Shutters close on Agfa

AgfaPhoto, who in 1936 became the first company to sell colour film, has filed for insolvency.

From a business point of view, I fully understand that like Kodak, the move to digital photography has hit hard and attempts to diversify into laboratory equipment and software were not enough to save a fondly remembered company.

I well remember my first European holiday in 1964 and my constant search for rolls of Agfa film, (for what was little more than a toy camera.) I can still see the red packs that signalled I could continue my ambition to be the next Lord Snowdon!

Yes, I like digital photography - I love it. But the joy of holding an unopened pack of Agfa film in the summer of 64, brings back memories of a time when "freedom and democracy" still had meaning.