OT-End of an Era

Good riddance. Kodak's film cameras themselves have been garbage for years.

GTO(John)

Good riddance. Kodak's film cameras themselves have been garbage for years.

Perhaps, but their technical films, including but not limited to cine films of all types, have set the standard.

You probably won't say that if you worked on the line that manufactured that product and had bills to pay and medical needs to take care of. They're will be 4,500 to 5,000 jobs lost just in the area I'm living in. It'll effect a lot of other industry right around the Kodak Park area.

And will continue to. They used to make a HUGE amount of money on medical X-ray film. That market has shrunk, but will likely never completely disappear.

Motion picture film is on the way out, theaters are going digital.

They will continue to make 35 mm films, just not the APS type, which never quite caught on.

Disposable cameras are a joke, I would never use them.

This chain of events has been written on the walls for 10+ years, and in no surprise to me. Notice the Polaroid Co. is gone, even AFTER winning the suit against Kodak.

Most companies involved with 35 mm photography are either gone, or have very carefully restructured their plans for the past 10+ years to survive this big shift in the market(s).

Jon

This is not Kodak's fault, or just happening to Kodak, either. It is a global change in the way images are made, it is irreversible and unstoppable, and anyone who thinks they could stop it will be rolled over by it. The only hope of any company with a large presense in the photographic marketplace is to figure out some niche, new product, or major presence in the "new wave" of digital imaging, whether it be medical, scientific or personal, ang go with what people will be using in the next 5 years. And, it takes preparation WAY in advance of the change. I think Kodak has probably done about as well as any other manufacturer in this field.

But, it is a move from a consumable media sort of business (film, photo. paper, chemicals, etc.) to a device market, the digital camera. You buy one camera, and don't keep feeding film into it, that was Kodak's main moneymaker, and it is GONE!

Jon

They have their place. Each of our vehicles has one in the glove box for just incase situations like accidents. My son was involved in an accident and the pictures he took with it saved us a whole lot of time and grief. We had pictures to back up my son's version vs. the old ladies version of what happened. It was her fault and she tried to make it out like it was my son's.

Lane

Kodak still makes cameras in the US? Which ones? The ones I've seen from the last couple years were made in some far-flung corner of the earth.

GTO(John)

And I don't think most people would want to take their nice camera on a whitewater rafting run.

RJ

Anyone want to buy a typewriter?

:^)

Jim

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Typewriters are still made by two major players. More than 400K sold last year IIRC. that is 400,000 units.

There are many places that typewriters still are the real tool. Just not in the home anymore - but legal and in some finance areas it is important.

Naturally teaching typing is lower cost with a typewriter than a p.c., but most schools, heck spend what they want...

Nice article in MIT's magazine on technology pertaining to the various should have died tech items that didn't. Typewriter and fax units are just two.

Martin

I just pitched a full box of carbon paper that must have been in my desk drawer for 12 years. :o) There may be other uses for it but none that I would ever do. Sue

Oh yes it will. X-Rays have also gone digital. My dentist has been using it for several years. Takes a fraction of a second per shot, and the resolution is excellent.

No more film, no more developing, no more retakes, etc.

Kodak is on it's way out, because their digicams are towards the bottom of the heap also. They came to the game very late, and they'll never catch up.

They're the "Wang Laboratories" of the photography industry. In the early 80's Wang owned the word processing industry, they never saw the PC revolution coming. We all know the history.

I would take my camera on such a trip. I have the Canon S400 which has an underwater housing available for it.

Abrasha

I do find it interesting that they opted (back in 1996) to take a Nikon N90s (35mm SLR) to convert from film to digital for the AP (Associated Press), and later did the same thing with Cannon 35mm SLR cameras. I've got two of the Nikons, and have seen some of the Cannons as well.

Enjoy, DoN.

How about transferring layouts to something from which you are making whatever? There are things which won't take the iron-transfer technology, but which would accept carbon paper transfers.

Enjoy, DoN.

I don't make anything except trouble. :o)

Iron transfer technology? You probably think that I read this NG because I work in metal. Um, no. That isn't it. ;o) Sue

My brother buys them cheap by the dozen. He only uses them for one note each.

Is it boulder smash-proof?

RJ

What are the companies names? I would like to sell them short.

:^)

Jim

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