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= Minolta =
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Introduction
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was a Japanese manufacturer of cameras, camera accessories,
photocopiers, fax machines, and laser printers. Minolta Co., Ltd.,
which is also known simply as Minolta, was founded in Osaka, Japan, in
1928 as . It made the first integrated autofocus 35 mm SLR camera
system. In 1931, the company adopted its final name, an acronym for
"Mechanism, Instruments, Optics, and Lenses by Tashima".
In 2003, Minolta merged with Konica to form Konica Minolta. On 19
January 2006, Konica Minolta announced that it was leaving the camera
and photo business, and that it would sell a portion of its SLR camera
business to Sony as part of its move to pull completely out of the
business of selling cameras and photographic film.
Milestones
============
*1928: establishes Nichi-Doku Shashinki Shōten ("Japanese-German
photo company," the precursor of Minolta Co., Ltd.).
*1929: Marketed the company's first camera, the "Nifcarette" (ニフカレッテ).
*1937: The Minolta Flex is Japan's second twin-lens reflex camera
(after the Prince Flex by Neumann & Heilemann).
*1947: Introduction of the long lived 35mm rangefinder camera
Minolta-35
*1958: The Minolta SR-2 is Minolta's first single-lens reflex camera.
*1959: The Minolta SR-1.
*1962: John Glenn takes a specially modified Ansco-logoed Minolta
Hi-Matic camera into space aboard 'Friendship 7'. The company changes
its name to Minolta Camera Co., Ltd.
*1966: The Minolta SR-T 101 SLR camera is one of the first with TTL
(through-the-lens) full aperture light metering. The first is Topcon
RE Super from 1963.
*1972: Minolta signs an agreement to cooperate with Leica in SLR
development;
*1973: The Minolta CL is the first fruit of this agreement.
*1976: The Leica R3 is introduced. Minolta produces the R3, R4, and R5
models in the Leica R series. Subsequent cameras are built in Germany
by Leica themselves.
*1977: The Minolta XD-11 (N. America only, XD-7 worldwide) is
introduced, the world's first 'multi mode' SLR offering M, A, S modes,
with a 'Program override' in S mode effected by a computer chip, the
world's first Program mode. This same year, Minolta also introduced
the Minolta XG series starting with the Minolta XG-7.
*1981: Implementation of Minolta's invention and patent of TTL
(through-the-lens) OTF (off-the-film) exposure metering: the Minolta
CLE is the first 35mm rangefinder camera to feature TTL metering and
aperture priority autoexposure. The Minolta X-700 manual-focus SLR is
introduced; this model is sold until 1999 and is enormously
successful. The Minolta XD-11 (Model E) is the first Minolta product
branded with an updated logo (in caps), which was in use until the
2003 merger with Konica.
*1985: The Minolta Maxxum 7000 Alpha Mount Camera becomes the world's
first autofocus 35mm SLR with in-camera autofocus motor.
*1987: Honeywell files lawsuit against Minolta for patent infringement
over autofocus technologies.
*1991: Minolta's autofocus design was found to infringe on the patents
of Honeywell, a U.S. corporation. After protracted litigation, in 1991
Minolta was ordered to pay Honeywell damages, penalties, trial costs,
and other expenses in a final amount of $127.6 million
*1992: Minolta settles out of court with Honeywell.
*1994: The company changes its name to Minolta Co., Ltd. because it no
longer is primarily a camera company.
*1995: Introduction of the Minolta RD-175, a 1.75-megapixel digital
SLR camera.
*1996: The Minolta Vectis camera is a completely new SLR system
designed around the Advanced Photo System (APS) film format.
*1998: The Minolta Maxxum 9 autofocus SLR is introduced. This system
is targeted toward the professional photographer and has many features
not duplicated by the competition.
*2003: DiMAGE A1 introduced world's first sensor-based anti-shake, and
was the final Minolta product branded prior to the Konica Minolta
merger.
