After 74 years, Kodak has announced that it is to discontinue production of its iconic Kodachrome 64 film, blaming falling sales due to the uptake in digital imaging.
After production began in 1935, Kodachrome was the world?s first commercially successful colour film and was respected by amateurs and professionals alike. In the face of the continuing growth of digital imaging, sales of Kodachrome 64 have fallen steadily and now only make up 1% of Kodak?s total film sales. According to a company statement, photographers are no longer buying the film in ?sustainable volumes?, which means that production of the film is no longer viable.
However, Kodak has emphasised its commitment to film, having released seven new professional films in the past three years, including new formulations of the popular Portra range and T-Max 400. Kodak expects supplies of Kodachrome 64 to last until the autumn, if demand maintains its current level.
Photographers who have bought pre-paid Kodachrome 64 films will still be able to get their films processed by Kodak until 30 November 2010.
