Kodak-branded film compacts will continue for least another two years after the firm signed a new licensing deal with Vivitar which is also planning to manufacture a Kodak-branded 35mm SLR camera.
?Vivitar has plans to develop a Kodak SLR camera similar to the Vivitar V3000s,? said Vivitar UK CEO Abbas Bhanji who added: ?The planned KV100 is, at the moment, at the development stages and once released will be aimed at educational institutes who specialise in traditional photography.?
In a statement (pictured) Bhanji continued: ?The 35mm camera may be rare to come across, as major Tier 1 manufacturers are exiting this shrinking market.
?Vivitars? agreement means it can continue to grow sales and have a unique niche in the market for point and shoot cameras which are proving to be very popular with developing countries.?
A spokesperson for Kodak was not immediately available for comment at the time of writing.
In this month’s Amateur Photographer Informer magazine supplement we reported how Kodak consumer print film has been saved from digital demolition thanks, in part, to a burgeoning market in India, according to Kodak.
Initial predictions of the death of film have been somewhat premature, according to Joel Proegler, general manager of Film Capture at Eastman Kodak who told us: ‘Kodak has focused on the digital message for the past four years. As we come out of that transition, one thing is very clear: film is a very profitable part of the business?.
Having achieved success in India, Kodak is now planning to exploit the growing economy in China.
