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Posts Tagged ‘Kodak’

Video: The ‘surprising’ origin story of Kodak Aerochrome film

30 Nov

Todd Dominey has published a video no his Youtube channel that dives into the interesting history of a film stock ‘with an origin story unlike any other,’ Kodak Aerochrome.

The 11-minute video, which is part one of a two-part series, walks through why the infrared film was developed by Kodak and what the United States military had to do with its inception. From there, Dominey talks about the film’s significance in pop culture — most notably in the late 1960s and early 70s — as well as the film’s discontinuation announcement in 2009 and the striking Aerochrome works of photographer Richard Mosse.

One of a few albums from the late 1960s and early 1970s that used images captured on Kodak Aerochrome film.

It’s a fantastic watch for those unfamiliar with the discontinued film and still worth a watch for those familiar with it. Dominey says the second video will focus on digitally recreating the aesthetic of Aerochrome film — something that’s been attempted a few times before in the form of presets.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Kodak Professional Select’s AI-powered virtual assistant speeds up image culling

05 Nov

Kodak has introduced a new application, Kodak Professional Select. The app relies upon proprietary artificial intelligence to cull hundreds to thousands of images based upon technical attributes and aesthetic qualities.

Kodak states that technical attributes include color, focus, brightness, exposure, contrast and sharpness. With respect to aesthetic qualities, the AI looks for eyes being open, smiles and centered faces in your images. Kodak Professional Select then uses this data to select your best images and showcases them in an ‘easy-to-use interface.’ Importantly, the user maintains total control over which images are included in a final selection. The AI has been designed to drastically speed up this process. Kodak promises that ‘image culling is completed in minutes.’

Along with artificial intelligence, Kodak Professional Select allows the user to tag images with keywords, adjust the orientation, add star-based ratings, organize your files and more. You can learn more about Kodak Professional Select and see it in action in Kodak’s video below.

As you can see in the video above, to use Kodak Professional Select you must first sign up and install the required desktop application. This app interacts with Kodak’s cloud-based software. You then select and upload your images, which the software resizes for faster uploading and processing on the cloud. Once your images are uploaded, Professional Select goes to work and analyzes each image, ranking, and organizing your best images from the batch.

You can adjust how Kodak Professional Select prioritizes its evaluation criteria. Further, you can select how many images you desire from the batch. For example, you can prioritize exposure and sharpness and then select that you will want to keep 20 images from a batch of 500.

Kodak Professional Select judges images based upon multiple properties, including color, focus, contrast, and how the faces look in your images. Click to enlarge.

Once the analysis is complete, you will be able to adjust score criteria, add/remove selections, move images between groups, review images that the software determined were nearly identical and more. At this point, you can adjust the orientation of images, rate photos and add keywords. Once you’re all set with your selection, you export your selected images for the next step in your editing workflow.

Kodak Professional Select is compatible with Windows 10 and macOS Mojave (10.14.4) or newer and requires an internet connection. The following file formats are supported: DNG, JPG, RAW, TIF, CRW, CR2, CR3, RAF, 3FR, FFF, ARW, KDC, MRW, MOS, IIQ, NEF, NRW, ORF, RW2, PEF, X3F, SRF.

With its AI, Kodak Professional Select promises to make culling your images much easier and faster than traditional manual analysis. A free trial is available to try the software for yourself.

If you’d like to try Kodak Professional Select to see if it will fit in your workflow and speed up your image culling, there is a free 30-day trial available. After this trial, the ‘virtual assistant’ solution is available in monthly or annual subscriptions. Kodak Professional Select costs $ 29.95 USD per month. If you’d prefer a 12-month subscription, you pay $ 299.95, the equivalent of 10 months. To download the trial, head to Kodak Professional Select’s website.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Video: How Kodak became yet another victim of the juggernaut of changing technology

27 Sep

The Eastman Kodak Company, better known as Kodak, was co-founded by George Eastman and Henry A. Strong way back in 1888. In the more than 130 years since, the company has been through a lot. It once was a dominant force in the photography industry, at times being almost as synonymous with photography as the Apple iPod once was with respect to music. For all but the youngest in society, we have all heard the phrase, ‘Kodak moment.’

However, with the advent of digital photography, Kodak began to lose its place at the forefront of photography. Interestingly, Kodak itself patented the first handheld digital camera in 1978, eventually shelving the product in order to better preserve its film business. With the benefit of hindsight, we can see that Kodak created its own demise a few decades in advance.

Believing in the long-term viability of a predominantly analog photography industry, Kodak missed critical opportunities to diversify, a mistake Fujifilm didn’t make, as is evidenced by the Japanese company’s impressive lineup of digital photography cameras and lenses.

Kodak’s meteoric rise to near-total market dominance and the precipitous fall from grace is a fascinating story. The Wall Street Journal recently produced a short documentary covering the story of Kodak, which can be viewed below. The video begins with the origins of the company before ramping up to Kodak’s prime and its eventual decline.

