Just before Christmas I sent off my last four rolls of Kodachrome to Dwayne’s for processing. If you are one of the exceedingly tiny percentage of the population who cares about such things then you may be aware that last week was the deadline for Dwayne’s to accept orders for Kodachrome processing. When Kodak officially discontinued the film, they also stopped making the chemistry to process it, leaving Dwayne’s with a year’s supply.
What this meant was that everyone who had any rushed to use up whatever they were holding and get it to Kansas. I’d been using it up about one roll a month or so, and I held the last four because the return postage is cheaper than sending them one at a time. I sent mine in by express mail, thinking of the deadline and the holidays. I’d hoped that by now I’d have a post up about those last rolls, but I’m still waiting. In the past, I’d get my order back in about a week, including transit time to and from Parsons. But by Christmas there was already 10-day backlog at Dwayne’s.
This is a little nerve-wracking, since once the existing chemical stock is exhausted, there is no more. If some of the film doesn’t get processed now, it never will, at least not in color (it can be done as black & white). As I write this, a week after the deadline, a photographer at Dwayne’s is reporting that they still have another 10,000 rolls to go, but it looks like the chemistry will hold out.
I’ll be sad to see Kodachrome go, but not completely crushed. There really is nothing like it, but today the remaining color negative and slide films are very good. In Kodachrome’s heyday nothing else was even close. And of course, the film I used to like, Kodachrome 25, has been gone for some years now. I don’t even get the film in slide mounts any more. No projector. I’m either going to view them on a light box or put them in the scanner. So it’s easier to just get uncut rolls back. That’s just the way it’s going to be from now on, more and more of our favorite films being discontinued until all that’s left is Tri-X. Or maybe Adox.
Polaroid on Kodachrome:
The Institute of Impure Science 
Hi, Guess I’m one of the lucky few who still has a roll of KODACHROME in the freezer. I know what to do with it….. problem is developing the film. You mention that you can develop it in B+W chemistry. Would it be possible to have the info, the link to the info, whatever you can manage. You have my gratitude. I told myself I had to do something special with the film, and for all I know , maybe the last roll on the planet. So, as the Beatles sang “When you’re sixty-four” and which I now am, as of January 4th, and I have a special roll of Kodachrome 64, and it’s the Year of the Dragon. Auspicious indeed, what! I decided to take a one self-portrait picture (1 exposure) every year on my birthday, starting now, slow start, and then develop the film. I’m hoping it’s a roll of 36 exposures. As I said, even in B+W, it will be special. So any information would be very useful to me. Best Regards, Bogdan K