> > From: > Adam Maas > K.Takeshita wrote: >> On 2/08/07 12:45 PM, "Adam Maas", <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> >>> Kodak wants to sell its film line, not shut it down. I suspect that if >>> they sell it, the film unit will outlast Kodak proper. >> >> I understand that Fuji has been instigating "return to film" >> (paraphrasing) >> campaign for quite some time. Not really a front line flashy one, >> but quiet >> and persistent one. I read their management interview, betting that, >> when >> digital fever begin to subside, it will be followed by the resurgence of >> film. >> >> No, I am not a film advocate, just passing info :-) >> >> Ken >> >> > > From what I'm hearing, LF film sales in particular, and film sales in > general bottomed out a couple years ago and have been holding steady > or slightly increasing. Processing is still dropping as those shooting > film are doing their own processing more and more.
Just from my own worm's-eye-view of the industry, I expect 35mm C-41 film and the RA-4 print process is doing reasonably well, and will be around for a while yet. It's all hybrid now with the film scanned and the prints exposed with lasers, but they're still processed with the same chemistry. Makes it a lot easier to give the average consumer a good print. And disposable cameras are big. For the average picture taker, it was a pretty big problem to get to a vacation spot they'd saved up for for years and then find out they'd forgotten to pack the camera. Not any more. Now, if you get to your destination and find you find you don't have it, you can pick up a disposable that's at least good enough for snapshots of the kids at Disneyworld. And if you make it to some tropical paradise, you can get a waterproof one to take pictures during your snorkeling lesson ... or not have to risk your high dollar camera on that white-water rafting adventure. And a significant number of the digital images taken today end up processed into RA-4 prints. Grandma don't need no steenkin' computer to look at prints of the kids trying on the sweater she sent them for Christmas. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
