Re: [Leica] Digital usage

["Nelson Chan" <cchan@info.com.ph>]

God save the Film.  I hope we can still use our leicas in the next 5 years.

Nelson


- ----- Original Message ----- 
From: "(SonC) Sonny Carter" <sonc@sonc.com>
To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
Sent: Thursday, June 19, 2003 11:44 AM
Subject: Re: [Leica] Digital usage


> In our Walmart, just five years ago, the largest in the world, (we were so
> proud) they have recently reduced the film and accessories area by more
than
> half.  In place are color ink jet printers, and digital storage devices on
> cards where many choices of film once hung.
>
> They have both a scanning kiosk, and a self service digital kiosk, that
you
> order your pix from, using your memory card.  Come back in an hour, and
get
> your prints.
>
> They also have onlin upload service, but they mail your prints. I expect
to
> have store delivery soon.
>
> SonC
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Don Dory" <dorysrus@mindspring.com>
> To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
> Sent: Wednesday, June 18, 2003 10:18 PM
> Subject: [Leica] Digital usage
>
>
> > The major photo retailers are working their a------ off to make getting
> > pictures from digital cameras easy.  Why?  Roll counts are dropping by
> > double digit percentages and if they can not replace lost business in
> > developing film with making pictures from digital files then they are
dead
> > meat.  It is no secret in the industry that the profits were in film(and
> > paper and chemistry) for the manufacturers and in processing film and
> making
> > prints for the shops.
> >
> > Sometime in July you will be able to e-mail your digital files to major
> > retailers and pick up your pictures within four hours at literally your
> > choice of hundreds of locations.  Polaroid has a neat little kiosk that
> can
> > make 24 prints from your digital file in a couple of minutes.  You can
> find
> > someone's kiosk just about everywhere to make prints from your digital
> > files.
> >
> > Don't delude yourself that film will be around for a long time.  Right
now
> > more than 90% of all cameras sold in the US are digital, excluding
> > disposables.  I suspect that next year sometime you will start to notice
> > that film is not at the check out line of your local grocery, and that
the
> > giant warehouse stores have moved a smaller selection of film to the
back
> > corner somewhere.  I think that sometime next year you will see the one
> hour
> > labs start to disappear from drug stores as the roll counts drop so far
> that
> > they can not afford the square footage to a loss leader.  We have in
fact
> > reached the critical trifecta of good enough quality, availability of
> output
> > options, and marketing buzz where film is a walking dead product.  Yes,
we
> > all will still be able to buy film, but just like buggy whips, way out
of
> > the way or mail order.
> >
> > To keep this on topic, Leica as a niche player with a fairly loyal
> customer
> > base,  will survive in some shape or another just as you can still buy a
> > buggy for your horse to pull.  However, if they can not develop or
rebadge
> a
> > digital highish end product then we will all seem to be collectors of
Colt
> > revolvers: still potent devices but largely irrelevant to anyone outside
> the
> > club.
> >
> > This time 0.05
> >
> > Don
> > dorysrus@mindspring.com
> >
> > --
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>
> --
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