>They sell film, and yet every few years they come up and some stupid (IMHO) contraptions to make film photography less and less interesting to the mass population.
Well, while I agree with some of your statements I think you misread what Kodak is all about. Kodak was, at its very inception, a company that brought photography to the masses. The first Kodak camera was a fairly easy to use item when photography was still fairly new for amateurs and cameras were mostly toys of the wealthy. It sold like hotcakes and thousands upon thousands of people who never held a camera in their lives were suddenly taking pictures. Most of these folks, I'm sure, were not too concerned with the quality of their images, but that they could capture these images at all! So, Kodak modeled most of the rest of its 20th century business plan around that idea; people will pay for convenience and moderate quality in their photo gear. As far as all of the "lesser" formats goes, this is just another way for Kodak to corner a market and it is something that they have always done very well. They create a new format (or make a cubersome one user-friendly) and make film for it. Sure, their cameras (with a few notable exceptions) are junk. But, if that camera is all you can afford or is the only one that's easy to use and is very inexpensive you buy it! And guess what? Kodak is the only company that makes the film...and if not, Kodak gets a licensing fee from a third party to make it. Sounds like Microsoft, no? I like Kodak because they're a classic American company that makes a good product; their films. The simple fact is that without this bread and butter business of cheap cameras (some of which actually take better than decent photos) and "lesser" formats (110, DISC, APS, etc.)they would not have the revenue to spend on R&D to make a line of PROFESSIONAL products like the Portra films and their motion picture stocks. IMHO, I hope Kodak never stops making cheap stuff for the masses. God forbid they go under. I like Fuji but not that much! Brendan MacRae - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
