Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/06/20

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Subject: RE: Re: [Leica] Film is Archival
From: Tim Atherton <tim@KairosPhoto.com>
Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2003 11:17:18 -0600

"Film is archival" - not really - it can just last a long time - but in
reality, not that long. Bear in mind that the longevity of all photographic
materials is not unlimited. A kodachrome is not going to last as long as a
Bernini sculpture.

Even stored in the most ideal conditions (which many are not stored in, and
certainly many were not for a good portion of their life, even if they are
now)  all these materials continue to age and deteriorate. (even, for
certain materials, freezing)  The rate is just slowed down, not stopped.

Many of the photographs and materials from the earlier days of photography
are now deteriorating seriously, along with many more recent ones, despite
storage in ideal conditions. This is why there are research and standards
setting projects in major institutions to be able digitize these materials.
With the correct re-formatting (which all institutions should be doing
anyway), the digital versions will ultimately far outlast the originals. It
just depends how long you are talking about when you use the term "archival"

tim



> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
> [mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us]On Behalf Of Douglas
> Herr
> Sent: Friday, June 20, 2003 9:30 AM
> To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
> Subject: Re: Re: [Leica] Film is Archival
>
>
> Dan C <leicaman@sympatico.ca> wrote:
>
> >
> > I think today's current E6 emulsions are far more "archival"
> > than the earlier films such as E4 etc.
>
> We'll know better in about 30 years.  By that time we may be
> wondering why we let Kodachrome die without a fight.
>
>
> Doug Herr
> Birdman of Sacramento
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com
> --
> To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html
>

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