Dixons cans film-based cameras

In what looks like the death knell for traditional photography, Dixons has announced that it is to stop selling 35mm film cameras once its existing stock is sold.

The retailer said that sales of digital cameras are far exceeding those of 35mm cameras, which are increasingly becoming what it describes as a "niche market".

The firm expects digital camera sales to outstrip 35mm by fifteen to one by the end of the year.

Bryan Magrath, marketing director at Dixons, said: "Last year we pulled the plug on video recorders, but today's announcement is, in many ways, a more sentimental event.

"We have decided that the time is now right to take 35mm cameras out of the frame."

Kodak recently abandoned the production of film-based cameras in Europe and America as well as black-and-white film.

The reduction in prices and increased quality of digital prints are seen as the key causes of the shift in buying patterns.

A recent survey by Dixons found that 93 per cent of its customers could not tell the difference between 35mm prints and those from digital cameras.

The company will retain sales of 35mm cameras at airports for duty free purchases.

Dave Springall, chief technology officer at multimedia platform developer Yospace, said: "This is just another example of the convergence of devices in the consumer market.

"Phones are no longer simply communication devices but portable gadgets containing everything from music to video cameras."