Konica Minolta
Categories: Photography companies | Electronics companies of Japan
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company_logo = Image:KonicaMinoltaLogo.gif | company_slogan = The Essentials of Imaging | foundation = Osaka, Japan (1873) | location = Tokyo, Japan | key_people = Fumio Iwai, President & CEO | num_employees = 33,400 worldwide (as of July 2005) | revenue = Image:Green up.png1,067 billion yen (2004) | industry = Imaging | products = Laser printers
Cameras
Office equipment
Photo-copiers| homepage = www.konicaminolta.com|
}}
Konica Minolta (コニカミノルタ) is a Japanese worldwide manufacturer of cameras, camera accessories, photo-copiers, fax machines and laser printers. Konica Minolta was founded in Osaka, Japan in 1928 as Nichi-Doku Shashinki Shōten (日独写真機商店; meaning Japan-Germany camera shop). It is perhaps best known for making the first integrated autofocus 35 mm SLR camera system. It was not until 1934 that the brand name appeared on a camera, with the Minolta Vest.
In 2003, Konica Corporation merged with Minolta to form Konica Minolta. There are many branches of the company worldwide including Ramsey, New Jersey, Mobile, Alabama, Basildon, England and Missisauga, Ontario. Other manufacturers make accessories, such as lenses, for Minolta cameras, for example Sigma and Quantaray.
Konica Minolta now has a wide range of imaging input/output businesses including office equipment, optical devices, digital photos, medical imaging, graphic imaging and measuring instruments. We are committed to exploring unique markets and creating new business opportunities, as the possibilities of imaging expand with the progress in digitalisation and networking trends.
Contents |
History
Milestones
1873: Rokusaburo Sugiura began selling photographic and lithographic materials at Konishiya Rokubeiten in Kojimachi, Tokyo (the startup of the business of Konica Corporation).
1903: Marketed "Cherry Hand Camera", Japan's first brand name camera.
1928: Kazuo Tajima established Nichi-Doku Shashinki Shoten (Japan-Germany photo company; the precursor of Minolta Co., Ltd.) and launched the production of cameras in Japan. Marketed the Company's first camera "Nifcalette" in the following year.
1940: Released the first made-in-Japan colour film "Sakura Natural Colour Film".
1956: Established the first American subsidiary in Philadelphia, USA.
1958: Completed the company's first planetarium unit.
1960: Completed the company's first copier "Copymaster".
1962: Established the first European subsidiary in Hamburg, Germany.
1971: Released high-performance photostatic plain paper copier "U-Bix480".
1973: Launched the operation of the Sakura driver's license printing system nation-wide.
1975: Released the world's first 35 mm camera with built-in flash and AE functions "C35EF".
1977: Released the world's first 35 mm compact autofocus camera "C35AF".
1983: Released the world's first copier with zoom magnification/reduction function "EP450Z".
1984: Developed an ultra-high-precision aspheric plastic lens for CD players.
1985: Released SLR camera with autofocus function "7000".
1987: Released simple colour-proofing system "Konsensus".
1989: Released medical digital imaging output system "Laser Imager Li-10".
1990: Released monochrome laser printer "SP101"; entered LBP market on a full scale. Released digital full-colour copier "CF70".
2000: Fully launched business for TAC films for LCD polarisers. Established Konica Minolta Supplies Manufacturing Co., Ltd., a joint venture for the production of polymerised toners - Simitri.
2003: Integrated the management of Konica Corporation and Minolta Co., Ltd.
2004: Introduction of the first bizhub branded MFP. First 105 ppm production printing system bizhub PRO 1050.
2005: BERTL's Best awards for office and production printing systems and Colour Reliability; BLI award for "Product Line of the Year" (MFP's). Award for Dynax 7D with CCD-shift Anti-Shake.
Early cameras
In 1950, Minolta developed a planetarium projector, the first-ever made in Japan, beginning the company's connection to astronomical optics. An American astronaut took a Minolta Hi-Matic rangefinder 35 mm camera aboard the spaceship Friendship 7 in 1962, and in 1968, Apollo 8 orbited the moon with a Minolta Space Meter aboard.
In the 1960s Minolta introduced its SR and later SRT (for SR with through-the-lens metering) series cameras which are widely regarded as some of the most innovative single lens reflex ( SLR) cameras of the era, combining well-designed bodies with optics which were of a very high standard.
However Minolta cameras were never held in the same esteem as either Nikon or Leica, probably as a result of the wide adoption of both these latter by photojournalists and in the case of Leica of its pedigree.
