Hard times for Kodak continue

[david b]

Hard times continue at Kodak.

Digital sales down 35%
film and photofinishing sales down 25%.

http://bit.ly/2Qwjbg

 

[wildbill]

Yup, the lack of a movie business right now doesn't help. Neither do the filmless "movie"camera's the competition's pushing.
http://motion.kodak.com/US/en/motio...timonials/Archive/index.htm?utm_content=link1

 

[railwayman3]

It would be interesting if it were possible to compare these numbers with Fuji as another analogue/digital manufacturer, and with other companies in the
digital imaging field.
I'm thinking also how much of the falls are due to the economic situation generally, and how many due to causes specific to the different activities, e.g under "digital", consumers having purchased digital cameras and equipment in the first-rush-to-change of the last few years and now not wishing to update to the latest gadgets any longer (e.g. lack of interest or funds for leisure spending?)
The "film" section would appear to include entertainment (presumably a large proportion?), so this would need to be related to any corresponding fall in the number of new movies being issued in the recession.

Certainly "hard times" (as for most big companies right now) but more information and comparisons would be needed to make much meaningful analysis.

Thanks for the link.

 

[Christopher Walrath]

I know times are tight, and it probably won't matter a darn, but if you want these guys to stick around you gotta buy the product. I know, stating the obvious, as I prone to do from time to time. Well, OK. Most of the time.

Oh, STOP! ;p

 

[RalphLambrecht]

I know times are tight, and it probably won't matter a darn, but if you want these guys to stick around you gotta buy the product. I know, stating the obvious, as I prone to do from time to time. Well, OK. Most of the time.

Oh, STOP! ;p

Well said!

 

[railwayman3]

I know times are tight, and it probably won't matter a darn, but if you want these guys to stick around you gotta buy the product.

Very true....with a proviso that customers, business or private, can only buy what they need and can afford at any particular time. If the demand isn't there, everyone suffers, Kodak and the other manufacturers, the customers whose own business and profits are down, and we ordinary consumers when it's no longer economic or profitable for our favorite products to be made. Sad facts.

 

[david b]

I shoot about 125-150 rolls a year. This year, it's been all TMY2.

I use xtol and kodak rapid fix right now because I purchased a large quantity off of ebay.

When my supplies run out, it will still be xtol but the rest will be based on economics.

 

[Christopher Walrath]

I shoot 40-50. All TMY2 and soup it HC110. No great shakes, but I guess I do my little old part.

 

[removed account4]

i am finishing my 2 bricks of +X + 3X soon,
and will probably be buying more in a few weeks ...

 

[Photo Engineer]

From what I understand, overall analog and digital sales in the industry were down about 35% per quarter this year on average. This includes all companies.

Motion picture film sales (In-camera and print films both) were about sustained in sales at their previous levels.

PE

 

[mopar_guy]

I know times are tight, and it probably won't matter a darn, but if you want these guys to stick around you gotta buy the product. I know, stating the obvious, as I prone to do from time to time. Well, OK. Most of the time.

Oh, STOP! ;p

I am NOT buying a digital camera just to help Kodak out.

 

[shutterspeed1000]

Does anyone know how some of the other film companies are doing? Are Ilford and Fuji having the same problems?

 

[Jeff Kubach]

I'm buying some Kodak stuff, right now I don't have a lot of money for photography. Hell, my pickup truck has 300,000 miles on it and I gonna to have to keep it a while longer.

Jeff

 

[Alan Johnson]

Amateur Photographer magazine Oct 24 2009 reports Ilford sales director as saying that sales of 35 mm film remain "pretty stable" despite a slight decline in sales worldwide.Sales of 120 film have increased 18% in value terms partly as a result of a glut of secondhand roll film cameras about 18 months ago.

 

[Ektagraphic]

I am going to keep supporting Kodak. I love their films and I love the history of Kodak.....They will continue to see most of my photography spending.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

I am going to keep supporting Kodak. I love their films and I love the history of Kodak.....They will continue to see most of my photography spending.

Me too. Film from Kodak, paper from Ilford, chemicals from both. This combination works for me.

 

[mike c]

Spent more on film this year than in the previous 3 years,also have twice the number of cameras .

 

[Denis K]

A share of Kodak stock now sells for about half what a roll of film sells for. How about we all make a pack. If we go down and get 10 rolls of film we purchase 20 shares of stock to go with it. It wouldn't be long before we could spin off the analog portion of Kodak into an APUG coop.

Denis K

 

[John R.]

I know times are tight, and it probably won't matter a darn, but if you want these guys to stick around you gotta buy the product. I know, stating the obvious, as I prone to do from time to time. Well, OK. Most of the time.

Oh, STOP! ;p

Ditto, Ditto, Ditto !!!!

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

Digital is doomed.

The posts in this thread appear to focus on the US economic situation insofar as Kodak is concerned; Australia has avoided a recession and the worst of the so-called "Global Economic Crisis" (I never even noticed it), and sales in all products except computers (they all carry the Vista blight and are in the doledrums) are flourishing. Film cameras are selling well as I have spoken to retailers reflectively on this; both new and second hand are eagerly sought-after. One comment is digital and the level of automation is becoming too technical for many people and they worry about obsolescence.

In walkabout in the "big smoke" this week, I've observed that film availability as reversal and C-41 is fine: Ilford, Kodak and Fuji in all sizes except large format (questions remain what is happening in those sizes) quite readily available, though smaller retailers (even in big towns like the one I live in) have gone unashamedly fully digital (that's where the money is, of course) and will make people with E6 jobs wait 7-9 days (even then, they might botch the job, as they did mine last week, with disastrous financial penalties as a result).

The "economic situation" in the USA according to many analysts is not as well paced as, for instance, other countries (Australia, New Zealand, among) where recovery has been spurred by multiple economic stimulus and lower interest rates and inflation (both of the latter are now rising). I'm not going to get bogged down in economic analysis but the USA seems to be standing alone with a number of serious problems and it is hoped these will pan out over time and a return to stability will come.

 

[nickandre]

Sorry. As I get better at photography I shoot much less film. Not my fault.

 

[sepiareverb]

If we go down and get 10 rolls of film we purchase 20 shares of stock to go with it. It wouldn't be long before we could spin off the analog portion of Kodak into an APUG coop.

Denis K

Or we could tell Kodak we don't care if analog loses them money!!

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Or we could tell Kodak we don't care if analog loses them money!!

???

 

[dwdmguy]

This compared to same Q last year. Last year at this time, we did not really know what we were in for. Perhaps we still don't. GMAC just asked for another Gov't Bail-out. Do you believe that?

 

[aldevo]

Trying to do my part by shooting 40-60 rolls of Tri-X in 135 and 120 per year...