Philosophy
August 24th, 2012
BBC NEWS
Debt-struck photography pioneer Kodak says it may sell off its still-camera film and photo paper divisions.
The firm has already stopped making digital cameras as part of efforts to reduce its losses after filing for bankruptcy protection in January.
It has also been trying to raise funds by selling off more than 1,100 digital imaging patents.
It had originally planned to announce a buyer last week, but said "discussions continue" and a deal might not happen.
Apple and Google had been reported to have made rival bids for the patents, but the Wall Street Journal reports they have now joined forces and have added Samsung, LG, HTC and others to their consortium
The WSJ's sources suggested the offer price for the portfolio would be about $500m (£315m) - well below the $2.6bn estimate that Kodak had suggested it could be worth.
The company recently reported a $665m net loss for the first six months of the year, putting further pressure on its finances.
Film's feel
In its latest announcement the US company said it had hired investment bank Lazard to help it sell its Personalised Imaging and Document Imaging businesses.
This would mean an end to it making films for still cameras, photo papers, souvenir photo products at theme parks, scanners and picture print-out kiosks at stores.
It would leave the business focused on printers, cinema film stock and chemicals.
The British Journal of Photography said the news would concern the industry.
"A lot of professionals still shoot with film and like the quality it gives them," Olivier Laurent, news editor at the journal, told the BBC.
"The resolution is still a thousand times higher than most digital cameras can offer so long as a good scanner is used.
"A film photograph has a different mood thanks to its grain - it's about the love of the image and digital still has a hard time trying to reproduce that feeling."
- Ansco, Agfa, Eastman Kodak...who's Next...illford, Fugi?
Since Eastman Kodak has dumped its still film and paper interests, I thought it would be timely to note that Kodak did have some competition and also died. Ansco Film Company Wikipedia... Ansco was the name of a photographic company based in Binghamton,...
- Eastman Kodak...not Dead And Will Reorganize
"Photography pioneer Kodak files for bankruptcy"by Jonathan Stempel and Liana B. BakerJanuary 19th, 2012 REUTERSEastman Kodak Co, the photography icon that invented the hand-held camera, has filed for bankruptcy protection and plans to shrink significantly,...
- Kodachrome Film...died In Parsons, Kansas
The Inventors Hall of Fame photos of Leopold Godowsky, Jr. (left), and Leopold Mannes, inventors of Kodachrome. Despite their success in photography, both Leopolds considered themselves musicians first and inventors second. Below, Kodachrome packaging...
- Kodachrome--gone
All good things must come to an end. Eastman will dump Kodachrome film as it has done many other products like the fantastic Blue Toner [contained uranium nitrate that could actually make red prints], fabulous black and white printing papers [Extalure,...
- David Henderson Houston...patent Number 248,179...october 11th, 1881
A significant patent was granted to David Houston on this day 129 years ago--photographic roll film. Online Artist Archive of North Dakota by Ben Nemenoff Although not a photographer himself and virtually unknown today, David Houston made some of the...
Philosophy
Part of Eastman Kodak will close
I never thought that this would happen, but then I could see the trends: Digital photography and Kodak's film and paper selection greatly diminished over the years. It is a form of classic photography that will be missed by us old timers.
"Kodak set to quit camera film and photo paper business"
August 24th, 2012
BBC NEWS
Debt-struck photography pioneer Kodak says it may sell off its still-camera film and photo paper divisions.
The firm has already stopped making digital cameras as part of efforts to reduce its losses after filing for bankruptcy protection in January.
It has also been trying to raise funds by selling off more than 1,100 digital imaging patents.
It had originally planned to announce a buyer last week, but said "discussions continue" and a deal might not happen.
Apple and Google had been reported to have made rival bids for the patents, but the Wall Street Journal reports they have now joined forces and have added Samsung, LG, HTC and others to their consortium
The WSJ's sources suggested the offer price for the portfolio would be about $500m (£315m) - well below the $2.6bn estimate that Kodak had suggested it could be worth.
The company recently reported a $665m net loss for the first six months of the year, putting further pressure on its finances.
Film's feel
In its latest announcement the US company said it had hired investment bank Lazard to help it sell its Personalised Imaging and Document Imaging businesses.
This would mean an end to it making films for still cameras, photo papers, souvenir photo products at theme parks, scanners and picture print-out kiosks at stores.
It would leave the business focused on printers, cinema film stock and chemicals.
The British Journal of Photography said the news would concern the industry.
"A lot of professionals still shoot with film and like the quality it gives them," Olivier Laurent, news editor at the journal, told the BBC.
"The resolution is still a thousand times higher than most digital cameras can offer so long as a good scanner is used.
"A film photograph has a different mood thanks to its grain - it's about the love of the image and digital still has a hard time trying to reproduce that feeling."
- Ansco, Agfa, Eastman Kodak...who's Next...illford, Fugi?
Since Eastman Kodak has dumped its still film and paper interests, I thought it would be timely to note that Kodak did have some competition and also died. Ansco Film Company Wikipedia... Ansco was the name of a photographic company based in Binghamton,...
- Eastman Kodak...not Dead And Will Reorganize
"Photography pioneer Kodak files for bankruptcy"by Jonathan Stempel and Liana B. BakerJanuary 19th, 2012 REUTERSEastman Kodak Co, the photography icon that invented the hand-held camera, has filed for bankruptcy protection and plans to shrink significantly,...
- Kodachrome Film...died In Parsons, Kansas
The Inventors Hall of Fame photos of Leopold Godowsky, Jr. (left), and Leopold Mannes, inventors of Kodachrome. Despite their success in photography, both Leopolds considered themselves musicians first and inventors second. Below, Kodachrome packaging...
- Kodachrome--gone
All good things must come to an end. Eastman will dump Kodachrome film as it has done many other products like the fantastic Blue Toner [contained uranium nitrate that could actually make red prints], fabulous black and white printing papers [Extalure,...
- David Henderson Houston...patent Number 248,179...october 11th, 1881
A significant patent was granted to David Houston on this day 129 years ago--photographic roll film. Online Artist Archive of North Dakota by Ben Nemenoff Although not a photographer himself and virtually unknown today, David Houston made some of the...