From the late 1950s to the mid-1980s, Minolta was arguably the most innovative camera manufacturer - the first Japanese manufacturer to introduce a bayonet lens mount rather than a screw mount, the first manufacturer to introduce TTL metering with full aperture, and the first manufacturer to introduce multi-mode metering.
In 1972, Minolta drew up a formal cooperation agreement with Leitz. Leitz desperately needed expertise in camera body electronics, and Minolta felt that they could learn from Leitz's undoubted 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 viewfinder and spot light metering system.
In 1977, Minolta introduced the XD-11, the first multi-mode 35 mm compact SLR system camera is considered by many to be the classic Minolta camera. Others reagrd the XM (XK in the Americas), a rugged camera designed for the serious amateur and professional phtographer dating from 1972, to be the quintessential Minolta. The XM for "XK Motor" (the motorized version) may well be the most collectible Japanese 35 mm camera - in September 2004 an XM Motor of 1976 was sold for 2566 Euros approximately 200% of its price back in 1976. The chassis of the XD11, called the XD7 in Europe, was used by Leica for the R4 up to and including the R7.
Autofocus SLRs
In 1985, Minolta introduced a new line of 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 in fact the first true autofocus-cameras the world had seen. The Maxxum cameras (3000, 5000, 7000 and 9000) made other innovations too. The Maxxum 7000, for example, has 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 focusing ring (plus the zoom ring in the case of zoom lenses). The 7000 has two 8-bit CPUs and six integrated circuits. A circuit on the lens relays aperture information to the camera body, and the motor for autofocus is contained within the camera body. An LCD shows aperture, shutter speed and film frame count. The 7000 has TTL phase-detection focusing and metering, autoexposure and predictive autofocus. All Maxxum cameras use A-type bayonet mount lenses, and earlier series Minolta MC and MD lenses are incompatible with them.
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, and recently the 1-digit line without letters (Alpha/DynaxMaxxum 3, 4, 5, 7, 9).
Minolta has introduced features that became standard in all brands a few years later. Among standardized features that were first introduced on Minolta models are: multisensor light-metering coupled to multiple AF-sensors; automatic flash balance system; wireless TTL flash control; TTL controlled full-time flash sync; 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; infrared frame counter.
Infrared negatives fogged by the frame counter of a Minolta Maxxum 4.
To this day 2005 Minolta makes Maxxum/Dynax digital and film-based cameras (still retaining the different names in the different markets), improving the design while maintaining the basic concepts. The Maxxum 4 is a 35 mm SLR with an A-type bayonet mount, built-in flash, autoexposure, predictive autofocus, electronically controlled vertical-traverse focal plane shutter, through-the-lens (TTL) phase-detection focusing and metering. In advertising literature, Minolta claims that the Maxxum 4 is the most compact 35 mm AF SLR, and the second fastest at autofocusing, while the Maxxum 5 is the fastest at autofocusing.
Digital cameras
Minolta has a line of digital point and shoot cameras to compete in the digital photography market. Their DiMage line includes digital cameras and imaging software as well as film scanners.
They created new category of "SLR-Like" cameras with the introduction of the DiMage 7. This camera mixes many of the features of a traditional SLR camera with the special abilities of a digital camera. It had a traditional zoom ring and focus ring on the lens barrel, it used a electronic viewfinder so that you see exactly what the camera sees, it adds many high level features such as a histogram and made the cameras compatible with Minolta's flashes for modern film SLRs. The controls were designed to be used by people familiar with SLR cameras. However, the lenses were not interchangeable, and the cameras never were accepted as a true alternative to an SLR camera. They later innovated in this line by being the first manufacturer to integrate a mechanical anti-shake system into their digital cameras. This line of these cameras has split into the lower end Z line and the higher end A line.
Digital SLRs
While Minolta was the inventor of the modern integrated AF SLR, they were the last of the large camera manufacturers to launch a successful digital SLR camera using the 35 mm AF-mount. Although they launched a digital SLR system as early as 1995, the RD-175 – a 1.4 megapixel camera based on the Maxxum 500si – this camera was never successful and in 1998, this excellent camera was superseded by the RD3000, a 3 megapixel SLR based on the lens mount of the Vectis APS SLR camera line, which was equally unsuccessful and short-lived. It may be said that Minolta was – again - a– bit too much ahead of the time.
After these commercial failures, it wasn't until late 2004 (after the merger with Konica) that they launched the Dynax 7d, a digital SLR based on the very successful Dynax 7 (Maxxum 7 in the Americas) film-based body. The unique feature of this camera is that it features an in-body Anti-Shake system, to compensate for camera shake. By that time Canon and Nikon had a whole range of digital SLR cameras and many serious photographers had already switched.
