Dixons is to axe sales of 35mm film cameras from its high-street shops claiming there is now ?no real difference? in quality between film and digital.
?The cost of digital cameras has fallen dramatically and the image quality has risen substantially since they were first launched in the early 1990s,? the company said in a statement,? adding, ?Three-million-pixel digital cameras are now available from Dixons for under £100.? Sales of digital cameras now outstrip 35mm film cameras at Dixons by ?15 to 1?.
Cameras were the first product sold at Dixons which started out as a photographic studio and opened its first outlet in Southend, Essex in 1937.
?The digital camera, which delivers huge benefits due to its memory, speed, image quality and transferability of images, is a big winner with the millions of customers that shop with us every year,? added Dixons marketing director Bryan Magrath.
Dixons? high-street stores will continue to sell 35mm film cameras until stocks run out.
A Dixons survey of 100 customers revealed that 93% are not able to tell the difference between prints from a digital image and one captured on 35mm film.
However, Dixons will continue to sell the EOS 3000V 35mm SLR at its 16 airport-based shops, along with ?one or two? 35mm film compacts.
