Konica Minolta throws in the towel, quits the camera biz

Not to be outdone by Nikon, who recently announced a nearly complete exit of the film-based camera business, Konica Minolta has just announced that they're pulling out of the camera biz altogether. The company announced that they were scaling back consumer operations in November, especially killing off their film line and mainly concentrating their DSLR line. Now they're ceasing operation altogether, along with ending their film and photo paper production. Sony will be continue to manufacture cameras compatible with Konica Minolta lenses, which furthers a partnership the two companies formed last year, and will receive some of Konica Minolta's DSLR related assets.

[Thanks, Jason]

[Geir E @ Jan 19th 2006 5:59AM]

A part of me just died...

[fnj @ Jan 19th 2006 6:10AM]

"From the minds...of Minolta"

[Rufus T. Firefly @ Jan 19th 2006 6:20AM]

I've been using a Konica/Minolta digital point&shoot since 2002, and it has served me pretty well (which is to say, it looks like it's been through "Mad Max at Thunderdome," but it still works.

Minolta Maxxum SLRs and lenses have been available in large numbers from liquidation sites like Overstock.com; maybe that should have been a clue.

[TZK @ Jan 19th 2006 6:48AM]

I wonder if the partnership with Sony and KM will still be called Sony KM or whatever they were planning to call it. I wonder if the original deal is different now that they arent manufacturing anymore.

Oh what the hell, this stinks.

[Kitty Velour @ Jan 19th 2006 6:54AM]

Sad to see KM pulling out of cameras. Got stuffed in the point and shoot market, then never had a hope against Canon and Nikon in the world of DSLR.

[Michael Gordon @ Jan 19th 2006 7:42AM]

What a pity. I still have my first SLR - a Minolta SRT 101. Brought it in 1970. Still goes click. As heavy as a brick compared to a digital SLR. AGFA have gone - such lovely paper stock. Who will be next?

[David @ Jan 19th 2006 7:51AM]

I've been using Minolta products for better than 20 years. I still have 2 X-700 bodies, and lenses to go with them along with my Z2. This is not happy news for me...but, hey, with Nikon killing their film camera line, it would seem there's a change on the wind (yeah, as if we didn't already know that).

I suspect it might be 5-10 years and there won't be any film to purchase, much less film cameras and accessories. "Photo centers" will be come commercial high speed color printer centers - if they're even manned. I mean, Kodak's kiosk where you load your memory card (digital film) and pick, crop, and print the shots you want without dealing with any employees is probably how it will turn out. There's a hit to the work force...

[Justin @ Jan 19th 2006 7:52AM]

Oh WTF! I just picked up a Maxxum 5D DSLR and it's one of the best cameras I've ever used. The ease-of-use is fantastic, it's fast, photos are phenomenal, etc. This is extremely disappointing! =(

[Asher @ Jan 19th 2006 8:58AM]

I was just about to decide on buying a 5D. Will warranty still be honoured? And will Sony be producing accessories that are compatible with the current KM dSLR models?

[Brian @ Jan 19th 2006 9:01AM]

I'm glad I didn't buy that 7D. It's a lovely camera, but their lens selection stinks.

[Rus @ Jan 19th 2006 9:11AM]

Very few companies that I have seen have ever done well if they rebrand other manufacturer's items ... Minolta rebranded JVC camcorders for a while ... I think it was one their biggest money losers for 4 years straight.

[Kim Laughton @ Jan 19th 2006 9:24AM]

:(

[Momus @ Jan 19th 2006 9:37AM]

Ah, well. For SLR's, it'll always be: "Make mine Minolta."

[Kevin @ Jan 19th 2006 9:42AM]

"Only from the mind...of Minolta" I'm gonna miss them! *hugs X700 tightly"

[scott veirs @ Jan 19th 2006 9:49AM]

uhhh...wow...

I never purchased their products but their name has been in it for such a LONG time...as long as I can remember and seeing canon and Nikon I can remember the name Minolta. I'm curious what will become of their company and name. Wonder what they are making money from.

[Seamus Phan @ Jan 19th 2006 10:03AM]

Ah well, an era passed. I started my photography more than 20 years ago, with the Minolta X300, a simple SLR no doubt, but that started me on the path to medium format, and now digital. Sad, but I suppose they have commercial reasons to abandon a good century of legacy.

[Craig @ Jan 19th 2006 11:19AM]

"8. Oh WTF! I just picked up a Maxxum 5D DSLR and it's one of the best cameras I've ever used. The ease-of-use is fantastic, it's fast, photos are phenomenal, etc. This is extremely disappointing! =("

You got it, man. My 5D, now less than 2 months old, seems like a dying relative or something else as piteous.

Given that I don't buy Sony products on the basis of their crappy customer service, Sony taking over KM's warranty responsibilities does not make me a happy camper.

The only possible upsides to this is the prospect of a stream of new, high-quality lenses (Sony does have some good glass in some of its cams, and KM will continue to make lenses for Sony'd DSLRs) as well as perhaps an increase in availability of good used lenses as folks leave the KM mount family.