Business companies
Konica Minolta have spun off each and every business into a separate company, and delegated the authority required for executing operations to each business company. This has enabled them to build a framework characterised by flexible and speedy operational execution and business promotion.
Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
Offering document solutions for evolving office environments focused on colour, digitalisation, high-speed and networking.
Location of head office: Tokyo, Number of employees: Approx. 19,600
Main products: Copiers, printers, facsimile machines, microfilm systems and related supplies.
Multi-functional peripherals (MFPs)
Pursuing advanced imaging markets Konica Minolta's digital multi-functional peripherals (MFPs), branded the "bizhub" series, are equipped with multiple functions (copying, printing, faxing, scanning), and can integrate into any corporate network environments. They allow users to consolidate the administration of office equipment connected to a network by using a series of network anagement software programmes and even to manage and share both scanned data and computer-generated data. The bizhub concept enables users to adopt flexible work styles, freeing them from place and time constraints. Their colour output boasts the highest image quality and speed in the industry and leads the office equipment market where the boundary between colour and monochrome products is blurring. In the light-production printing market, we help improve operational efficiency by providing highspeed monochrome copiers and MFPs with superior durability and image quality which are best suited to print on demand (POD).
Laser printers
Advanced generation of compact, lightweight and high-performance colour laser printers. The market for colour laser printers continues to expand, fuelled by the rapid shift of business documents from monochrome to colour. Konica Minolta's colour laser printers - branded the "magicolor" series - feature superb image quality and compact design, as exemplified by the world's smallest and lightest* colour laser printer - the magicolor 2430DL - only made possible thanks to the company's cutting-edge optical technologies. The magicolor series is used in a wide range of environments and applications, from general offices to homes.
Konica Minolta Opto, Inc.
Meeting customers’ expectations through synergies of advanced technologies as the world’s mightiest optical devices manufacturer accelerating market growth.
Location of head office: Tokyo, Number of employees: Approx. 2,600
Main products: Optical products, related equipment and electronic materials.
Optics
Since we successfully became the world's first in commercialising the aspherical plastic lens for CDs, we have been developing pickup lenses for DVD, MD and other optical disk drives and players. Today our products - backed by our proprietary optical design technology and precision mould-machining technology - have the largest share in the global market. We are also actively expanding our business in pickup lenses for next-generation optical disks using blue laser diodes. In the field of micro camera units for mobile phones with camera functions, we have developed micro lenses with superior light uniformity and colour reproduction properties. Our other developments include pickup prisms, lenses for laser printers, lens units for digital cameras, glass hard disk substrates and other products with highprecision requirements.
Optical electronics materials (OE)
Taking advantage of our extensive experience in film production technology, we are developing 40 micrometre thin TAC films for protecting LCD polarisers. We are also expanding our production capacity to meet the increasing demand for TAC film spurred by the penetration of LCD displays and the growth of the widescreen LCD market. We will continue developing advanced electronic materials, capitalising on our superior core technologies, including thinfilm and coating techniques.
Konica Minolta Photo Imaging, Inc.
Creating a new world of photo imaging with products and services fit for the digital generation.
Location of head office: Tokyo, Number of employees: Approx. 6,100
Main products: Digital cameras, film cameras, consumer & commercial photographic materials, ID photos, inkjet media and related equipment.
Digital camera
In the ever-expanding digital camera market, we offer products which stand out because of their unique technology. Across the world our customers praise our products such as the DYNAX 7D, a digital single lens reflex (SLR) camera with unique Anti-Shake technology, the DiMAGE X series cameras, slim portable digital cameras using folded optical lens technology, and the Digital Gemba Kantoku series, tough weatherproof cameras designed for recording on construction sites.
Digital photography
Konica Minolta offers a wide range of digital photo services in the ever-expanding world of digital imaging. We offer services such as printing and image storage which utilises the network environment and the Internet. In the minilab field, we provide services via networks, centering on a fully-digital minilab equipped with a newlydesigned exposure engine. We also provide selfservice-type photo printers for convenient image printing, and inkjet papers enabling the production of photo-grade, high-quality prints at home. These are only some of our diverse solutions to the world of consumer imaging.
Other areas
Konica Minolta's silver halide technology applications are wide-ranging and include digital camera photography, inkjet paper coating, and even film and photo prints. Additionally, in the ID photo business, we promote aggressive digitalisation efforts including expanding into network terminals. We are also actively expanding into the business of photo ID cards - noteworthy for their growing importance in personal information management.
