The has been several photography-related announcements at CES this year, but I think the one I am most excited about is the news that Kodak is going bring back Ektachrome. Ektachrome is a slide (positive) film made by Kodak since the 60s and is generally considered to be one of the best slide films that you could buy at the time. It was discontinued by Kodak in 2012. If you’ve seen any issue of National Geographic during that time frame you’ve probably seen Ektachrome, as it was the film of choice for many National Geographic photographers.

I only ever shot a few rolls of Ektachrome when it was readily available, but I did shoot lots of rolls of its sister film: Elite Chrome. This was my favourite film, and towards the end of the time I primarily used film, I shot almost entirely on Elite Chrome. Elite Chrome was a beautiful film. It had natural tones and great colours, and it just looked amazing. It scanned really well too. Here are a few examples:

I’m really excited to see Ektachrome come back. There has been a resurgence in film over the past few years, and this further cements the fact that this resurgence isn’t just a fad for hipsters, as some have suggested. Now, if only they would bring back Kodakchrome and Elite Chrome too.

The Full Kodak Press Release:

To the delight of film enthusiasts across the globe, Eastman Kodak Company today announced plans to bring back one of its most iconic film stocks. Over the next 12 months, Kodak will be working to reformulate and manufacture KODAK EKTACHROME Film for both motion picture and still photography applications. Initial availability is expected in the fourth quarter of 2017.

KODAK EKTACHROME Film has a distinctive look that was the choice for generations of cinematographers before it was discontinued in 2012. The film is known for its extremely fine grain, clean colors, great tones and contrasts.

“It is such a privilege to reintroduce KODAK EKTRACHROME Film to the cinematography community,” said Steven Overman, Kodak’s chief marketing officer and president of the Consumer and Film Division. “We are seeing a broad resurgence of excitement about capturing images on film. Kodak is committed to continuing to manufacture film as an irreplaceable medium for image creators to capture their artistic vision. We are proud to help bring back this classic.”

Kodak will produce EKTACHROME at its film factory in Rochester, N.Y., and will market and distribute the Super 8 motion picture film version of EKTACHROME Film directly.

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