steven_blumenkranz Posted October 3, 2003 Share Posted October 3, 2003 Has anyone bothered to ask Kodak what their plans are? Steve Blumenkranz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin m. Posted October 3, 2003 Share Posted October 3, 2003 $49.95 for Tri-X? How did you arrive at that figure? Betamax tapes are still available. So are 8-tracks, if you want 'em. Super-8 film can still be purchased and processed. And in no case is today's price much greater than it had been in the past. Even though all of these items have 'disappeared' from the mainstream consumer market, there's still enough demand there to keep all of them available, and <i>none of them</i> ever achieved the market penetration of 35mm film. <p> I don't disagree that the film market is going to <i>change,</i> but I do disagree with the sky-is-falling tone of your prediction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asher Posted October 3, 2003 Share Posted October 3, 2003 Hmm... Digital vs. Film. What a novel conversation piece ;-)<p> I can guess with 99% accuracy whether a PN gallery image was made with a digicam vs. film (prior to looking at the image info....).<P> <P>Digital may start to really compete with high-end film when 10-12 megapix cameras become more varied and affordable. Don't rush in- the cameras become obsolete as fast as, if not faster than computers. For snaps, consumer digital wins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobtodrick Posted October 3, 2003 Share Posted October 3, 2003 This is what I hate about the 'net. Within days there will be people quoting photo.net (a reputable forum) as to the impending demise of film forever. Tsk, tsk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger c Posted October 3, 2003 Share Posted October 3, 2003 Oh, for crying out loud. You can still get 10" x 8" sheet film and about 0.00000001% of photographers use it. Even 127 film is still kicking around if you look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike dixon Posted October 3, 2003 Share Posted October 3, 2003 <i>Has anyone bothered to ask Kodak what their plans are? </i> <P> I think the initial source from which the wacky rumors have been generated was a recent press release by Kodak in which they plainly stated their plans. Somehow "not funding additional film research and development" became "no longer producing film." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_h Posted October 3, 2003 Share Posted October 3, 2003 �I'll go digital either when I want to or when I have to. Its not rocket science to go digital as some make out. Its only another camera format, there is no rush. I'll bet I could go digital when I wanted to. Some people try to make out that digital is like the Ark and we have to hurry or we will lose out!� Trevor Hare I really liked your above comments and your Ark analogy Trevor :-) My dad, a former lifelong Leica SL shooter (LTM before that) has gone digital and often tells me how good it is (I�m now starting to agree digital resolution is good for the cost). But no need to get in as I don�t fear the flood nor do I need to jump as I don�t feel my ship is sinking :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony_brookes Posted October 3, 2003 Share Posted October 3, 2003 All I've heard here in the UK is that Kodak have announced they are ceasing production of APS cartridges. - About time too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dayton_p._strickland1 Posted October 3, 2003 Share Posted October 3, 2003 I hope your press photographer friend does a better job of getting his cutline information correct than he did passing along this totally bogus information about Kodak to you. As a freelancer and former press photographer myself I don't see the demise of film for a very, very, very long time. But then again, vinyl rules! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff_rivera5 Posted October 3, 2003 Share Posted October 3, 2003 The �you can still get �x� size of film� argument is flawed. Yes, when I�m selling tons of 35mm and 120 it cost me almost nothing to run odd sizes from time to time. Hell I can even sell them at a premium while my costs are about the same. But what happens when film sales drop. Now my costs for the special films become a greater percentage of my overall sales. It becomes harder to justify the expense of making special film. It makes perfectly good sense that when film sales are strong, I can make special films for sale. When film sales drop, those will get dropped fastest. By the way, don�t you think Kodak will post a long response here as to when film going to go? They can�t do it right now, they are on the phone giving Fuji detailed information about their plans! ;<) Look, I don�t when film is going to go away. And yes, you may be able to get an emulsion or two for the next 50 years. But the business is changing, and we will have fewer film choices. I don�t see any other likely outcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george_shihanian Posted October 3, 2003 Share Posted October 3, 2003 Kodak only said they're not going to CONCENTRATE their future business in film. Sounds like they're diversifying, which is a good idea. Film will be around for almost forever or until your lifetime ends, either way, don't worry, be happy! I think film has reached a quality plateau, where the R&D cost to improve it isn't worth the cost. Digital will take over, for sure, but just like few photogs in the overall world-wide scheme of things(present company excluded) shoot black and white, it's still available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cd thacker Posted October 3, 2003 Share Posted October 3, 2003 <i>As in most industries, particularly big mega-USA-corps, it seems Kodak is incapable of lining up the 'marketing men' and professional empire builder type managers and giving them a good healthy bullet in the head!</i><p> Trevor, I love that. LOL. And right you are, too.<p> But as for what Bob Haight said about Kodak stopping production of slide projectors: who is going to make them for Leica, then? Aren't most Leica models OEMed to Kodak? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sk_arts Posted October 3, 2003 Share Posted October 3, 2003 "Digital Nuts" try everything up their sleeves to make film seem obsolete, the fact is, it isn't. And the end of 35mm film production is a great exhaderation to what they really announced: They will not develop any new silver based technologies for consumers. When you look at it from that stand point, why should they? They have pretty much defined consumer silver halide photography, and the last time they tried to compete with digital it was a major, MAJOR flop, something called APS. Consumers have everything they need film wise, 100, 400 and 800. Consumers love using a flash, they never enlarge past 8x10, and they seem pretty happy with the grain deffinition they have. Since the technology IS going digital and your current customers are pretty happy with what you have to offer why reinvent the wheel? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmphoto1 Posted October 4, 2003 Share Posted October 4, 2003 Film is definitely on the far end of the product life cycle. However, I firmly believe that film will be manufactured and sold at affordable prices by Kodak and the like at the end of the decade. How many film cameras are there out there? And there is still a lot of interest in developing film related products like scanners. Being near the end of its life cycle, less and less money will be spent on R&D. For Kodak, that part probably has the most expensive labor component - lots and lots of Ph.Ds working on that stuff. So, if they can cut that part out and still sell a roll of TriX for $2.50 without any marketing to speak of, well, that's cash, baby! Besides, introducing a new emulsion for PlusX probably will not boost sales too much - hard to recoup an R&D investment there. Same is likely true for consumer color film. On the other hand, any marketing monkey can change the packaging on 200 Gold and call it HD and vala - stall the slide in sales a little. What Kodak really needs to do is to start selling cel phones that take pictures! Boy, they missed THAT boat! chad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerald_widen Posted October 4, 2003 Share Posted October 4, 2003 I expect Kodak to manufacture 35mm film or least sell their rights/patents to someone and the film will be manufactured for at least the next 10-15 years. Thats my guess Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a._j._valys Posted October 4, 2003 Share Posted October 4, 2003 Hey, Folks! Don't you think it is about time to let the old mule die? Film is not dead or abou to die! By the time it does, most, if not all of us will not be around to worry about it anyway. So why spread the gossip and keep massaging a dead horse? Go out and waste some film, WHILE IT IS AWAILABLE! The best to all, Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steg_stegsson Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 <p>Wonderful day here. Can't decide if I should shoot the new Kodak Ektar, the new version of Portra or the rather cheap Tri-X I bought last week.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luca_stramare2 Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 <p>Me too, I just bought 90 rolls of Kodachrome Elite, something that was given for dead at least 10 times since 2000.<br> I am joking and I do not want to start another film vs. digital war, but I wonder how many among the ones who bought the "ultimate" digital camera back in 2003 are still using it today!</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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