayne’s for photographer Steve McCurry on assignment for National Geographic. Kodachrome_box-from-wikipedia.JPGI remember hearing about this a few months ago, this is that the last roll manufactured was developed (there were still earlier manufactured rolls that weren’t developed).

On 30 December 2010, Dwaynes Photo in Parsons, Kansas, officially ended their Kodachrome processing, effectively ending Kodachromes 75-year long career. The last roll developed was from the owners of the photo business.

Keep in mind, Kodak stopped making the film in June of 2009, but I think they still made the developing chemicals for a while longer. And while they were still developing in December of 2010, the last rolls made had a November 2010 expiration date.

Some of the info (and the photo) is from the Kodachrome entry in Wikipedia.