Here's a can of worms to muse over....

Not that I think Kodak formulations will disappear but with Polaroid filing for Chapter 11 and today's downgrade of Kodak's long term debt it is certainly within the realm of possibilities. Hell, Sam the Record Man is going belly up in Canada. A trooper for the last 63 years... its time is finally up.

Could we live in an all Fuji world?

Opinions?

-- John Chan (ouroboros_2001@yahoo.com), October 31, 2001

Answers

A monoculture of any kind is a bad idea. If Kodak dies, Fuji will need some competition to keep developing new products.

-- Douglas Herr (telyt@earthlink.net), October 31, 2001.

The only Kodak products I use are TMX, TX and CN400, D76, easily replaced by the equivalent Ilford product. For occasional color I use Provia 100F, 400F, Velvia, Reala. I love Kodachrome but it is not somthing Kodak supports fully. For the sake of competition I hope Kodak doesn't go under but it would be hard for me to shed a tear for the company that brought the world disc camera and APS,

-- ray tai (razerx@netvigator.com), October 31, 2001.

Living where I do, in Jakarta, Indonesia, I use Fuji film exclusively. Fuji labs here are a dime a dozen. Kodak film is available but most labs screw up the processing and I find that I get consistently better results from Fuji.

-- Ray Moth (ray_moth@yahoo.com), October 31, 2001.

The best thing that ever happened to Kodak was competition from Fuji and Ilford, because it made them improve their products. But if they were to go under (not likely), the other companies would grow as fat, lazy, and arrogant as Kodak was for many years.

-- Dave Jenkins (djphoto@vol.com), October 31, 2001.

I do like my Tri-X, D-76, and XTOL. I also like knowing that Plus-X is still there, if I want any. Sort of like knowing that the Statue of Liberty is still there, in case you want to go back. I miss Panatomic-X.

-- Bob Fleischman (RFXMAIL@prodigy.net), October 31, 2001.

I don't think much good would come from Kodak's leaving the film business. As others have said, the amazing increase in film quality in the last 20 years is mostly do to fierce competition between Kodak and Fuji. I still remember when Kodak processing labs refused to even process any of Fuji's film until a judge told them they had to. By the way, Don't forget Agfa still has some great products on the market, including the superb Optima II films. I also just bought my first roll of Konica Impresa 50 to try out, which also got good reviews on Photo.net and is the sharpest color negative film on the market right now. But no doubt about it, the main two big players for the last few decades are Kodak and Fuji, and if either of them called it quits, the non-digital photographers would feel the loss.

-- Andrew Schank (aschank@flash.net), October 31, 2001.

Hmm. I'll lay in a stock of Kodak Advantix B&W film, couple hundred rolls should do it ... Love my APS cameras and that's my favorite film for them.

Ilford for B&W otherwise, Fuji for color. Life could be worse. But then theres the huge range of commercial products that Kodak does which have no duplicate in the world...

-- Godfrey (ramarren@bayarea.net), October 31, 2001.

Already starting to miss KM (K25). Hope Tri-X doesn't cough out too.

-- Michael Kastner (kastner@zedat.fu-berlin.de), November 01, 2001.

Wal Mart is said to switch launch their house name film using Agfa as supplier, that is bad news for Kodak. I use Agfa HDC and recently their new emulsion VISTA.

In B&W, I use Kodak Technical PAN I think Kodak will survive, after massive cost cutting...

-- martin tai (martin.tai@capcanada.com), November 01, 2001.

I'll miss

Kodachrome, E200, EPN , Verichrome, Tri-X, Selectol Soft, Kodak reference slides and negatives, Gold 100, E100SW Tech-Pan, Portra VC, the pictures on the Kodak Web site, their museum, Selectol Soft, their reference slides and negatives, grey scale-hey, all those extras they have put out over the years and that Fuji has not.

-- Mani Sitaraman (bindumani@pacific.net.sg), November 01, 2001.

I don't think we'll see the demise of Kodak soon. I hope! One of Polaroids problems was their lack of diversification. For an example Kodak makes huge money (probably more than film) from the technology that film gives them. Many fabrics have a Kodel label on them (a subsidiary of Kodak) and all their dye technology comes from the film dept. Who knows what else!? I read a few years back that the average person doesn't go through a day without using a Kodak or subsidary product (not including film). Big company!!

-- Bob Todrick (bobtodrick@yahoo.com), November 01, 2001.

Although Kodak did come up w/the disc (among other goofy film formats over the years), I believe APS was jointly developed w/Fuji. Yet another argument in favor of competition . . . --------------- For the sake of competition I hope Kodak doesn't go under but it would be hard for me to shed a tear for the company that brought the world disc camera and APS, -- ray tai

-- Chris Chen (furcafe@cris.com), November 01, 2001.

I liked K25 but don't forget other manufacturers have phased out old favourites too. I miss Agfapan 25, though Agfapan 100 and Ilford Pan F are good. I reckon most companies' big consumer films (Kodak Elite Chrome, for example) are very good indeed. I agree competition is essential. The big question is, how much commitment will any of them conitinue to put into film in the digital age? BTW, does anyone miss Kodak's old all-metal chemical containers from the 70s? Metal and glass were surely more environmentally-friendly than plastic?

-- David Killick (Dalex@inet.net.nz), November 01, 2001.

I allready do miss Kodak. 70mmm Tri-X perf, 127 Verichrome, 127 anything, Kodachrome 120, Panatomic-x ect.

I would miss Dektol, stop, fix, toners, etc. I use mostly Kodak chemistry in the darkroom.

As a big Ilford user, I would miss Ilford a lot more than Kodak. Perhaps a big freezer with 20 year's supply is not a bad idea.

-- Tony Oresteen (aoresteen@mindspring.com), November 01, 2001.

Kodak should be able to survive. Even as a streamlined operation with their basic films. Kodak gold sells well in many places abroad and for a lot more than it should be. Kodak still has a chance to be a big player in the digital market although they have been falling behind. I wish they would churn out a good, low cost dye-sublimation printer with affordable consumables. They certainly have the technology for that and are in a good position to offer it. Kodak makes about a third of the good films, Fuji another, and the others the last third- mainly agfa, konica and ilford.

-- Larsen (slarsen@mail.colgate.edu), November 01, 2001.

Dang let's hope not!!! Can't dream of living without Kodak Tri-X for the rest of my life or even T-Max... at least something will have to give...

-- Albert Wang (albert.wang@ibx.com), November 02, 2001.

Kodak may have brought the world APS and Disc, but don't forget, they also brought the world *photography*. Although I did like them better in the days when the film boxes looked like they came from the checker cab company :) Especially the Panatomic-X and Verichrome NOT Pan.

-- Matt Saunier (hellfire@starband.net), February 27, 2002.

I suppose my APS remark was a bit unfair due to the benefit of hindsight. Kodak thought it was a good R&D and marketing investment but they didn't see the advent of consumer digital. Polaroid certainly didn't learn any new trick after coming out with one of the first professional quality digital cameras years ago. Now that Nikon and Canon are making their own pro digital bodies will there be a place for Kodak in the digital era?

-- ray tai (razerx@netvigator.com), February 27, 2002.

If it disappears, it'll be because something else has taken its place, so for me personally, no, I don't care at all. There'll always be something to take pictures with.

-- rob (rob@robertappleby.com), February 27, 2002.