Mike Strock has emailed me with an intriguing link which to me kind of explains why Kodak is in decline. They are introducing a self-service kiosk in the USA which will process your film in just 5 minutes, and then allow you to select the pictures that you want to keep. All well and good so far, until you get to this part of the story:

“Costs are expected to be around $4 for film developing and a CD, plus 29 cents per print. Consumers get the CD in lieu of the traditional negatives.”

They keep the negatives! And give you a CD instead! Taking away the negatives from a film photographer is sacrilege. There’s no mention of how big the scans will be, but I bet they fit neatly onto a 650Mb CD…

So maybe the service is aimed at occasional camera users who don’t understand or care about their negatives. That doesn’t seem to be the case either:

“Says Grant Pill, CVS’ photo manager: “If you give consumers the ability to take control of the process, they’ll be happy.”“

Will those customers be happy? Wouldn’t they rather drop off their film as they’ve always done and pick up their 24 or 36 prints later? Will they really bother to pick and choose?

Kodak’s new kiosk seems to be a confusing mix of old and new, as this very traditional company tries to embrace the digital world. Expect to see one in store near you soon…

Website: USA Today - Kodak self-serve kiosk to develop film in under 5 minutes