"The fall of Kodak wasn't because of digital cameras" says History in the Dark

It was Kodak's failure to adopt to the onset of digital camera technology that was largely responsible for killing the company, so the common misconception goes. But as this fascinating video from Youtube channel History in the Dark explains, in reality the Kodak Eastman Company, to give it its full title, was something of a pioneer of digital tech, and by 2005 the company had become the number one seller of digital cameras in the USA. 

However, by concentrating on the consumer end of the market with point-and-shoot models like the Kodak Easy Share range, it was the arrival of smartphones, in particular the Apple iPhone, that had such a dramatic and detrimental effect on the company's fortunes. 

The (Misunderstood) Fall of Kodak | It Wasn't Because of Digital Cameras | History in the Dark - YouTube

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"The fact was that selling digital cameras was a lot different than selling film cameras because they no longer had the film market to fall back on once people bought a digital camera," the video expands. "They really didn't need to buy anything else from the company – at least not nearly as often."

You can watch History in the Dark's video above, which gives an insightful yet concise potted history of the rise and fall of the company that popularized photography to the masses. 

And as you'll learn, while the company is a shadow of its former self, it's still a major player in the motion picture industry, and thanks to the resurgence of people film cameras, largely popularised by hipsters and fans of all things retro, Kodak has recently actually increased production of rolls of film, including the popular Tri-X 400 black & white stock. 

Read more: The best Kodak cameras & George Eastman: the man who made Kodak