BEIJING, June 23 (Xinhuanet) -- Eastman Kodak Co. (EK) said Monday that it will discontinue its storied 74-year-old Kodachrome color film this year due to its floundering sales, media reported Tuesday.

    The move comes as Kodak tries to focus its business. In January, the company said it would cut up to 4,500 jobs, or 18 percent of its workforce.

    Kodachrome now accounts for less than one percent of the company's sales of still-picture film. Today 70 percent of its revenue is from consumer and commercial digital business, according to the company.

    "It was certainly a difficult decision to retire it, given its rich history. However, the majority of today's photographers have voiced their preference to capture images with newer technology, film and digital." said Mary Jane Hellyar, the president of Kodak's film division.

    Created by musicians Leopold Godowsky Jr. and Leopold Maines, who timed their experiments with a metronome, Kodachrome is often referred to as being "made by God and Man."

    Kodachrome was introduced in 1935 and was the first colour film to get commercial success. It became famous for its "nice bright colors." Photographer Steve McCurry used the film in 1985 for his famous National Geographic photo of an Afghan girl with piercing green eyes.

    In addition to competition from Japanese rival Fuji Film, Kodachrome is complex to manufacture and complicated to develop -- in fact, there is only one lab (Dwayne's Photo in Parsons, Kansas) left in the U.S. that can do so.

    "I can shoot using any of my digital cameras and make the photo look like Kodachrome," said U.S. photographer Bernie Baltazar.

    (Agencies)