Color Film To Be Discontinued

Posted on August 7, 2013 by Mark Mizen

The votes are in. Color film will be discontinued between 2016 and 2020 – at least that is the prediction of this blog. Of course there were a range of predictions. Some people felt that color film would remain forever; others felt that it would be discontinued next year. Personally, I think the expectation that color film will always be available is unrealistic. Color film is a complex product requiring many difficult chemical components and a capital intensive coating process. It is unlikely that a few die-hards will be able to support the required production facilities.

All is not lost though, black and white film requires only a few simple components and is relatively easy to produce. When color film goes away, film photography will return to its black and white beginning. What is old will then become new and the cycle will continue.

About Mark Mizen

I have over twenty years professional experience in all aspects of photography and digital imaging. I am Chair of the ISO WG5 TG2 committee responsible for physical properties and durability of imaging material and am currently with HID Global working on systems for security printing for IDs, licenses, and credit cards. Previously, I was Director of Digital Development at Creative Memories from 2009 to 2012 and was responsible for the Creative Memories digital products and services. I also established and directed the Creative Memories Technology Center, which evaluated new products prior to product introduction, assisted with production difficulties, and provided technical information to support product sales.

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