Dunno. All told, I'd probably still buy the Maxxum 5D again today -- it's just such an excellent camera.

[J @ Jan 19th 2006 1:01PM]

KM didn't just quit the cam market, but the PHOTO market! There'll be no more Konica films, photo paper, minilabs, etc.

[Valter Jacinto @ Jan 19th 2006 2:25PM]

It's too Sad :-(

I had 2 Minolta Digital Cameras: E323 and Z3. Great Cameras!

Photos Taken With Minolta Cameras:
http://www.photo.net/photodb/presentation?presentation_id=269217
http://www.photo.net/photodb/presentation?presentation_id=269218

[Vik @ Jan 19th 2006 3:43PM]

in the old Usenet camera body wars ("Which camera should I get Canon, Nikon or Minolta?") a common refrain was that Canon had the best lenses, Minolta the best bodies and Nikon was in between. Sad to see the old dog go! They made a heck of a camera.

[radlsf @ Jan 19th 2006 4:59PM]

From the press release, what's really happening is that Sony bought Minolta's digital camera division. It is sad news for Minolta fans (which I am), but it's great news for Sony fans (which I also am). I'm looking forward to seeing Sony SLRs and other good stuff building on Minolta's technology.

[Mark @ Jan 19th 2006 5:03PM]

This is really sad. My first serious camera was a Minolta Maxxum 7000i. I lusted after this camera after seeing, while in Europe, a woman at a hostel with the original CCD autofocus SLR, the Maxxum 7000. (lusted the camera, not the woman). I scrimped and saved for months then bought the 7000i (the second generation), and was just amazed at something we all take for granted today - autofocusing ability in an SLR.

[Joel @ Jan 19th 2006 5:21PM]

Tis a sad day for me, I have had my 7d to two months and was looking forward to a 9d or equivilent. Now I feel like poster 16 that my camera is just like a dying relative. Now for the decision to go Canon or Nikon in the future. I don't think I will go with Sony, the camera they make will probably be cheap and not as user friendly as the 7d, which is my favorite part about it.

[Bill @ Jan 19th 2006 10:48PM]

I just bought my first digital SLR, a KM 5D. It's a great camera and joins my collection of 3 other Maxxums which was the reason I bought it. But for those of us who bought 5Ds, look at it this way. We have a potential collector's item. The last in a long (103 years) line of cameras.

I must jinx camera companies. My first programmed SLR was a Konica T3 and then a T4 joined but I dropped them when the FS came out. Too simplisitc. I then switched to Canon for the EF and A1's ease of use but sold them to get into the large format, a Bronica ETRS. When the MAxxum 7000 was first advertised in 1985 on the Miss Universe (or was it Miss World??) i jumped on that. Added a 9000 pro outfit and then a 7xi. Waited 14 years until I went digital.

So companies that are no longer here in the USA:
1. Konica (by itself)
2. Bronica
3. Minolta (by itself)

Anyone have a suggestion whose camera I should buy 10 years down the raod?

Bill

[Nick @ Jan 20th 2006 11:51AM]

KM will not be missed from the pro business.

[jorellh @ Jan 20th 2006 10:49PM]

Paul Simon Kodachrome

When I think back
On all the crap I learned in high school
It's a wonder
I can think at all
And though my lack of edu---cation
Hasn't hurt me none
I can read the writing on the wall

Kodachrome
They give us those nice bright colors
They give us the greens of summers
Makes you think all the world's a sunny day, Oh yeah
I got a Nikon camera
I love to take a photograph
So mama don't take my Kodachrome away

If you took all the girls I knew
When I was single
And brought them all together for one night
I know they'd never match
my sweet imagination
everything looks BETTER in black and white

Kodachrome
They give us those nice bright colors
They give us the greens of summers
Makes you think all the world's a sunny day, Oh yeah
I got a Nikon camera
I love to take a photograph
So mama don't take my Kodachrome away

Mama don't take my Kodachrome away
Mama don't take my Kodachrome away
Mama don't take my Kodachrome away

Mama don't take my Kodachrome
Mama don't take my Kodachrome
Mama don't take my Kodachrome away

Mama don't take my Kodachrome
Leave your boy so far from home
Mama don't take my Kodachrome away
Mama don't take my Kodachrome

Mama don't take my Kodachrome away

[Paul @ Jan 21st 2006 3:32AM]

I was just about to by the 7D.
I'm still thinking about it. Maybe prices will come down fast, and plenty of lenses will still be available - used and new (i.e. Sony). My real concern is the servicing in the future. My real disappointment is that there will be no successor to the 7D.
One reason I like the 7D is that it is more intuitive than the other DSLR's - traditional dials and switches still make more sense than multi-function buttons. They just don't look high-tech enought for the likes of Sony, so I bet they are going to disappear on any Sony made product down the line.
I'd appreciate your thougths on getting a 7D now as opposed to a Nikon 70s or similar.

Paul

[Adam @ Jan 25th 2006 9:47AM]

Very sad, but not as bad as all that.

I've read that Sony come second when it comes to selling the most digital compacts, so if the only way KM cameras can continue to exist is through Sony, then so be it. Better that than nothing at all.