*2004: Minolta and Konica officially merge to become Konica Minolta
Holdings, Inc.
*2005: The company announces joint venture with Sony on CCD and CMOS
technologies.
*2006: Konica Minolta announces it is discontinuing all film and
digital camera production, ending a 78-year history as a camera
manufacturer. Final models released were Dimage X1 and Z6. Konica
Minolta Photo Image, Inc.'s (the camera business portion of Konica
Minolta) assets regarding digital camera technology are transferred to
Sony for continued development started from the joint venture.
Early cameras
===============
Minolta Autocord TLR
Relying heavily on imported German technology, Nichi-Doku turned out
their first product, a bellows camera called the Nifcarette, in March
1929. By 1937, the company reorganized as Chiyoda Kogaku Seikō, K.K.
(Chiyoda Optics and Fine Engineering, Ltd.) and built the first
Japanese-made twin-lens reflex camera, the Minoltaflex, based on the
German Rolleiflex.
In 1947, the Minolta-35 was introduced. It is based on the Leica
rangefinder camera concept with the 39mm screw lens-mount. It uses the
standard 35mm film in cassettes. The standard lens is the Super Rokkor
1:2.8 50mm.
In 1950, Minolta developed a planetarium projector, the first-ever
made in Japan, beginning the company's connection to astronomical
optics. John Glenn took a Minolta Hi-Matic rangefinder 35 mm camera
aboard the spacecraft 'Friendship 7' in 1962, and in 1968, Apollo 8
orbited the Moon with a Minolta Space Meter aboard.
In the late 1950s and 1960s, Minolta competed in the medium-format
roll film camera market with the Autocord series of TLR (twin-lens
reflex) cameras.
Minolta SR-T303
Minolta XG-1
Minolta X-700
Single-lens reflex cameras
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In 1958, Minolta introduced its SR-2 single lens reflex (SLR) 35mm
camera which was equipped with a bayonet mount and instant return
mirror. In 1966 Minolta introduced the SR-T line which included TTL
metering. Although well-made and widely regarded as some of the most
innovative SLR cameras of their time, Minolta cameras were not as
robust as competing Nikon models. Minolta SR/SRT design used sleeve
bushings instead of bearings on its focal plane spindles and had
greater tolerances between working parts. This occasionally caused
problems in very cold weather or with extremely high levels of use.
Minolta SLRs also lacked important professional features such as a
motor drive, removable pentaprism, and removable back. Minolta cameras
appealed to amateur photographers with their lower prices and
high-quality optics.
From the late 1950s through the 1980s, Minolta was the first Japanese
manufacturer to introduce a bayonet lens mount rather than a screw
mount; and the first manufacturer to introduce multimode metering.
They also introduced the first commercially successful autofocus SLR
line with the Maxxum series.
In 1972, Minolta drew up a formal cooperation agreement with Leitz.
Leitz needed expertise in camera body electronics, and Minolta felt
that they could learn from Leitz's optical expertise. Tangible results
of this cooperation were the Leica CL/Minolta CL, an affordable
rangefinder camera to supplement the Leica M range. The Leica CL was
built by Minolta to Leica specifications. Other results were the Leica
R3, which was in fact the Minolta XE-1 with a Leica lens mount,
viewfinder, and spot metering system, and the Leica R4 was based on
the Minolta XD-11. Additionally, five Minolta lenses were repackaged
as Leica R lenses: the Minolta 24/2.8 MC Rokkor-X optics are found in
the Leica 24/2.8 Elmarit-R, and similarly for the Minolta 35-70/3.5,
75-200/4.5, 70-210/4, and 16/2.8.
