Kodak has refused to bow to pressure to save infrared film, blaming ?extremely low demand?.
The news comes after US photographer James C Williams launched a worldwide campaign to save Kodak HIE-135 film, the production and distribution of which will cease by the end of this year.
In a statement released in response to the photographer?s campaign Kodak told Amateur Photographer: ?While we very much appreciate the correspondence we?ve received from some photographers – who use our infrared film and would like to be able to purchase it in 2008 and beyond – the fact is the decline in the use of infrared film has been so substantial over the years that it is no longer practical for Kodak to continue to manufacture the film given the extremely low demand and volume, the age of the product formulations and the complexity of the processes involved.?
Unfazed by this latest blow Williams vowed to continue the fight. ?The campaign to save HIE-135 is not over,? he told us. ?Perhaps, after having issued their statement Kodak believe I should give up on this campaign. But I say now that it has only [just] started.?
Kodak confirmed that stocks of HIE-135 film will remain available until the end of this year.