In Kodak’s heyday, the company focused on creating simple and easy-to-use still and video cameras for everyday people. This goal, one the company had long met successfully, resulted in Kodak employing more than 145,000 people in 1988. It was Kodak’s best-ever year. At the time, Fujifilm was the biggest threat to Kodak’s business. In 1989, Fujifilm managed to capture an 11% share of the U.S. film market. The next few years saw Kodak’s position of power further eroded, and the company brought in a new CEO from outside in an attempt to right the slowly sinking ship.

Kodak’s digital camera shipments in the United States from 2008 through 2011. Image credit: The Wall Street Journal. Data credit: IDC.

Losses continued to pile up and jobs were cut as Kodak moved to a new CEO at the turn of the 21st century. Kodak continued to produce new digital photography product and jumped into new product sectors, such as printers, but Kodak was fighting a losing battle. The advent of smartphone photography added further difficulties for Kodak, as no longer were consumers as inclined to buy a dedicated camera to capture life’s most important moments. No longer was there a desire to create ‘Kodak moments.’

Kodak’s stock prices have trended very downward since 2014. Image credit: Wall Street Journal. Data credit: Factset.

Eventually, the financial challenges became too great and Kodak shuttered its camera business and filed for bankruptcy in 2012. However, the story of Kodak didn’t end there. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Kodak began licensing its very identity, resulting in the Kodak name being plastered on many different products. Kodak even made a cryptocurrency in 2018. However, its stock price kept falling.

With the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Kodak found a new opportunity to pivot. On July 28, President Trump announced Kodak would receive a $ 765M government loan under the Defense Production Act. Kodak, a company long known for producing products using its chemical expertise, is poised to move into pharmaceuticals. Trump’s announcement sent Kodak stock skyrocketing. However, the deal is currently being held up as the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigates the deal and Kodak itself for insider trading.

Kodak is far from the only company that has faltered in the digital age of photography. However, Kodak may be one of the most famous examples of how changing photographic technology can sink a company.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Report: Kodak Alaris has sold off its paper and chemical division to its largest Chinese distributor

13 Jul

According to Australian photo industry publication Inside Imaging, Kodak has sold its ‘Paper, Photochemicals, Display and Software’ business unit to its largest Chinese distributor, Sino Promise Group (Sino also distributes Canon, Epson and Noritsu photo printers and scanners) and transferred its film business to its Kodak Moments business unit.

The confirmation from Inside Imaging comes on the heels of a report that an announcement of the proposed sale was distributed internally within the company.

Sino has been manufacturing Kodak photochemicals as well as silver halide photo paper and dye-sub paper destined for the Asia Pacific market in its Xiamen factory since 2015 and has been manufacturing Kodak medical X-ray film, industrial film, photographic film, photographic paper and photochemicals at its Wuxi factory since 2016.

A screenshot from the ‘About’ section on Sino Promise Group’s website.

We reported back in February 2019 Kodak Alaris was looking to offload its paper and film division, estimated to be worth roughly $ 34 million at the time. Kodak Alaris went so far as to say in its 2019 financial report (page 16) that it expected ‘the successful completion of the sale of [its] PPF business in the next year.’

According to Inside Imaging’s report, there were multiple entities interested in the division, including Sino, Eastman Kodak (separate entity from Kodak Alaris) and even Chinese film company Lucky Film. In the end, it was Sino Promise Group that sealed the deal. Sino Promise Group was originally planning to purchase more of Kodak Alaris than just the paper and chemistry business, says Inside Imaging, but ‘withdrew at the last minute […] due to concerns with the accounts of the document scanning business unit.’ There’s no information on exactly how much the final deal was worth.

We have contacted Kodak Alaris ourselves to independently confirm this information and will update accordingly if we receive a response.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Film Fridays: Kodak Portra 800 review

03 Jul
Photo: Hamish Gill

Kodak Portra 800 is a wonderful and versatile color film. And any rumors of it being discontinued, we’re pleased to report, are simply untrue. That’s a good thing, because Portra 800 is capable of producing lovely results in all sorts of lighting conditions and even holds up well to being under or overexposed.

Our friends over at 35mmc have a detailed review of this film stock (which is also a DPR staff favorite). It’s chock full of sample photos. Have a look!

Read: Kodak Portra 800 review

About Film Fridays: We recently launched an analog forum and in a continuing effort to promote the fun of the medium, we’ll be sharing film-related content on Fridays, including articles from our friends at 35mmc.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Emulate Kodak Aerochrome in Lightroom with RNI’s new preset pack

29 Jun

Really Nice Images (RNI) has released RNI Aerochrome, a new preset for Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Camera Raw that emulates the look of Kodak Aerochrome, a discontinued specialty film that was sensitive to both infrared and visible light.