First "program" focal plane shutter 35mm SLR: the XD-11
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In 1977, Minolta introduced the XD-11, the first multimode 35 mm
compact SLR to include both aperture and shutter priority in a single
body. It was also the first camera to employ a computerised chip,
which in shutter priority mode overrode the chosen speed if necessary
to give a correct exposure, thus offering the first-ever 'programmed
mode'. The XD-11 was the last attempt by Minolta to enter the
professional and semiprofessional 35 mm SLR market until the Maxxum 9
in 1998. Elements of the XD-11 design (called the XD-7 in Europe) were
utilized by Leitz for the Leica R4 camera.
The final manual-focus 35mm SLR cameras: the X-700 series
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Minolta continued to offer 35 mm manual focus SLR cameras in its
X-370, X-570, and X-700 from 1981, but slowly repositioned its cameras
to appeal to a broader market. Minolta decided to abandon the high
level of design and parts specifications of its earlier XD/XE line.
The new amateur-level X-570, X-700, and related models offered
additional program and metering features designed to appeal to newer
photographers, at a lower cost. The advanced vertical metal shutter
design of the older cameras was rejected in favor of a cheaper
horizontal cloth-curtain shutter, reducing flash sync to a slow 1/60th
second. Further cost savings were made internally, where some
operating components were changed from metal to plastic.
The first version of the X-370, the chrome version that was made in
Japan, was a rugged, all-metal camera that sometimes had greater
appeal than the “plasticky” X-570, X-700, or later black versions of
the X-370 (known as the X-7A) to photographers who place a premium on
build quality.
As Minolta's autofocus Maxxums were proving successful, Minolta
invested fewer resources in its manual focus line as time progressed.
Compact 35mm film cameras
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Minolta entered the highly competitive 35mm compact camera market in
the 1980s and transitioned from older rangefinder designs to
"point-and-shoot" (P&S) electronic autofocus/autowind cameras.
Minolta, like other major manufacturers faced with low-cost
competition from elsewhere in Asia, found it difficult to build
quality P&S cameras at a cost the consumer was willing to pay, and
was forced to offshore production, gradually redesigning successive
cameras to reduce cost and maintain profit margins.
Autofocus SLRs
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Infrared negatives fogged by the infrared beam frame counting
mechanism of a Minolta Maxxum 4
Minolta purchased the patent rights to autofocus lens technology from
Leica Camera in the 1970s. In 1985, Minolta introduced a new line of
autofocus (AF) SLR cameras. In North America, they used the name
Maxxum; in Europe, the cameras were called Dynax; and in Japan, they
were named Alpha. They were Minolta's first line of automatic focus
SLR cameras, and the first commercially successful autofocus SLRs the
world had seen.
Minolta's marketing agency of record, The Manhattan-based William Esty
Company branded the Minolta Maxxum, which was named by Creative
Director George Morin. The round Minolta logo was developed by Art
Director Herbert Clark with internationally renowned designer Saul
Bass. The Minolta Freedom line of autofocus compacts were also branded
at The William Esty Company, and named by Senior Copywriter Niels
Peter Olsen. The Minolta Freedom line also included the Minolta
Talker, the first point & shoot camera to incorporate a voice-chip
that assisted with autofocus and flash operations. As a result of
their innovations, the products that Minolta launched with The William
Esty Company increased their camera sales from third, behind Canon
& Nikon, to first in the U.S. marketplace.
With the Maxxum line, the heavy duty metal bodies of earlier Minoltas
were abandoned in favor of lighter and less expensive plastics. The
Maxxum 7000, the most popular of the new Maxxums, introduced the
innovation of arrow buttons for setting aperture and shutter speed,
rather than a shutter speed dial on the body and an aperture ring on
the lens. That way, the only control necessary on the lens is the
manual focus ring (plus the zoom ring in the case of zoom lenses).
The Maxxum 7000 had two 8-bit CPUs and six integrated circuits. A
circuit on the lens relayed aperture information to the camera body,
and the motor for autofocus was contained within the camera body. An
LCD showed aperture, shutter speed, and frame count, while an infrared
beam counted sprocket holes when advancing the film from frame to
frame (this prevents the use of infrared film). The 7000 had TTL
phase-detection focusing and metering, autoexposure, and predictive
autofocus. All Maxxum cameras use the Minolta A-mount; earlier
manual-focus Minolta SR-mount lenses are incompatible with the new AF
cameras.
