Announcements such as this are usually timed to help stock prices going into earning season or focus attention away from poor performance. When the moment requires it, Kodak will release the statements about discontinuing film and chemistry. Don't want to give the institutional investors to much good news all at one time.
Christopher said something like, Kodak still makes film and chemicals, but not papers to print to. Here's the new wrinkle. We're now printing everything to CD-Rs. Then we send these CD-Rs to clients, friends and family. It doesn't make any difference whether we're using film or digital cameras. Even the digital images go to CDs. When CD-Rs became cheaper than papers, it's common sense that very few folks are going to use papers. I'll admit this: Before digitals became a consumer's product I regularly scanned my film prints and made files out of them. It happened so naturally I didn't notice the revolution that was taking place in my own mind. Kodak has recognized that revolution. So Kodak went "Easyshare" as well.
In addition, who prints a card en masse, as we used to print out a full roll of color film? When we do make a print, we're highly selective. So, comparatively speaking, very few prints are being made. Magazines no longer use paste-ups. Every component of a page is electronic in Pagemaker, Quark or MS Publisher. They certainly don't require paper prints anymore. Even the family album is disappearing in book form. The electronic slide show has taken over.
Those involved in traditional photography must get on their ladders and yell so the public will hear them. And come to their senses to preserve one of the most remarkable options for history and art permanence humanity ever invented. Give us back our silver!
Best,
Bob Rosen
http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/products/bw/index.jhtml?id=0.1.4.4.8&lc=en
If the link works. One reason they still make film and not paper.
I am now planning to find the replacement to Kodak B&W paper as I use AZO paper for a long time.
What are your suggestions, especially those who shoot B&W films but seldomly use Kodak paper?
With the new guy at the helm, quick decisions based upon the balance sheet are the norm even if they are wrong. Why film stays? It is commonly know that Kodak put big bucks into a new film coating machine in the last few years and probably did not want to take the financial hit on it since it has been in the process of being depreciated. Kodak has been broke on the inside for some time and now they are scrambling for their life. I hope that they have something else of value when this is all over.
Makes you want to sell this stock short in a major way.
Cheers!
As an avid Azo user I felt the pain of the plant closing last month. Maybe Michael A. Smith can bring on a new replacement for Azo. What I fail to understand is how Kodak will agree to produce a replacement for Azo when all Kodak paper is being discontinued. This does not sound like the bottom line thinking that Kodak has been known for over the past few years. Sad would be the departure of Azo for the fine art world. Are the contact printers destined for more the old school hand coated processes? To Peter I would suggest learning to work with more traditional alternative processes. No worries. Making images is still fun for me. With or without Kodak. It's not like I can order a box or Tri-X 8x20 anyway....or 11x14. As long as film is around there will always be a way to print the images. This weekend I will be starting to learn the craft of platinum palladium printing.
-Bruce
Bruce
What makes you think that Kodak will be making a replacement for Azo? If I were Michael Smith the last company on my list to make that replacement would be Kodak. It's my guess that he met with Kodak to try to convince them to continue producing Azo. No luck this time, probably. I sure hope I'm wrong.
Daniel,
Agreed. I do not believe for one minute that Kodak will replace Azo. Call me silly. After two decades of dealing with Kodak my faith has dwindled down to almost none. Michael does have a certain amount of influence. This time he may get the short end of the stick. Maybe he can find another to produce the paper. All I can say is that no other silver paper comes even close to Azo. So hard to be positive and believe that Azo will still be around in two or three years. For me this is an opportunity to explore another direction. Digital capture is no option for me.
Mark, I have not read the rest of this thread yet, but could wait not a second to say AMEN to your comment about Kodak's GOING OUT OF BUSINESS strategy. I have believed for a long time this is their ultimate goal. I would certainly not want to be a Kodak stockholder.
And yes, no HP ex is going to save them. The Kodak Easyshare success will be shortlived and wiped out by Kodak themselves from all the defective and repairless units they are putting on the market. I see them by the dozens per week. Thank God I have enough sense to not sell nor recommend them. The dealers who do are eating them, sooner or later.
I wish I did not have to feel this way about Kodak, but Kodak's history of bad decisions was recently documented in a photo dealer publication, and all I could do as bad decision after bad decision was recounted was sadly remember each one. How much this cost stockholders would be an interesting research project, if not conjecture. What would Kodak do if all the photo dealers in the country sold only Fuji, Ilford., Agfa, etc. and quit stocking and selling Kodak film? Think how fast they would decide film was not worth manufacturing. They would blame it on digitial, not their own failings! Well, their own failings are the reason slides, black and white, photo competitions, darkroom work, etc. etc. etc. are in decline. When did you last see Kodak promote any of these products or endeavors?
No, Bruce, Kodak will not make Azo or any other paper. But we are working with others in the industry. A silver chloride paper will be made.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks