Film still king, claims Kodak

Digital camera technology is not likely to replace chemical-based film for some time, according to Eastman Kodak.

Chief executive Daniel Carp said that film is still king despite a slump in the US market and the industry's shift to digital imaging.

He explained that there is still room for growth in consumer film, particularly in markets like China and India where only about one in five households own a film camera.

Kodak has opened 1,500 photography stores in India and China, and film sales have risen in both countries. Emerging markets now account for about 20 per cent of Kodak's film sales.

Carp maintained that, while digital imaging is proving a tough competitive rival to film, there is no indication that it is ready to replace the old format just yet.

US analysts agree that it will be a long time before people consider ditching their old style cameras for digital models.

They point to the fact that digital cameras are still expensive and generally lack the versatility of their film equivalents, and that there are so many old style cameras out there which still perform perfectly well.