Kodak
Eastman Kodak Company is a large multinational public company producing photographic equipment. The basis of Eastman Kodak was the Eastman Dry Plate Company founded by inventor George Eastman and businessman Henry Strong in 1881.
The developers of roll film and the first camera suitable for nonexpert use, such as the Brownie and Instamatic, the company remains one of the largest supplier of films in the world both for the amateur and professional markets. It has also diversified into various other imaging-related industries (such as medical imaging), and continues to work at gaining a stronger foothold in growing use of digital photography and digital imagery in general.
The company started as the Eastman company, but included one of the first simple roll film cameras known as the "Kodak" in its product line. Asked about the name, George Eastman replied, "Philologically, the word Kodak is as meaningless as a child's first "goo"—terse, abrupt to the point of rudeness, literally bitten off by firm and unyielding consonants at both ends, it snaps like a camera shutter in your face. What more would one ask!" The camera proved such an enormous success that the word Kodak was incorporated in to the company name.
After losing a patent battle with Polaroid, Kodak left the instant camera business on January 9, 1986.
On January 13, 2004, Kodak announced it will stop producing traditional film cameras in the United States, Canada and Western Europe. By the end of 2004, Kodak will cease manfacturing cameras that use the Advanced Photo System and 35mm films. Production of film will continue. These changes reflect Kodak's new focus on growth in digital markets.
The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, USA.
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