----- Original Message ----- From: "Collin Brendemuehl" Subject: What do you think?
> The future of film from Kodak & Fuji: > > http://apnews.excite.com/article/20031223/D7VK80IO0.html Other than the time frame that the RIT guy puts forward, it seems pretty logical. I don't recall where I read that Kodak had indicated they had no more R&D money for film, but this article refutes that. What i don't agree with is how long the article seems to think it will take digital imaging to supplant film imaging in the mainstream. Most film is shot be people under the age of 40, by a very large margin, and this group is switching to digital quite quickly. Most new cameras that we are selling now are digital, I suspect this is a pretty common trend, though I would like to hear from Brogden or someone else who works camera retail for confirmation that this isn't just a blip where I live. The average life expectancy of a film P&S is about 5 years, after that it gets replaced, either because it is broken, or because the owner wants something shiny and new. As the present crop of cameras gets replaced, it is most likely that they will be replaced with digital cameras. The market trend is already there, and the buying pattern of the users hasn't really varied for a couple of decades. If we look at this year as being the first year of major inroads by digital photography into the mainstream, then within the next 5 years, most all of the film cameras out there will have been replaced by digital cameras. This is why I am giving colour print film 5 years before it mostly goes away. William Robb
