Kodak Files for Bankruptcy Protection 1/18/2012

Photo Engineer · Feb 13, 2012

Ok, ok, rub it in! I missed the whole thing looking for (and having used) the tiny and almost silly print scanner and overlooking all of the professional equipment. Right or wrong though, it is clear that EK blew it when they dropped out of scanners.

I should mention that I have just finished an interview with Scott Sheppard for Inside Analog Photo and which goes over the many many steps where I saw Kodak go wrong (for whatever reason). I saw it from the bottom, as I said, as if I were at the bottom of an outhouse!

Anyhow, I do not document these, just the ones I was involved in such as the Drivetech and Verbatim debacles.

PE

zsas · Feb 14, 2012

The Journal has this to say about The George Eastman House, interesting read...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204740904577194932800601346.html

cmacd123 · Feb 14, 2012

Photo Engineer said:
Ok, ok, rub it in! I missed the whole thing looking for (and having used) the tiny and almost silly print scanner and overlooking all of the professional equipment. Right or wrong though, it is clear that EK blew it when they dropped out of scanners.

The place where I worked always was aware that they had to fight the "silo" problem where one section does not know what another section is doing, it seems that EK was even more a harbour of this problem than many companies it's size. Microfilm comes on different spools than Movie film for example, even though they are the same size and come in the same box (16mmX100Ft size rolls) - Movie negative has no relation to still negative having totaly different speeds, chemistry and marketing.

Photo Engineer · Feb 14, 2012

Yeah and ECN and C41 are different. Etc, etc, etc.

PE

Sal Santamaura · Feb 26, 2012

cmacd123 said:
One line in the story mentions that the OSCAR folks (AMPAS) is uneasy about the OSCAR night happening at a theatre named after a now Bankrupt company. The TV coverage would have to mention the Kodak Name, and OSCAR folks might not be happy to do that. If they can kill the contract, the theatre could be called something else by Oscar night.

Since the court approved Kodak being relieved of its obligation to continue paying for naming rights, I heard on today's local news that tonight's ceremony will refer to the venue as "The Hollywood and Highland Center."

CGW · Feb 26, 2012

Aristophanes said:
Using the newer CMOS sensors with the Bayer filter removed (like the D800E) a digital photo of the negative in an automated process is entirely possible provided the optics and the lighting are consistent.

You'll get a RAW file of the negative, and pretty high resolution and DMAX as well (not as good with B&W, but pretty much there for colour negs). This is pretty close to or better than what a Noritsu or Fuji Frontier can do, and may, in fact be faster and require less human operator oversight. If you're scanning into RAW in PS or Aperture or Lightroom, who cares? It's not for print (not yet). It's for still photo digital intermediation, while still preserving the analog flow to print if desiredjust a branch on the tree of possibilities.

This what dedicated film scanners should be/could be. This would reposition film as a medium nearer to the sharing prospects of digital and give the print and negative itself both archival presence and a more special place in the photographic process and context, especially if handcrafted in the darkroom.

Why Kodak has not gone down this path is a mystery. Kodak develops these branching tree technologies, then gets busy sawing them off to preserve print and film stock sales. It was Fuji with their scanner modules attached to their mini-labs that integrated the process for the consumer. Kodak actually saw that as a threat, but they were nevertheless busy designing MP film for digital intermediate and doing the reverse with their film recorders:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_recorder

And their film scanners:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motion_picture_film_scanner

I mean, some of these systems are scanning at 8 frames/second with Director's Cut fidelity once the colour is matched; considering the film is shot at 24fps and colour matching for still photos can be done later on the home computer.

It really is a tragedy. The more I read about Kodak's missed opportunities and vision problem, the more Scotch I want to drink.

One wonders why Nikon doesn't update/reintro its high-end Coolscans when 9000ED models are going for absurd prices. Keep hoping Fuji will roll a scanner out just to spite Nikon.

michaelbsc · Feb 26, 2012

CGW said:
One wonders why Nikon doesn't update/reintro its high-end Coolscans when 9000ED models are going for absurd prices. Keep hoping Fuji will roll a scanner out just to spite Nikon.

Because ramping up production to make them would require that they be able to sell tens of thousands. If there were that many on the used market, they wouldn't be selling for absurd prices.

Aristophanes · Feb 26, 2012

Fuji won't put out a consumer scanner and spite their remaining lab scanners like the 2500.

Scanning is the most obvious reason why Kodak did not "get" it. Since online sharing is now the dominant norm, and Kodak stuck to print services (ad still does), they missed the ability to get their film online. Their route now goes mostly through Fuji lab systems, and in playing catch-up, Kodak struck some deal with Noritsu that resolved nothing. Personal home scanning cannot keep up the volume compared to lab scanning.

CGW · Feb 26, 2012

Aristophanes said:
Fuji won't put out a consumer scanner and spite their remaining lab scanners like the 2500.

