Re: Film or digital

[Brian Beesley <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>]

On Tuesday 02 November 2004 15:07, Roland Perry wrote:
> In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Brian Beesley
> <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes
>
> [In praise of film]
>
> But Ilford don't seem to agree:
>
>         "Nearly half the staff at troubled photographic materials
>         supplier Ilford Imaging have lost their jobs.
>
>         http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3605614.stm

Ilford have had a number of problems, not all of which are related to sales 
volume. Availability of their complete product range continues. Some 
operations are being offshored to reduce costs.
>
> And Kodak cuts 15,000 jobs
>
>         "The firm said last week that it would stop selling traditional
>         film cameras in the US, Canada and Western Europe."
>
>         http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3419211.stm

Ditto Kodak, who have not been a serious player in the 35mm compact market 
since they tried to force their "advanced photo system" onto consumers. They 
lost sales of film cameras to professionals to the Germans and Japanese 
around about 1950, it's a long time since they had a serious share of the 
professional/serious amateur film camera market.

Sales of disposable film cameras continue, in fact sales of _Kodak_ 
disposable film cameras are actually rising in 2004 compared with the same 
period last year. They won't abandon that market until the volume is well 
down on what it is now. I don't think anyone expects disposable film cameras 
to be completely replaced by digital models any time in the next 10 years.

The much more serious announcement from Kodak was the recent announcement of 
withdrawal of their Technical Pan film product. This was a very specialist 
product - mainly used by astronomers - which has no direct replacement. I 
believe there are plans to licence manufacture of this product to an East 
German film manufacturer.

If Lomo ever produce a digital model, I may to think that film might be in 
real trouble.

Kodak still do some niche stuff though - for instance were you aware that, 
until very recently, they were marketing a _monochrome only_ digital SLR? I 
do wonder how many of the rather few of these sold (with a five figure dollar 
price tag) ever got their boxes opened - sounds like just the sort of thing 
that might be a collectors' curiosity in a few decades.

Brian Beesley