AgfaPhoto files for bankruptcy

[coldstar]

AgfaPhoto files for bankruptcy
Friday, May 27, 2005 1:57:38 PM ET

LONDON, May 27 (newratings.com) –
Film and disposable camera manufacturer AgfaPhoto GmbH has filed for bankruptcy on Friday. The company’s sales have been hit hard by the boom in the digital photography segment.

AgfaPhoto has 2,400 employees worldwide, 1,800 of them in Germany. AgfaPhoto was sold by the Belgian group, Agfa-Gevaert, to a consortium of investors and management executives in November 2004 for €175.5 million ($219 million). The Belgian group had agreed to provide AgfaPhoto with distribution, order fulfillment, after sales and other services until the end of 2005. Agfa Gevaert said that it does not expect the insolvency filing of AgfaPhoto to have a material impact on its own business.




Agfa Photo is one of world's top 3 film brands along with Fuji Film and Eastman Kodak.

[Urban Dave]

Maybe this is the begining of the end of film photography, at least for general use, because I suppose that some professionals well use film anyway.

[Tony]

It's simple, if you don't adjust to what's hot in the market today, you die. It's not like digital photography is just a passing trend.

[Urban Dave]

They should change their technologies and service to printing photos. The company that would offer a easy and cheap service, will win. At least, in Spain is still cheaper to develope a film than print digital photos.

[Justme]

^ Not in Germany, printing from digital is no different than film and of cause cheaper if you don't include the developing costs - at least in the two shops I use.

Kodak is also having problems. Their flagship digital SLR has sunk (it really was crap), and I have just read that they are moving out of their famous (infamous) skysraper in Hemel Hempstead (London metro) to smaller premises - this tower, the only one in Hemel, has been a local site in the heart of the town since the 60's. It will be converted to a hotel and apartments now.

Kodak have done very well though in consumer digicams at least - they done this part right, but they will never be as big as they once were.

Interesting is that one company (though not doing terribly well) that makes only film - Ilford, will probably remain secure for a while. Ilford, a London based Black & White film maker, is the global leader in B&W film. And this being an "art form" rather than mass marketed product, and the fact that digital B&W still has nowhere near the "punch" and versitility than B&W film has, it probably will still have a market for some time.

[Urban Dave]

Kodak was one of the first companies that developed DSLR, isn't? Maybe their models are quite old and should renovate. Also their were one of the most important companies in film, they invented it? Or at least, I think they invented some important improvements to the film many years ago.

[Justme]

^ That's true, although their camera's were made by Nikon and rebranded as Kodak. Kodak did provide the first "affordable" full frame DSLR (if you call $4000 affordable) but it was so slow in operation and with very poor quality imaging compared to Canon (and later Nikon) that it has not sold well. Basically, a full frame sensor is of little use to a pro if it is as slow as an old digicam.

But Kodak's consumer range have been very good, especially the low cost models which can compete very well with the others on the market. Kodak is particually popular with American woman (know idea why, maybe they like the design) and their comsumer range is one of the highest selling in the U.S.

Kodak certainly didn't invent film photography, but they had many important roles in it's development (with the first amature camera - the Brownie) and Kodak orginated the 35mm design, although it was the German Leica company that made it popular.

(In fact Leica, is another manufacturer that is sadly suffering from a slow jump to digital. Leica was ALWAYS considered the best in professional camera's - the Rolls Royce, so to speak of photography, but they simply were too slow to jump to digital and are paying the price now with Canon taking over this position, although no one will ever compare the quality of a Canon SLR to a Leica camera)

Kodak have probably done the best as far as converting from film to digital of the companies that made their name with photography media (as vrs photography equipment). What I mean here, is that Canon and Nikon still dominate as far as camera's go (digital or otherwise), but they were always making camera's, where as Kodak was mainly known for it's film.

Agfa sadly lost out to the other film brands many years ago (Kodak, Fujifilm etc). Fujifilm is doing ok with digital sales in Japan, and now Sony has been the big upstart, having little impact with film camera's but jumping in quick into the digital camera market.

Japan still dominates the digital camera market by a long shot!
Canon (Japan)
Nikon (Japan)
Sony (Japan)

are probably the most dominatant

Kodak (US)
would probably be next

then back to Japan (no order here)
Olympus (Japan)
Konica Minolta (Japan/Germany)
Sigma (Japan)
FujiFilm (Japan)
Kyocera (Japan)
Casio (Japan)
Sanyo (Japan)
JVC (Japan)
Panasonic (Japan)
Pentax (Japan)
Toshiba (Japan)
Ricoh

A few other non Japanese camera brands of note
Leica (Germany)
Contax (Carl Zeiss) (Germany)
HP (U.S)
Samsung (Korea)

But it is clear that as far as camera's go, Japan is the land.