Emulating the look of Kodak Aerochrome with digital images is no easy feat, but RNI says it’s preset was meticulously ‘handcrafted by some of the most pedantic digital imaging and film photography experts out there.’ In total, there are 18 variations of the RNI Aerochrome filter in the pack, alongside the RNI Toolkit, which offers add-on settings to further tweak the image.

Below is a collection of sample photos edited with the preset:

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The RNI Aerochrome preset pack costs $ 96 and works with Lightroom CC, Lightroom Mobile and Adobe Camera Raw. RNI says it’s not currently possible to port the preset to Capture One, but suggests it could be possible down the road should Phase One add the appropriate functionality.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Kodak Alaris warns the TSA’s new airport CT scanners can damage undeveloped film

29 Jan

Kodak Alaris has alerted its customers to the risks of CT scanners being used by the TSA to scan carry-on luggage in a number of airports throughout the United States. According to the company, it tested the effects of these scanners on film products to determine just how risky they are. The results, according to a long Facebook post from Kodak Alaris, were ‘not good.’

In March 2019, the TSA announced a $ 96.8 million contract that had been awarded to Smiths Detection for 300 CT scanning systems that will be installed in 145 U.S. airports to screen carry-on bags. Some of these CT scanning systems are now in use at select airports and others will go live over the coming year.

‘To better assess the risk to film from the new carry on scanners we brought a small quantity of Portra 400/135 to John F Kennedy Airport,’ Kodak Alaris explains on Facebook. The film was put through these scanning systems one to 10 times and then was later evaluated by Eastman Kodak Research experts.

Kodak describes the results as ‘not good,’ saying:

Just 1 scan shows significant film fogging, leading to smoky blacks and loss of shadow detail. This will be more significant for higher speed films. Although it’s possible that a roll of 100 speed film would show less degradation, we strongly recommend against putting any unexposed or exposed but unprocessed film through a CT Scanner.

In order to avoid this, Kodak tells photographers to keep their film products in a carry-on bag and to request that TSA agents hand-check the film rather than sending it through the CT scanner. The TSA confirmed to Kodak that its agents are trained in hand-checking movie film, roll film and single-use film cameras.

The TSA warned Kodak that ‘a limited number of [carry-on] screening checkpoints’ feature X-ray equipment that may damage film. In these cases, the airports have put up warning signs at the checkpoints to warn passengers who may have undeveloped film in their bags. The majority of X-ray screening equipment used for checked baggage rather than carry-on baggage will damage undeveloped film as well, according to the TSA.

Kodak says it is developing ‘warning stickers’ that photographers will be able to print out at home and put on plastic bags containing their film products when traveling.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Kodak will shut down its Kodakit on-demand photography service in January

16 Dec

On December 12, Eastman Kodak announced that it is ending Kodakit, its service for connecting photographers with new gigs. In the announcement posted on the Kodakit website, Kodak says that it will wrap up the service’s operations by the end of January 2020. The company will terminate its Photographer Agreement effective after January 31, but it will continue to make outstanding payments as established by the agreement.

A notice about the end of operations appears on the Kodakit website when photographers attempt to sign up for the service. The same notice isn’t live on the Kodakit main page nor does it appear to have been announced on any of the service’s social media pages. The company doesn’t explain why it has decided to end the service, though heavy criticism from photographers may play a role.

The notice warns photographers that they will need to stop using any mention of Kodakit as part of their services after January 2020 and that they must continue to honor any confidentiality agreements. As well, photographers are told to deliver any outstanding work they have through Kodakit.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Video: Watch someone play DOOM on a Kodak digital camera from 1998

12 Dec

Retro tech and gaming YouTube channel LGR has published a new video showing the original DOOM video game being played on a 1998 Kodak DC260 digital camera. This model was quite expensive at the time with a price tag of $ 999.99; the cost was due, in part, to the surprisingly capable hardware packed into the camera, including a 66Mhz PowerPC CPU, 8MB of RAM and an 11khz sound chipset.

As explained in the video, the Kodak DC260 was unusual for its time in that it features USB and support for sideloading apps. Though this sideloading functionality was intended to expand the camera’s capabilities in unique ways, it also makes it possible to install and run a special version of the original DOOM video game, which appears to play without issue on the camera.

DOOM is one of the multiple apps demonstrated in the video, which includes instructions on downloading, sideloading and running the software.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Kodak Ektachrome E100 film will be available in 120, 4×5 formats ‘within the next 10 days’

11 Dec

Kodak Alaris has announced that its Ektachrome E100 film stock will be released in 120 and 4×5 sheet film packs ‘within the next ten days.’

In a tweet shared earlier this morning on the Kodak Professional account, Kodak Alaris confirmed new 5-roll 120 ‘propacks’ and 10-sheet 4×5 boxes will be available to order worldwide within the next ten days. Kodak Alaris Japan also published a press release sharing the news.

No pricing information has been given, but we’ll find out soon enough when orders go live.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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