Does Kodak Still Exist? The Story of Photography’s Most Famous Company

For more than a century, Kodak was almost synonymous with photography. The company’s famous slogan, “You press the button, we do the rest,” helped make photography accessible to millions of people, and for decades, Kodak film was found in cameras all over the world. But what’s happened to Kodak now that we aren’t all shooting film anymore? Does Kodak still exist?

The answer is yes, but the company looks very different today than it used to. While Kodak no longer dominates consumer photography, it continues to operate in several industries and remains one of the most recognisable names in photographic history.

How Kodak began

Kodak was founded in 1888 by George Eastman, who wanted to make photography simpler and more accessible. At a time when photography required bulky equipment and complicated chemical processes, Eastman introduced a camera that came preloaded with enough film for 100 photographs.

Once the roll was finished, customers simply returned the camera to Kodak, where the film was developed, printed, and the camera was reloaded. This approach transformed photography from a specialist hobby into something almost anyone could enjoy.

The company that changed photography

Kodak continued to innovate throughout the twentieth century. The introduction of the Kodak Brownie camera in 1900 made photography affordable for ordinary families, while Kodak’s roll film became the standard for generations of photographers.

As photography grew in popularity, Kodak expanded into colour film, movie film, photographic paper, chemicals, and professional imaging products. For much of the twentieth century, it was one of the largest and most successful photography companies in the world.

Kodak helped invent digital photography

One of the biggest surprises in Kodak’s history is that the company helped create the technology that would eventually disrupt its own business. In 1975, Kodak engineer Steven Sasson built the first digital camera prototype. It recorded black-and-white images at just 0.01 megapixels and stored them on a cassette tape.

Although Kodak recognised the technology’s potential, the company remained heavily invested in its hugely profitable film business. As digital cameras became more popular during the 1990s and 2000s, Kodak struggled to adapt as quickly as newer competitors.

Bankruptcy and a new direction

After years of declining film sales and increasing competition, Kodak filed for bankruptcy protection in 2012. However, rather than disappearing completely, the company restructured its business and shifted its focus away from consumer cameras and film processing.

It sold many parts of its consumer business and concentrated on commercial printing, industrial imaging, advanced materials, and licensing the Kodak brand.

Does Kodak still make film?

Kodak does still make film, and it’s one reason the Kodak name remains so important to photographers today. Kodak still manufactures many of its best-known photographic films, including colour negative, black-and-white, and motion picture film.

Thanks to the recent resurgence in analogue photography, film has become an increasingly important part of Kodak’s identity once again. If you’re shooting film, whatever the format, there’s a good chance you’ve come across Kodak film.

What does Kodak do today?

Today’s Kodak is much smaller than the company that once dominated photography, but it remains active in several industries. Alongside manufacturing photographic film, Kodak develops products for commercial printing, packaging, advanced materials, and industrial imaging. The Kodak name also continues to appear on a range of consumer products through licensing agreements with other manufacturers.

While it may no longer be the household giant it once was, Kodak remains an important part of the photographic industry. Few companies have had a greater influence on photography. Even though the industry has changed beyond recognition since Kodak’s early days, its legacy can still be seen every time someone loads a roll of film or studies the history of modern photography.

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