[coldstar]

Originally Posted by Justme

Konica Minolta (Japan/Germany)
Contax (Carl Zeiss) (Germany)

KonicaMinolta is a pure Japanese.
And as Contax was acquired by Kyocera, now it's one of brands from Kyocera.

On the other hand, Kodak bought off Chinon (one of good camera companies in Japan).

[Justme]

Originally Posted by coldstar

KonicaMinolta is a pure Japanese.
And as Contax was acquired by Kyocera, now it's one of brands from Kyocera.

On the other hand, Kodak bought off Chinon (one of good camera companies in Japan).

Quite true for ownership, but KonicaMinolta was based on German engineering and design originally and it was this link with Germany where they made their mark. But yes, the company was always owned and operated out of Japan.

[Justme]

Originally Posted by coldstar

KonicaMinolta is a pure Japanese.
And as Contax was acquired by Kyocera, now it's one of brands from Kyocera.

On the other hand, Kodak bought off Chinon (one of good camera companies in Japan).

Quite true for ownership, but KonicaMinolta was based on German engineering and design originally and it was this link with Germany where they made their mark. But yes, the company was always owned and operated out of Japan.

Minolta was founded in Osaka, Japan in 1928 as Nichi-Doku Shashinki Shōten (日独写真機商店; translating to Japan-Germany camera shop)

However, their later technology was designed in Japan, and their most famous was the invention of the SLR.

[Justme]

Originally Posted by coldstar

KonicaMinolta is a pure Japanese.
And as Contax was acquired by Kyocera, now it's one of brands from Kyocera.

On the other hand, Kodak bought off Chinon (one of good camera companies in Japan).

Quite true for ownership, but KonicaMinolta was based on German engineering and design originally and it was this link with Germany where they made their mark. But yes, the company was always owned and operated out of Japan.

Minolta was founded in Osaka, Japan in 1928 as Nichi-Doku Shashinki Shōten (日独写真機商店; translating to Japan-Germany camera shop)

However, their later technology was designed in Japan, and their most famous was the invention of the SLR.

[Vapour]

Originally Posted by Justme

then back to Japan (no order here)
Olympus (Japan)
Konica Minolta (Japan/Germany)
Sigma (Japan)
FujiFilm (Japan)
Kyocera (Japan)
Casio (Japan)
Sanyo (Japan)
JVC (Japan)
Panasonic (Japan)
Pentax (Japan)
Toshiba (Japan)
Ricoh

Add Epson, Hitachi (although JVC, Epson and Hitachi have a tiny part of the cake), Cosina (still around?) and Mamiya. As for lenses, Tamron, Hoya.

[Justme]

^ and Tokina for lenses as well...

It is so odd that Japan has totally dominated the camera market. But hey, who's complaining, they certainly know how to make 'em.

[Vapour]

That's right, I forgot Tokina

Go to a park like Kasairinkai in Tokyo on a sunday and you'll see tens if not hundreds of photography aficionados holding expensive SLR and DSLR stuff (even ladies in her 60s!) No wonder they dominate, it's a national hobby

[coldstar]

Originally Posted by Vapour

That's right, I forgot Tokina

Go to a park like Kasairinkai in Tokyo on a sunday and you'll see tens if not hundreds of photography aficionados holding expensive SLR and DSLR stuff (even ladies in her 60s!) No wonder they dominate, it's a national hobby

EXACTLY

but those Japanese camera freaks still admire only one foreign camera company: that's Leica, only Leica from Germany.

[soulkorea]

Coldstar, only Leica?
How about Linhof, Hasselblad, Noblex, Ebony?

Justme,
yes, Minolta started out by copying German cameras, just like Nikon, Kwanon(Canon's original name, name of a Buddhist goddess) and other Japanese camera makers. But later Minolta even provided Leica with new SLR technologies(ex:R3), because Leica was technologically too behind other Japanese makers.
and the invention of the SLR?
If my memory serves me right, the first SLR camera was Russian GOMZ Sport.

by the way,
Kyocera is ending Contax too.
http://news.com.com/2061-10801_3-566...7662&subj=news

and Leica Camera is not doing too well either.

[coldstar]

Originally Posted by soulkorea

by the way,
Kyocera is ending Contax too.
http://news.com.com/2061-10801_3-566...7662&subj=news

yes, as the digital camera war among the Japanese companies is currently superheated, the brand name of 'Contax' is no more attractive for both Kyocera and the end-users. absolutely good decision for Kyocera to end Contax brand and withdraw from the digital camera market.