"There is a very real resurgence for film"

[tomalophicon]

I shoot a lot more selectively because of what Chris says (post #29).

Kodak should be commended for continuing to support film photography, especially given their financial losses in that area. The new Portra 400 looks like it is going to be a fine film.

As a aside, I was in an old-tyme camera shop over the weekend and noticed that they still had film displayed but very little. As I was gawking (mostly at the old cameras on display), the owner, an older guy, was selling digital to a older customer while his young assistant was explaining to another customer, a young man, the difference between film speeds... and the young assistant was doing a wonderful job of using elementary examples.

Making $450m profit in 3 months isn't making a loss.

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

TMZ would be a real loss... I doubt they should drop their only fast film...

Cheers,

Juan

 

[tapesonthefloor]

Fluff. Did anyone else click on that link expecting an actual interview? I want my forty-three seconds back.

 

[aad]

At this rate, what do they have in that division? Five years?

Well. I should have done this several years ago when another fellow was convinced C41 would be dead in 2008...

I will put up $100 that not only will Kodak and Fuji still be selling film, but also that I will be able to get it developed in the same day (not by me) in a consumer friendly environment within a 1/2 hr drive-time radius in 5 years. Not because I'm a film fanatic, I'm not. It just makes economic sense.

You in?

 

[J J Kapsberger]

...I've gotten much better at scanning [Ektar] (since I've discovered the magic Vuescan setting for it 😛)/

Well, we're waiting. Gonna tell us?

 

[Gumby]

Making $450m profit in 3 months isn't making a loss.

PROFIT... in film?

Here's what the 2nd Quarter 2010 data looks like:

Film, Photofinishing and Entertainment Group second-quarter sales were $466 million, a 21% decline from the year-ago quarter, driven by continuing industry-related declines. Second-quarter earnings from operations for the segment were $29 million, compared with earnings of $51 million in the year-ago period. This decrease in earnings was primarily driven by industry-related declines in volumes and increased raw material costs, partially offset by cost reductions across the segment.

(amounts in millions) Q2 2010 Q2 2009

Digital revenue, as presented $ 1,103 $ 1,173 -6 %

FPEG segment revenue, as presented 466 593 -21 %

Total Company revenue, as presented $1,569 $1,766 -11 %


Source: http://investor.kodak.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=115911&p=irol-newsArticle&id=1452820

Looks to me like both sales and earnings was down. Did I read it wrong? Or were the other quarters so good that these data are misleading?

 

[Alpacaman]

Lets think of film all these film companies in an ecological way.

They have currently reached their carrying capacity for their niche (ie. they are selling as much film as they can), and now they will simply oscillate about that carrying capacity until something else changes (ie. they are going to continually go through good and bad financial states as they try to grow by putting out new emulsions, but lose money, and then go conservative and cut back on emulsions, then gain money, then try to grow...).

This makes me think think they aren't going anywhere for a while.

 

[J J Kapsberger]

PROFIT... in film?

...

Looks to me like both sales and earnings was down. Did I read it wrong? Or were the other quarters so good that these data are misleading?

Just because film sales and earnings have declined doesn't mean that they're not making a profit. The info doesn't say whether film remains profitable. It simply says that they're generating less revenue.

"The company’s Film, Photofinishing & Entertainment Group (FPEG) has maintained a strong market position in all of its key product categories, and continues to be a solid cash generator."

From http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=2709&pq-locale=en_US&gpcid=0900688a80c7b242

"Solid cash generator" implies positive cash flows from film etc. That's positive news.

 

[Gumby]

You may be right JJ, but the first Quarter 2010 sucked too.

In 2009 the profit from that division was 21.4%. Yes, that's making money.

As far as that drop in revenue goes... I guess we'll just have to wait to see how it affects the profit.

 

[J J Kapsberger]

That I don't know.

 

[sepiareverb]

'Film' for Kodak includes movies, and as more movies and more movie theaters move to digital the sales will decline. No way around that. We (photographers) have about zero impact on film sales- the vast majority of film goes to Hollywood & Bollywood.

 

[MaxElmar]

The film situation seems to be stabilizing - that's good for my hobby shooting - but I sure wish someone would make a reasonably-priced medium-format film scanner. An Epson flatbed can only do so much, an Imacon is $12k, and the Nikon (while still listed) doesn't seem to be available new anywhere.

 

[RayPA]

...I sure wish someone would make a reasonably-priced medium-format film scanner.

Amen!

6789



/

 

[RayPA]

Well, we're waiting. Gonna tell us?

Are you waiting, really?? Sorry to keep you in suspense. I simply scan it using the 'Generic' film profile, rather than using one of the presets listed under 'Kodak' or another manufacturer.

-

/

 

[J J Kapsberger]

Those are excellent scans.

 

[sanmich]

...and will not be surprise when film overtakes digital in the future.

until this sentence,I was kind of following...😱

(yeah, I know about my signature...🙄)

 

[ItsReallyDarren]

'Film' for Kodak includes movies, and as more movies and more movie theaters move to digital the sales will decline. No way around that. We (photographers) have about zero impact on film sales- the vast majority of film goes to Hollywood & Bollywood.

I'd like to think its still too soon to see how much 3D film making will take a foothold over conventional 2D movies. Even though it seems every movie coming out has to be in 3D or else it stinks.
Let's hope Bollywood doesn't go 3D too soon.

 

[Gumby]

That I don't know.

I took a look at their 2009 Annual report and updated my earlier post. In short... yes, that division is showing a profit and it looks stable. The sales appear to be decining in the first two quarters, but who knows what might happen and how it will affect profitability.

 

[Gumby]

Let's hope Bollywood doesn't go 3D too soon.

... or the US Government (if the story I heard years ago is true). I once heard that the US Goverment was archiving digital mapping data on film because film is more archival. I have never been able to track down this story to confirm, though.

 

[Keith]

I want Kodak to bring back 'Panatomic' ... what film! (seriously actually)

Not to mention the benefits of using a film made of cellulose nitrate ... show me a digital file that can burn your house down!

😀