ROCHESTER (djc) – Continuing its gradual secession from the film business, Eastman Kodak announced Tuesday that it will stop selling traditional 35 mm cameras in the United States, Canada and Western Europe.
This marks a major step into the world of digital photography for the company, which had originally made its mark by providing cheap, simple film cameras to the public.
Kodak will still market new film cameras in emerging markets such as China, India and Eastern Europe, where demand for quality photography is high but the cost of digital photography and personal computers is higher.
This change comes after the first year in which digital cameras outsold film cameras in the States. An industry snapshot shows that 12.5 million digicams were sold in the US in 2003, compared with 12.1 million film cameras. The trend promises to amplify much further in the coming year.
Kodak says it will continue to make 35 mm film, still its biggest moneymaker. Generally speaking, camera manufacturers make much less profit on hardware than on supplies like film and paper.
The company will also halt global production of Advanced Photo System (APS) cameras, a technology developed in cooperation with Fuji, Canon, Minolta and Nikon. APS, which uses a simpler film loading format, launched in 1996 with the intention of attracting casual point-and-shoot enthusiasts. However, sales of APS units have steadily dwindled in the shadow of the digital revolution.
However, Kodak says it will continue to support the film format for existing APS users. The company will also keep making its popular line of disposable cameras.
Late last year, Kodak similarly announced its intention to stop producing slide projectors, while continuing to produce profitable slide films.
Kodak, traditionally the leader in film, has watched its sales slump over the last three years. It is currently second in the running in digital cameras after Sony, and it is putting even more stock into digital technology. Last year, Kodak reduced its payout to shareholders in an attempt to raise more money to improve its bearing in areas like digital photography, printing and medical health imaging.