I also think that the Sony name will attract anyone who knows nothing about camera brands, at least more so than KM ever did. A cheap Sony dslr with a kit lens and Anti-Shake may look decidedly good to many a person wanting to get into slrs for the first time.

And if, further down the line, Sony knock out a more expensive, capable model with Anti-shake, then I'll be there. Anti-shake is not some curiosity, it has left my Nikon equipment on the sidelines on a regular basis. Nikon don't make VR macros, or short, sweet VR primes and why would I bother with such a lens now? Pick up any Minolta lens, put it on a 7D/5D and it's VR. It really works for me.

If Sony can pick up the pieces and keep the whole handy Anti-shake thing (and I can't see them getting rid of that marketable feature) then they've got a customer right here.

[Jeffrey Lee @ Jan 26th 2006 9:48PM]

I am quite disappointed that KM is getting out of the business. I have long used their products and have always felt their cameras are a great value -- lots of features, easy to use, great pics, good price. I am really not looking forward to Sony taking over their line. I'm in the high end pro audio trade and I've never yet used a Sony pro product that lasted very long or had any really compelling features (with exception of their MDR-7506 headphones). They make decent and reliable consumer goods, but pro level gear is just not their forte.

Every day just gets more depressing as I like to shoot film and I like KM cameras and gear. I've fought it and fought it, but now that I'm being forced to give up the cameras I like, I might just surrender and go digital.

Very bad news.

[Carl Jenkins @ Jan 27th 2006 4:49PM]

I am sorry to see Minolta Konica leave the photo business. I've used the Canon F1 for many years and when I went to autofocus, a Minolta 7 was purchased. I decided to go digital and purchased a Konica Minolta 7D. It makes picture taking a delight.The first Minoltas that I saw were twin lens reflexes.Anyone remember those? Looks like my next camera will be Canon.

[Bert, Laurel, MD @ Feb 8th 2006 11:39PM]

Sad. I had an X-370 in college taking B&W photos.

The 7D's appearance last March convinced me to enter the DSLR world. I've taken 23,000 pictures with it, and completely love it. I've been anticipating a Minolta upgrade with a full-frame sensor...

I'm writing a letter to Sony stating that if they release a propriatary-laiden crap camera with memory stick, mini-DV, or betamax storage, I WILL jump ship to Nikon or Cannon.

Here's hoping the Minolta camera division stays intact and is not influenced by crap Sony consumer mentality.

Check back in Jan '07...

[Mark C @ Mar 1st 2006 7:57PM]

Sony makes sensors for other high end camera manufacturers , Sony memory stick is #2 in the market , Sony makes a quality easy to use product , Sony breathes life ito a dying (whoops) dead brand ie.KM.
Sony offers excellent customer service , except it seems in the USA , which doesnt suprise me from what I read here as the majority of you are a bunch of complaining SOB's , so no-one would please you.
The end is allways a new beginning and this is just that , I think we should all wait and see what we are going to get from Sony before we judge or start saying rubbish that we cannot back up with fact.

[Pete Massingham @ Jun 25th 2006 6:36AM]

All this grief over the loss of Minolta from the camera market. Strangely, I bought my first camera - a Minolta SRT 101 - many years ago. That got pinched, but I remember the optics being excellent - sharper than Nikon lenses! Since then, I have moved through the formats and into digital, but have recently found myself wanting a 35mm film camera again - nothing fancy - just optically good and well priced. So I have acquired an old Minolta X300 + lenses. It's fantastic value and unbeatable in terms of quality optics. It's the image that counts, not the technology. Old gear is available in vast quantities and most of it will do what you need it to do. OK, it isn't fast and automated, but I challenge anyone to find a digital system that can visually outperform the old system. Lets just enjoy photographs and shelve the technology obsessions.
Pete

[Steve D @ Jul 5th 2006 4:29AM]

Most of the comments above highlights what I have to say. It makes me think sometimes that I was a bit of a freak owning minoltas all my life while everyone else choose cannon or nikon. Thier inovation to come up with unthought of technologies always blew me away. FIRST with the invention of AutoFocus in the 80's, lets not forget what a break through that was. It just got better when they brought out the maxxum 7/9, really starting to feal like modern pro film slrs with the manual dials, and buttons intuitivly right where you need them. And finally the first (and possibly last?) body integrated anti shake technology that works, all of my sharp primes i've used for years will be blessed with 2 stops more latitude on the 7d which i am about to buy. YES, although it will be a dieing camera, it is too good value for money and will at very least be my backup system when I go Cannon or Nikon.

you will always have a place in my camera closset.

Rest in Peace Minolta :(

[Dale Amlin @ Sep 12th 2006 2:10PM]

I have been using Minotas since 1968. Ive used them in Guam, Hawaii, KS, CA, OH,NC,FL,OH, and WA. Never took a bad pic. My SRT 101, purchased in 1968 is still my back-up. My current is a XTSI. Both great cameras. So sad to think that Minolta will not be there for me the next time I need a new camera.

[Fard @ Dec 17th 2006 7:25PM]

I just started collecting Minolta Maxxum cameras. I love them!!!