One more dead soldier, Kodak has announced that Kodachrome, arguably the most iconic film ever produced, will be discontinued after 74 years on the market due to declining demand.

Kodachrome was expensive, incredibly difficult to process, only one lab left in the United States was even doing it. It was slow, it took time to shoot, time to process. The fact is, Kodachrome never stood a chance in a world where immediacy is the driving force.

A shame that a new generation will never know what it was like to shoot such an amazing film. There is simply no substitute for the color and quality of Kodachrome 64.

From Kodak’s Website:

“They say all good things in life come to an end. Today we announced that Kodak will retire KODACHROME Film, concluding its 74-year run.

It was a difficult decision, given its rich history. At the end of the day, photographers have told us and showed us they’ve moved on to newer other Kodak films and/or digital. KODACHROME Film currently represents a fraction of one percent of our film sales.”

Read the rest at: http://homepage.1000words.kodak.com/

Ilford Press Room: The Future of Film Photography 14th May 2007

Comment on the future of film by Howard Hopwood, marketing director of Ilford Photo.

Over recent times, the demand and usage of both digital and film-based imaging have settled into more discernable levels, with film very much holding its own. Howard Hopwood, marketing director of black-and-white photographic materials
manufacturer ILFORD PHOTO, sees a very positive future
for the traditional medium.

The Future Of Film

Although the mainstream digital imaging manufacturers and suppliers seemed to have ceased their alarmist, some would say desperate, predictions of a speedy demise for film-based photography, it is obvious that the market mix of media has continued to change dramatically.

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