Company:Minolta

Minolta Co., Ltd.
ミノルタ

Minolta's fourth and final logo, designed by Saul Bass in 1981
Industry	Manufacturing
Fate	Merged with Konica into Konica Minolta Minolta trademark sold to JMM Lee Properties (2017)
Successor	Konica Minolta
Founded	1928 (1928) (as Nichi-Doku Shashinki Shōten) Osaka, Japan
Founder	Kazuo Tashima
Defunct	August 5, 2003 (2003-08-05)
Headquarters	3-13, 2-chome, Azuchi-Machi, Chuo-ku, Osaka 541-8556, Japan (1998)
Products	Cameras, film cameras, lenses, camera accessories, photocopiers, fax machines, laser printers

Minolta Co., Ltd. (ミノルタ, Minoruta) was a Japanese manufacturer of cameras, lenses, 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 Nichi-Doku Shashinki Shōten (日独写真機商店, meaning Japanese-German camera shop). 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.

In 2017, Konica Minolta sold the Minolta trademark to JMM Lee Properties, which licensed it to Elite brands for line of digital cameras, camcorders, and dashcams.

History

Milestones

• 1928: Kazuo Tashima 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

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 . This was also used by the Apollo 11 astronauts on the moon.

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 XD-7 (Minolta XD-11, Minolta XD)

A chrome Minolta XD-11
Overview
Maker	Minolta
Type	35 mm SLR
Released	1977: Minolta XD (Japan), Minolta XD-7 (Europe), Minolta XD-11 (North America); 1979: Minolta XD-S (Japan).
Production	1977-1984
Lens
Lens mount	Minolta SR mount
Sensor/medium
Film format	35mm
Film size	36 mm x 24 mm
Focusing
Focus	Manual focus
Exposure/metering
Exposure	Shutter, Aperture priority autoexposure; manual
Flash
Flash	Hot shoe and PC terminal
General
Dimensions	51 x 86 x 136 mm, 560 g
Made in	Japan

Minolta SR-T303

f/2.8 35mm shift lens, 11mm maximum shift

Minolta XG-1

Minolta X-700

Single-lens reflex cameras

First "program" focal plane shutter 35mm SLR: the XD-11 (XD, XD-7)

In 1977, Minolta introduced the XD-11 (sold as XD in Japan and XD-7 in Europe), 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 were utilized by Leitz for the Leica R4 camera.

The final manual-focus 35mm SLR cameras: the X-700 series

Minolta XG-7 SLR 135 film camera made in Japan

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.

Compact 35mm film cameras

Minolta HI-Matic F

Autofocus SLRs

Minolta Hi-matic AF-d

Infrared negatives fogged by the infrared beam frame counting mechanism of a Minolta Maxxum 4

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.

Other developments

The first Leica compact camera, made by Minolta (1989-1991)

Merger with Konica

The 2000 Minolta Dynax 7

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

The Dimâge EX, an early digital camera

Minolta DiMAGE Z1

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"

Digital SLRs

Minolta RD-175 using an optical reduction system for 3 x 1/2 inch CCD sensor with 3 x 0.38 megapixels

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).

Timeline

Template:Minolta Dynax/Maxxum SLR film cameras

See also

• Rokkor
• Quality Micro Systems
• Konica Minolta
• Laboratory equipment
• List of Minolta products
• Sony α Sony Alpha DSLR

Bibliography

• 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.
• Sony Corporation announced a new brand for digital Single Lens Reflex (SLR) cameras which Konica Minolta Photo Imaging, Inc. has developed.