Unfortunately for Minolta, its autofocus design was found to infringe
on the patents of Honeywell, a U.S. corporation. After protracted
litigation, in 1991 Minolta was ordered to pay Honeywell damages,
penalties, trial costs, and other expenses in a final amount of $127.6
million.
After the 4-digit Maxxum i line, which included the 3000i, 5000i,
7000i, and 8000i, came the 1-digit Maxxum xi line; followed by the
3-digit si line; the 1-digit line without letters (Alpha/Dynax/Maxxum
3, 4, 5, 7, 9); and finally, the Maxxum 50 (Dynax 40) and Maxxum 70
(Dynax 60).
APS format cameras
====================
Minolta also invested in APS (Advanced Photo System) film-format
cameras, most notably with the Vectis line of SLR cameras beginning in
1996. APS later proved to be a technological dead end, as the cameras
did not sell as hoped. Digital photography was entering the
marketplace, and Minolta eventually discontinued all APS camera
production.
Other developments
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Minolta introduced features that became standard in all brands a few
years later. Standardized features that were first introduced on
Minolta models included multisensor light metering coupled to multiple
AF sensors, automatic flash balance system, wireless TTL flash
control, TTL-controlled full-time flash sync, and speedy front and
rear wheels for shutter and aperture control. Special features
introduced by Minolta are interactive LCD viewfinder display, setup
memory, expansion program cards (discontinued), eye-activated startup,
and infrared frame counter.
Merger with Konica
====================
The 2000 Minolta Dynax 7
In an effort to strengthen market share and acquire additional assets
in film, film cameras, and optical equipment, Minolta merged with
another long-time Japanese camera manufacturer, Konica Ltd., in 2003.
The new corporation was called Konica Minolta Ltd.
Until Konica Minolta announced their withdrawal plan in 2006, they
made Maxxum/Dynax digital and film-based cameras (retaining the
different names in the different markets), improving the design while
maintaining the basic concepts. The Maxxum 4 is a low-priced 35 mm SLR
with an A-type bayonet mount, built-in flash, autoexposure, predictive
autofocus, electronically controlled vertical-traverse focal plane
shutter, and through-the-lens (TTL) phase-detection focusing and
metering. In advertising literature, Minolta claimed that the Maxxum 4
was the most compact 35 mm AF SLR, and the second fastest at
autofocusing, while the Maxxum 5 was the fastest at autofocusing.
These cameras were, however, intended for the consumer end of the
market.
Minolta made one last attempt to enter the amateur and professional
market with the Maxxum (Dynax) 9 in 1998, followed by the Maxxum 7 in
2000, which used a full LCD readout on the rear of the camera. Though
well received by the photographic press, the 7 and 9 did not sell to
expectations or achieve any significant breakthrough with their
intended customer base, who had largely gravitated to the Canon or
Nikon brands. All of these cameras were eventually discontinued in
favor of the less-expensive Maxxum 50 and 70, which were sold under
the Minolta name until 2006, when Konica Minolta ceased production of
all film cameras.
Digital cameras
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Minolta Dimage Z1
Minolta had a line of digital point-and-shoot cameras to compete in
the digital photography market. Their DiMAGE line included digital
cameras and imaging software as well as film scanners.
Minolta created a new category of "bridge cameras," with the
introduction of the DiMAGE 7. Designed for use by people familiar with
35mm single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras but without the added cost or
complication of interchangeable lenses or optical reflex viewfinders,
the DiMAGE incorporated many of the features of a higher-level film
camera with the simplicity of smaller compact digicams. The camera had
a traditional zoom ring and focus ring on the lens barrel and was
equipped with an electronic viewfinder (EVF) rather than the direct
optical reflex view of an SLR. It added other features such as a
histogram, and the cameras were compatible with Minolta's flashes for
modern film SLRs.
