Is this a bad sign from Kodak?

Post by **Joe Gioielli** » Wed Jan 14, 2004 5:48 pm

I heard on VOA last night that Kodak is going to get out of the APS camera/film business and stop producing reusable 35mm in NA.

OK, fuji still makes APS (not a bad format really, kind of like the .22 rimfire of photography) and they didn't make a ton of 35mm cameras so I can understand the thinking.

BUT if they can't make money with APS film what does this mean for us movie type folks? Does anyone else make Regular 8mm Color film?

I guess this is why monopolies are a bad idea. They have us by the throat.
':evil:'

Post by **matt5791** » Wed Jan 14, 2004 6:23 pm

From what I understand Kodak is stoppoing manufacture of 35mm cameras, NOT 35mm film. As, at present, Kodak cameras are cheap auto point and shoot affairs, a market saturated anyway, this seems to make sense.

Ultimately, I think, film will only be used by professionals, and those amateurs who enjoy the challenge and creativity of exposing a negative, as when you do this you are truly painting with light.

There will always be a market for such a tangible and real product.

Matt
Birmingham UK

Post by **FilmIs4Ever** » Wed Jan 14, 2004 6:40 pm

If you're talking about the only color stock still made for DR8, Ektachrome 125, you don't have to wory about it for a while. It is just reperfed 16mm (Super8's Ektachrome is the same stock now too). The only crumby part of all of this is that I don't know how much longer Ektachrome will be around as it is basically Video News Film. Video News Film obviously hasn't been used in news in quite a while since the advent of video cameras. Its primary usage is in high speed crash test recording (done in super slow motion). Now there are slow motion video cameras coming out that are "good enough" for crash testers at several of the US auto manufacturers. Once they stop shooting VNF, only plane and rocket testing applications will remain. They will probably suffer the same fate as the video technology improves, leaving VNF out of luck in all likelyhood. I might be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that VNF Ektachrome isn't used (except maybe for weird special effects or time lapse applications) in movies and TV shows.

Post by **FilmIs4Ever** » Wed Jan 14, 2004 6:40 pm

If you're talking about the only color stock still made for DR8, Ektachrome 125, you don't have to wory about it for a while. It is just reperfed 16mm (Super8's Ektachrome is the same stock now too). The only crumby part of all of this is that I don't know how much longer Ektachrome will be around as it is basically Video News Film. Video News Film obviously hasn't been used in news in quite a while since the advent of video cameras. Its primary usage is in high speed crash test recording (done in super slow motion). Now there are slow motion video cameras coming out that are "good enough" for crash testers at several of the US auto manufacturers. Once they stop shooting VNF, only plane and rocket testing applications will remain. They will probably suffer the same fate as the video technology improves, leaving VNF out of luck in all likelyhood. I might be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that VNF Ektachrome isn't used (except maybe for weird special effects or time lapse applications) in movies and TV shows.

Post by **sunrise** » Wed Jan 14, 2004 7:42 pm

Joe Gioielli wrote:I guess this is why monopolies are a bad idea. They have us by the throat.
':evil:'

I know politics are not allowed on this board, but the statement above is not true.

Kodak's move is due to free market forces. They are NOT a monopoly on either the camera or film market, although they for long have yieled some of the best results.

sunrise

Post by **Split8mm** » Wed Jan 14, 2004 9:30 pm

Joe Gioielli wrote: BUT if they can't make money with APS film what does this mean for us movie type folks? Does anyone else make Regular 8mm Color film?

Film stock will be around for the rest of our lifetimes in my humble opinion. There are plenty of developing countries who can't afford the computers to process digital photos and will use film. You won't be able to buy film it at the local drug store perhaps. But there will always be certain applications that demand film, and there will always be hobbyists who are willing to pay a premium for that film stock cut down to size. Viva la film!!!

Post by **Cranium** » Wed Jan 14, 2004 9:51 pm

Hurray! APS can sit on the shelf next to betamax and Sony's miserable MicroMV. Oh, and digital cassettes.

The death of APS is no worse than if Kodak recently made 20mm mo-pic cameras and film. There was no need for APS in the first place. The cams weren't THAT much smaller than 35mm.

Post by **disjecta** » Wed Jan 14, 2004 9:53 pm

Are you telling me I can't get betamax tapes anymore? I've been waiting for the Godfather to come out in that format in, like, forever.

Post by **S8 Booster** » Wed Jan 14, 2004 10:08 pm

If you read the Press Release (Eastman Kodak) it seem like they in fact enhance? their APS efforts which is supported by a big consortium and also relase new films for it along with 35mm versions.

R

Post by **Angus** » Fri Jan 16, 2004 3:48 pm

disjecta wrote:Are you telling me I can't get betamax tapes anymore? I've been waiting for the Godfather to come out in that format in, like, forever.

Sony officially pulled the plug on Betamax in 1997, when the last tapes were produced. The Godfather was released on Betamax in 1984.

However I believe you can run Betacam tapes in your Betamax machine!

BTW whoever designed the Betamax lacing system was on some serious drugs! It is as ingenious as it is strange.

(Hint: I have a small collection of vintage video eqipment!)

Post by **super8man** » Fri Jan 16, 2004 6:12 pm

Let's see, last super 8mm camera made ~ 1980; films still made by Kodak? Yes. If you were a follower of APS, no worries, your film will be around for years to come.

Cheers,
M

Post by **disjecta** » Fri Jan 16, 2004 6:20 pm

Okay, just to clarify, I KNOW the history of Betamax, I was being facetious.

I'm funny that way. :twisted:

Post by **Elmogs** » Fri Jan 16, 2004 9:09 pm

My first VCR was a Sony Beta HIFI SL2710. It killed the VHS competition at the time! Hey...I got the joke!

YouTube · Post by **wahiba** » Fri Jan 16, 2004 9:10 pm

Anyone tried buying film for a Kodak Disc Camera lately?

Anyone seen a disk camera lately?

As for producing super 8mm film, Kodak only have a monopoly because they are the last man standing. All the rest through in the towel a long time ago.

Post by **Joe Gioielli** » Sat Jan 17, 2004 5:36 am

Thanks Wahiba. Yeah, that's all I ment. Because they are the last man standing, they are a "de facto" monopoly. When I said Kodak was "a monopoly" I didn't mean it in the literal sense in that they were the only ones who have the legal right to produce the product. As this is a friendly fireside chat sort of place, I was referring to the simple "de facto" monopoly that Kodak has. I wasn't trying to get political or anything. Sorry if I caused confuson or offense. Not trying to split hairs or get into Operational Definations or anything. 9 years in the Law were enough.':D'

Filmshooting

Is this a bad sign from Kodak?

Is this a bad sign from Kodak?

Kodak

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Re: Is this a bad sign from Kodak?