Konica Minolta Medical & Graphic, Inc.
Providing solutions based on cutting-edge image processing technologies in the increasingly-digitised medical and graphic imaging fields.
Location of head office: Tokyo, Number of employees: Approx. 2,700
Main products: Film and processing equipment for medical & graphic imaging purposes.
Medical imaging
Practitioners have placed a great deal of confidence in Konica Minolta's medical imaging products since we released the first Japanese Xray film. Prompted by the progress in digitisation and networking in recent years, we have developed X-ray image digitisation, storage and transmission systems and enabled open network systems and efficient image management. Practitioners value our highresolution diagnostic imaging systems, especially our digital image readers in the REGIUS series and our laser imagers in the DRYPRO series. We also contribute to building next-generation diagnosis systems by developing picture archiving and communication systems (PACS).
Graphic imaging
In the field of graphic imaging, the progress in digitisation has spurred the need for improved quality and work efficiency in the production of graphics. Our "Konsensus" series sets the standard for the new generation of colourproofing output systems. These systems can directly produce digital data for colour-proofing purposes, and can improve operational efficiency, cut costs and reproduce high-quality images. For plate making, we have developed a computer-to-plate (CTP) system which exposes digital data directly to unique plate materials made of polyester instead of conventional aluminium. This system is suitable for small lot printing - a market with growing demand - and is also a total cost and space saver.
Konica Minolta Sensing, Inc.
Helping to improve quality control through high-precision measuring instruments based on optical and image-processing technologies.
Location of head office: Osaka, Japan Number of employees: Approx. 230
Main products: Measuring instruments for industrial, photographic and medical purposes.
Colour measurement
The expanding market for wide screen TV sets (plasma, LCD, etc.) and LED products is pushing up the demand for display colour analysers used for measuring the colour of light sources. Konica Minolta's products can measure colour, luminance and white balance with high precision for the inspection and adjustment of white balance and contrast. Our spectrophotometers and colourimeters are capable of measuring and quantifying differences in colour shades more subtle than the human eye can accurately distinguish. For this reason, they are widely utilised for measuring the colour of objects by R&D, quality control, distribution and sales staff in many manufacturing sectors where colour management is indispensable.
3D measurement
3D digitisers scan three-dimensional objects and import the 3D data into computers through highprecision, high-speed scanning without physical contact. Our future efforts will be directed at industrial applications such as reverse engineering, design verification and quality inspection, in addition to medical and academic research, 3D archiving and computer graphics production.
Other areas
Konica Minolta provides the medical field with testing equipment that imposes minimal burden on patients. This includes the pulse oximeter, which detects oxygen saturation in the blood simply by projecting light on the human body, and the compact jaundice meter which can test newborn babies for jaundice without taking blood samples.
Konica Minolta IJ Technologies, Inc.
Establishing a presence in the rapidly-expanding industrial inkjet printers market.
Location of head office: Tokyo, Number of employees: Approx. 130
Main products: Print heads (for industrial inkjet printers) and textile print systems.
Inkjet print heads
Konica Minolta's proprietary high-performance piezo inkjet head is one of the company's most competitive products. Unlike thermal systems which apply heat, it applies a voltage to change the shape of the piezo element to push the ink out. This mechanism allows the use of a number of inks, including solvent, oil-based and UV curing. The line-up of print heads is extensive, including a range for high-speed printers for large-sized papers and a range designed for high-resolution printers of professional-printing grade.
Inkjet textile printers
Digital inkjet textile printing systems are attracting a great deal of attention for their innovative dyeing technology which eliminates the need for plate-making and mixing of colour pastes to enable fast production of products in small lots. Textile printer Nassenger V adopts this technology to enable high-speed processing and to bring out sharpness and high concentration of colours. It has a newly developed, small-droplet, high-density, multiple nozzle inkjet head which is used in combination with durable textile inks with high colour saturation properties. It draws upon Konica Minolta's proprietary materials and colour management technologies to reproduce smooth gradations and subtle variations in colour tones on a wide range of fabrics.
References
- Dynax 4/Dynax 3/Maxxum 4 Instruction Manual
- Maxxum 5D Brochure
- Robert E. Mayer, Minolta Classic Cameras (a Magic Lantern Guide)
- Konica Minolta Corporate Profile 2005
External link
fr:Konica Minolta ja:コニカミノルタホールディングス nl:Konica Minolta pl:Konica Minolta