Gene, you are right, of course. But I can't help thinking that companies were making film about 100 years ago, on a fairly small basis.
Yeah, good point . . . who'd have thought you could still buy oil paint, brushes and canvas in this day and age . . . . give me a f*(&ing break. (Note: not disagreeing with your analogy, but there is a bit of reality missing in some of the other posts).Originally Posted by Terence McDonagh
Both Fujifilm and Kodak recently announce price increases on film. Digging through Kodak financial numbers indicates it is still high profit. Revenues from film sales to consumers (including one-time-use cameras) are also quite large . . . very different than the situation at Polaroid.
The new rules of Passports created a sudden surge in the need for instant photos, which can continue for a while. My guess would be Fujifilm taking over the instant photo market, though that does not help anyone using Polaroid sheet films, and certainly leaves the 8x10 and larger Polaroid users with no future products.
Instant photos are the ultimate in convenience, but not the ultimate in low cost. They have also been poorly marketed, though there is a cult following. I would imagine Polanoid and other Polaroid groups, forums and websites are buzzing with confusion currently.
Ciao!
Gordon Moat Photography
There's still a pretty respectable demand for Type 55 and it's not cheap. It seems like it would be worth it for some company to pick up production, especially since the production equipment will be available. The biggest barrier will be the corporate drones that currently control the remnants of Polaroid. I'm sure they'll come up with an extortionate price for licensing a product they have no interest in making. They ought to throw in the license for free for anyone that can pony up to buy the core production equipment. Then they can go back to pimping a once great brand for use on cheap electronics.
Barry,
You're so right about the corporate drones. Their job is to generate the most real cash from mining Polaroid's assets. They'd rather sell you a license for your corporate venture. They can make more money that way.
I interviewed the guys in Polaroid with the idea of buying sufficient to make small amounts of film. However, the rolling plants were being disassembled. When I wrote about that, I got disbelief! We could overcome difficulties if there was a guaranteed demand. However, digital gets so much better.
Asher
China or Russia for pola film?
I want some Shanghai-55, or maybe Era-54 film
Asher-- are you saying you wanted to buy a small amount of raw materials for some diy film production or are you talking about something bigger? I believe the Type 55 is still in production, so the production line equipment would be available. There's already a guaranteed demand for Type 55. Even if Sony develops a 100 GB sensor for $10, the demand for Type 55 will still exist because photographers are paying for the process and the materials appropriate to their artistic vision--not a commodity.
Jesus. Here we go
Yeah - I noticed after posted - sorry!
Juergen
http://www.boston.com/business/techn...aying_off_150/
Hmm. MassArt owns a 20x24 Polaroid. I wonder what kids will do after this semester.
T
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