Scanning is the most obvious reason why Kodak did not "get" it. Since online sharing is now the dominant norm, and Kodak stuck to print services (ad still does), they missed the ability to get their film online. Their route now goes mostly through Fuji lab systems, and in playing catch-up, Kodak struck some deal with Noritsu that resolved nothing. Personal home scanning cannot keep up the volume compared to lab scanning.

Still puzzling since Fuji cooks its own chips, makes film+processing/printing gear, and creates products like the X series cameras.

Fuji and Noritsu labs are vanishing around the GTA. They're heavily pushing dry machinery to the labs and whispering that the end of their old film processing/printing machinery is nigh.

fotch · Feb 26, 2012

I often thought that Kodak should push the film to scanning via several methods. I look at images from my F3 that are scanned at a high resolution rate and I am just blown away. My D70 is not even close. Maybe a full frame would be comparable but the upfront investment is not for the average camera bug. JMHO

clayne · Feb 26, 2012

Well fotch, some of that does have to do with the megapixel lie. Why are we still beating doom drums in this thread btw?

fotch · Feb 26, 2012

Well Clayne, I would guess people like to express their opinions, some like to argue. Some are optimist, some are pessimist, and will never fully see the others point of view. In any case, I believe film lovers want to continue with the analog method. It serves no good purpose to keep kicking a person, company, or industry, when they are down. Sometimes that old saying "If you cannot say something nice, shut up" is right. JMHO

zsas · Feb 27, 2012

Kodak moves to end health coverage for retirees 65 and older

Dead Link Removed

alanrockwood · Feb 29, 2012

zsas said:
Kodak moves to end health coverage for retirees 65 and older

Dead Link Removed

Here is what is funny. The article says they will be saving about $20 million per year after the first year. The article also says they don't know how many people will be affected. In other words, they are just guessing.

Photo Engineer · Feb 29, 2012

Kodak's health care covers entire families and at one blanket fee per family. They know the fee, but often have no complete record of family size due to births, deaths, divorces and also entry into nursing homes which all change coverage, people affected, but most often do not change payments by EK.

PE

Richard S. (rich815) · Feb 29, 2012

alanrockwood said:
.....(snip)....The article also says they don't know how many people will be affected. In other words, they are just guessing.

More likely just prefer not to say.

Prof_Pixel · Feb 29, 2012

An article in today's D&C says 'about 16,000 retirees' will be affected.

AlbertZeroK · Feb 29, 2012

Photo Engineer said:
Kodak's health care covers entire families and at one blanket fee per family. They know the fee, but often have no complete record of family size due to births, deaths, divorces and also entry into nursing homes which all change coverage, people affected, but most often do not change payments by EK.

PE

So what you're saying is that Kodak has not been keeping up with the family coverage and the premiums paid to the health insurance company, so EK thinks they can save money by doing an audit of the families and perhaps reduce the premium paid by EK to the insurance company? In other words, this is about book keeping but shouldn't effect EK retires or their benefits?

Prof_Pixel · Feb 29, 2012

AlbertZeroK said:
In other words, this is about book keeping but shouldn't effect EK retires or their benefits?

Nope! It's a real cut for the approximately 16,000 retired Kodakers who retired since 1991 (of which I am one).

Photo Engineer · Feb 29, 2012

As stated above, it is a real cut but EK may not know the exact number of people affected. They do know the exact dollar amount.

PE

zsas · Mar 2, 2012

Sadly it looks like they are shutting down a disposable film camera factory in Mexico....(yeah we know Aristo declining demand for film...)

http://www.guadalajarareporter.com/news-mainmenu-82/guadalajara/30634-kodak-closing-city-manufacturing-plant.html

railwayman3 · Mar 2, 2012

zsas said:
Sadly it looks like they are shutting down a disposable film camera factory in Mexico....(yeah we know Aristo declining demand for film...)

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Most 35mm Kodak films, for some years, seem to have been "finished and packed in Mexico"...presumably this factory?
(Did I see somewhere here that the finishing has all already been relocated back to Rochester?)

CGW · Mar 2, 2012

Bought a bunch of Kodak flash single use cameras for New Year's that were all imported from the UK(?!).

zsas · Mar 2, 2012

railwayman3 said:
Most 35mm Kodak films, for some years, seem to have been "finished and packed in Mexico"...presumably this factory?
(Did I see somewhere here that the finishing has all already been relocated back to Rochester?)

Not sure where the cam assembly will go next.

I meant by sadly, like 'sadly a few 100 Kodak film employees lost their job today...'

As far as why, just ask Aristo he can kindly itemize his theorem re lack of MP, lack of new cameras, labs, etc, etc, etc,

I am just taking pause to recognize the fact that some film workers lost their job today regardless of why (Perez, the price of tea, etc..)

clayne · Mar 3, 2012

Yep, it's sad. The same people who made the materials we put our time and effort into. They also put their time and effort into them.

Kodak Files for Bankruptcy Protection 1/18/2012

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