Kodak selling off film....

patrickh · Expire: 2011-11-18

After giving their CEO a huge bonus for overseeing their descent into obscurity, Kodak now plans to sell off its film division. How the mighty are fallen.

patrickh

Nikos · Expire: 2015-01-02

I cannot understand why they shut down their fine printing service in Europe (kodak gallery) ...

rbelyell · Expire: 2014-01-31

just awful. seems this is what we americans are becoming best at, running once proud operations into the ground, to the benefit of the one percent...the top guys are constantly rewarded for failure. everyone else is unemployed. another icon business, or industry, disappears. been going on now for over forty years. my only surprise is that we have anything of value left to pay a few people millions to destroy.
tony

LucisPictor · Expire: 2013-12-03

I wonder if this is the next step on our way to lose film. Sad

Sometimes I think that this is exactly what almost every photo company wants.

Here is the line of argumentation:

1. There are some old film cameras that will work forever or can easily be repaired.
2. As long as film is available, some photographers will use them.
3. If we stop to produce film at all, they cannot use those old film cams anymore.
4. In consequence they have to buy digital cams.
5. Those digital cams will have to be replaced after a while because they are broken beyond repair.

And e voilà, you generate a constant demand!!

kansalliskala · Expire: 2016-12-30

ForenSeil · Joined: 15 Apr 2011 Posts: 2726 Location: Kiel, Germany.

I think 35mm and 120mm films won't die so fast.
Hundred of thousands of people are still using them.
Even if all present film producers are going bankrupt, new ones will be born. The market is still more than large enough.
And if they also die, the people will start to make their own film, like with glasplates today.
I don't see a serious problem. Except that I will miss TriX400 Wink

And there are still 35mm, 120mm and large format viewfinder-, rangefinder- and reflex- cameras in production.

iangreenhalgh1 · Expire: 2014-01-07

Very glad I've got 2000ft of Kodak film in cold storage. I'll have to make sure I buy up some more before it's not available.

Just to be clear, does this mean Kodak are also stopping production of film for the motion picture industry?

That would leave Fuji as the sole supplier to the motion picture film industry.

patrickh · Expire: 2011-11-18

I believe that they are selling as "a going concern". That means they have to convince a vulture fund somewhere that they will be able to squeeze a lot of cash out of assets/sales/taxes. For a time they will probably continue to produce. This is the kind of situation made for funds like Bain Capital - they can milk the company and the pension fund. Of course dear old taxpayer picks up the pieces. Twisted Evil

patrickh

skida · Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2012 7:39 pm Post subject:

David · Expire: 2013-01-25

I am actually relieved to see Kodak sell the film division. With luck, it will be bought by something or someone with passion and an innovative spirit to reinvigorate it.

I am torn on whether or not film will always be available. Efke just closed its doors last month, I think, and I expected they would be a long-term survivor. Perhaps film producers will in the future be boutique operations that rent factory space for limited runs. I'm thinking here of Bluefire film that seems to do limited runs of their film and (right now) is sold out of a LOT of product, at least in the U.S. I'm not sure how they have their factory time arranged, though, and if they own their own or use someone else's line.

Also, in other countries film will remain more popular than in the U.S. and Europe. We westerners like things new and shiny and things like film have a limited following. In Asia, the heart of tech stuff, there seem to be a larger percentage of people interested in things like film.

Also, in developing countries film will be needed for a number of years.

visualopsins · Expire: 2025-04-11