However, the DiMAGE 7 (including the DiMAGE A1, A2, and A200) and
similar bridge cameras were not really adequate substitutes for
professional SLR cameras, and initially there were many reports of
slow autofocus speed and various malfunctions (this surfaced when a
Sony-designed CCD chip would malfunction, rendering the camera
useless. Minolta, however, issued a CCD alert and fixed faulty units
free of charge; after Konica Minolta's withdrawal from the photo
business, Sony took over the CCD alert until the warranty repair
service was terminated in 2010). Minolta later innovated in this line
by being the first manufacturer to integrate a mechanical antishake
system (Minolta's antishake is based inside the camera body as opposed
to the camera lens, common with Canon EF and Nikon AF lenses).
In January 2002, Minolta again created a new category of camera,
introducing the Minolta DiMAGE X, an ultracompact digital with a 3x
folded zoom lens. With the folded approach, no moving parts of the
lens are external to the camera. Instead, a 45-degree mirror bounces
light to a conventional zoom lens safely tucked inside the camera
body. Fast startup times are one potential benefit of this design
(since nothing needs to extend), but slow focus and shutter lag times
marred the advantage of this innovation.
According to a press release by Konica Minolta they "Konica Minolta
Photo Imaging Inc. ceased its Camera Business Operations as of 31
March 2006, and ceased the entire customer services for Konica Minolta
cameras and related products as of 31 December 2010"
As of January 1, 2017, Minolta digital cameras are exclusively
manufactured under license by Elite Brands Inc in the United States.
Digital SLRs{{anchor|DSLR}}
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Although Minolta had launched their first digital SLR system as early
as 1995, the RD-175 — a 3 sensor (3 x 0.38 megapixel) camera based on
the Maxxum 500si — was never successful, and in 1998, it was
superseded by the Minolta Dimâge RD 3000, a 3-megapixel DSLR based on
the Minolta V-mount of Minolta's APS format SLR camera line, which was
equally unsuccessful and short-lived.
While Minolta was the inventor of the modern integrated AF SLR, it
took Konica Minolta a long time to enter the digital SLR market, a
delay that may have proved fatal. Konica Minolta was the last of the
large camera manufacturers to launch a digital SLR camera
(Maxxum/Dynax 5D and 7D) using the 35 mm AF mount. During July 2005,
KM and Sony negotiated on a joint development of a new line of DSLR
cameras, where it was believed that Konica Minolta and Sony would
market their DSLR line to the masses (much like the joint marketing
and development of Pentax and Samsung K10/GX10 DSLRs).
On 19 January 2006, KM announced that all DSLR production would
continue under Sony's management; DSLR camera assets were transferred
to Sony during the Konica Minolta withdrawal phase until March 31,
2006, where technical support for these cameras (primarily Konica
Minolta's other digital cameras) was assumed by Sony, who announced
the first Konica Minolta-based Sony SLR — the Alpha A100 — on June 5,
2006. Sony continued the manufacture of DSLRs using Minolta technology
until 2010 when the company phased out DSLRs for its SLT system but
retained the Minolta A-mount.
See also
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* Rokkor
* Konica Minolta
* Laboratory equipment
* List of Minolta products
* Sony α Sony Alpha DSLR
Bibliography
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* Photoxels.com. 'Brief History of Minolta'. Retrieved on 2005-11-29
from
https://web.archive.org/web/20060206183204/http://www.photoxels.com/history_minolta.html.
*
[
https://web.archive.org/web/20120723142631/http://www.farang.in.th/article.php/SonydecidesovernewfordigitalSLRcamera
Sony Corporation announced a new brand for digital Single Lens Reflex
(SLR) cameras which Konica Minolta Photo Imaging, Inc. has developed.]
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