The Kodak bankruptcy and restructuring has been finalized and the company that's emerging, one full year after initially filing for court protection, isn't the one we all remember.
It's drastically leaner and, not so much about cameras or capturing images anymore, Kodak's focus will now be on commercial and package-printing instead.
Founded in 1880 by the king of cameras, George Eastman, his Rochester New York based behemoth expects to be up and running at 100 percent again by early September 2013, a spokesperson has promised.
But this required shedding numerous jobs, facilities, and even its own legacy to accomplish, and, truthfully, there's little solid evidence that a smaller version of the corporation will fare any better in the digital era.
The digital dilemma is what ultimately led to the demise of Eastman's empire, and the Kodak bankruptcy was predictable from the moment the new photo technology arrived.
Add also the paperless quality to modern picture-taking, and it's easy to understand why Kodak's customers vanished virtually overnight.
Still, without waxing too sentimental here, there really is nothing quite like the shutter sound of a Pentax K1000 35mm, single lens reflex. Nor anything that compares to spending hour upon happy hour developing film and photos in a darkroom...
Maybe then Kodak company heads should reconsider their current strategy and cater their business to the millions of old time diehards in the world who still vehemently believe that photography -- from creating negatives to glossy sepia tone finishes -- is truly a fine art.
One that can't be imitated in just an instant.
