Minolta

Established in 1928 by Kazuo Tashima, the Minolta Camera Company produced in excess of 40 million cameras by the turn of the 21st Century. Mr. Tashima remained president of the company for 54 years until 1982, at which point his son, Hideo Tashima took on the mantle. Minolta’s history can be identified in six periods/brands.

Nifca – (NI)ppon (F)oto (CA)meras) – 1928-31
Cameras produced were of modern designs of the day with Japanese bodies and German lenses and shutters.

Molta – (M)echanismus (O)ptik und (L)insen von (TA)shima) – 1931-37
As it grew, the company was reorganized as a joing stock firm under the name, Molta. During this period, the name “Minolta” was adopted as a trade name.

Chiyoda – 1937-62
During this period the company again reorganized as the Chiyoda Kogaku Seiko, K.K. It was during this. time that they became the first Japanese camera company to manufacture every part of the cameras they sold.

Minolta – 1962-82
This period was marked by product expansion into areas of copy machines, planetaria, and manufacturing for other companies. This era was also marked with much camera innovation. Most of my favorite Minolta cameras come from this period.

More Minolta Resources
Comparison of select SRT models
Minolta/Celtic Lenses
Sales Brochure (PDF) Minolta Quick Reference Guide
Sales Brochure (PDF) Minolta SR-T Cameras and Systems
Sales Brochure (PDF) *Minolta Autocord*
Sales Brochure (PDF) *Minolta Autocord L*
Sales Brochure (PDF) *Minolta XK, XE-7 and XE-5*
Sales Brochure (PDF) System Accessory Guide – Minolta X-Series
Manual (PDF) *Minolta SRT 102*
Manual (PDF) *Minolta SRT 200 Series*
Manual (PDF) *Minolta SR-7 • SR-1*

“Modern” Minolta – 1982-2003
Marked by an updated logo (all caps/rising sun), this period continued with many innovations. Popular cameras from this era are the X-700 and the entire Maxxum/Dynax autofocus series which began with the famous Maxxum 7000 – arguably the first successful consumer autofocus 35mm SLR. Critics of this time in Minolta’s story often refer to it as when it decided to market mainly to the amateur photography market – characterized by plastic and highly automated cameras. Minolta did, in fact, create pro-spec’d camera bodies then (Maxxum 9000, 9xi), but they were never able to compete with the two pro heavy-hitters of the day – Nikon and Canon.

This is also the period which saw scandal rock the long-standing company. The autofocus system used in the popular Maxxum series was found to be an infringement on patents held by the U.S. company, Honeywell. In 1991, Minolta was ordered to pay Honeywell a total of $127.6 million. At this point, the future of the company would appear a little less bright.

Konica-Minolta – 2003-2006
After a few years of declining sales, mostly due to it not really being able to find a footing in the burgeoning digital camera market (and losing the lawsuit), the company merged with Konica. All cameras were re-badged as Konica Minolta. But at this point there was little left to be done to save one of the most important camera companies ever. By 2006, it’s digital imaging technologies were sold to Sony – which desperately needed a boost in the DSLR market. This they received, and did it ever pay off. Prior to this, Sony – who was not historically a camera manufacturer other than video cameras – made less-than-stellar-quality digital cameras. Since the infusion of Minolta tech in 2006, though, they’ve become the top-selling camera manufacturer in the world – catering to pros as well as the consumer market.

I’m a bit sentimental when it comes to Minolta cameras. The first “real” camera my family owned was a Hi-matic rangefinder. It was using this camera on a family trip to NYC in 1981 that I found enjoyment in making photographs. The first “real” camera I ever owned was a Minolta X-700. It served me well through college and into the early part of my career as a photographer. In my opinion, Minolta produced some of the best cameras to be had at the time. The SRT-series for example was solid and reliable, and I often use those for teaching students.

Click here for a video review on the entire SRT series cameras.