If this statement truly reflects Kodak's position with traditional film, I suppose I will learn and/or continue to work with products from Ilford or other film makers that will stay committed to the 'other' form of photography....
Thanks for the warning.....
I knew there was another reason I loved Bergger 8x10 film so much beside the fact that the results kick ass.... Not really worried about pyro going away, and if by some brutal act of God Azo ever disappears, I'll print Pd.
Look at the bright side> Fill your freezer with film and paper shoot, print and sell your work at prizes like you never have before. The silver print will acquire a total new value we will be the ones to transform such a negative thing to our advantage, Traditional photography will be a rare and sought after art.
What the Kodak rep was saying was that in his "shortsighted opinion" Digital ia a mature technology, which the brighter minds even at Kodak are clearly aware, it is not. That rep will be gone and everything he is selling you today will obsolite well before there is really any threat of the FUD (Fear Uncertainty and Doubt) he is spreading becoming true. To stock up now would only dislocate the market. If you had been in the meetings I had in the early 90's I was in with Kodak, you would be rolling on the floor at the very suggestion that Kodak even knows what time it will be at noon tomorrow.
What they do know is that Digital in its current form will be obsolite and most of what they are now selling along with it. This includes even the file formats and storage systems. Those who commit now will line up behind those who invested heavily in the Disc Camera, APS and PhotoCD. They all got badly burned. Kodak has a long history of betting on the wrong horse, and taking those who listened with them.
The change began last Thursday when the FCC quietly approved something called UltraBroadBand. UBB will transform everything in Digital hardware and sets the market for digital services which is much bigger and infinately more lucritive than the market for digital hardware. Three weeks ago Kodak spun off their digital services unit into a seperate free standing company because they knew the change resulting from UBB will become a major one. The changeover will bolster film not weaken it, and the current digital workforce has to be concerned about their own long term veracity and ultimately, survivial. They are pushing a digital equal to APS, and some even know that. In 18-24 months it may be all over for todays digital systems. What will take their place is THAT impressive, but film will survive very well, thank you. (But with little thanks to Kodak)
Another brilliant "Kodak moment." First kill Kodachrome 25, next probably the rest of the Kodachromes and finally ... eliminate all film from the marketing plan. This company desparately needs new management - management with creativity and vision.
Typical sales tactic, the old fear and frenzy feed trick.
If Kodak drops out of the film market, there will still be Fuji, Ilford, Agfa etc. Kodak has a habit of dropping films we like, so I'm mad at them anyway. Likewise for paper. Maybe I just have a problem with a company thinking they can dictate what I will use/buy based on their overblown image of themselves (ala Microsoft). No matter how big they think they are, there is always someone else willing to sell what I want, so I don't really need Kodak after all. The people working for Kodak may be OK, but their top brass should be fired or demoted for short sightedness and stupidity.
Is anyone working in the "paperless office" that we were told about 15 years ago that we would be in today, . How about the ice age that was predicted for now about 20 years ago.
I work with an engineer that used to load film in spy planes. He said that they used so much film that the had to have a counter balance leader that fed from left to right while the film fed from right to left. Otherwise it threw the plane off balance.
Pixels are little photo cells, they can make them smaller but as they get smaller, the electrical output drops. Background noise is already a serious problem,which is why some of the cutting edge backs have internal cooling.
I don't see anytime in the near future that our mutual unkle can fly at several thousand feet, at several hundred miles an hour and photograph everything that passes under the plane with digital resolutation capiable of reading a licence plate.
As long as Unkle Sam wants it, someone will make it.
Neal
Kodak not making film in 5 years, so what.
As long as Fuji's outlook is good and they're filling the market that Kodak relinquishes, no problem.
I haven't used Kodak film or paper in more than 10 years.
Kodak has been run by the accountants and their bottom line for many years, and the firm goes wherever the profit is.
I for one would not miss them or their products one bit, in fact were the yellow devil to quit the film business it would be good for the remaining film companies, perhaps permitting them to expand their product lines.
While they discontinued wonderful emulsions such as Ektar they put R&D and massive marketing expenditures into their consumer 'Max' films, along with digital consumer products. We should all be lucky enough to dance on Kodaks' grave.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks