dcsang
Canadian & Not A Dentist
GeneW said:
*listens to the sounds of crickets*
😉
Dave
Konica Minolta is history
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*listens to the sounds of crickets*
😉
Dave
hth
Well-known
copake_ham said:
The Hexar RF in digital with anti-shake. Possible return of some nice well built Hexanon M lenses... Is it enough?
I have 5 Konica M lenses, so I am not in for shopping any more. The digital RF is a bigger problem to me. The Epson RD-1 does not really cut it for me, the coming Leica will be priced way up in the stratosphere. I see little hope...
Well, the only hope is that when the honeymoon is over for Zeiss Ikon, and the people interested in it have bought their bodies, sales will drop dramatically and they will make a quick entry into the digital market with a camera with an optical finder and traditional controls.
Come to think of it, how hard can it be to make a decent digital camera? It is amazing, there is only one that is half decent in the market (if you do not want use SLRs).
We also miss a reasonable big maker of film. Of 5 big makers (as I see it), we have now lost two, and Ilford was away for a while...
We also miss a big maker of scanners, luckily I have already bought my MF scanner so I feel rather safe for the moment.
Maybe I should keep my eyes open for closeout prices of the 7D and Konica film.
This was really bad news.
/Håkan
jtzordon
clicking away
Sad indeed. Here's hoping Sony makes some winners for the Maxxum lenses. I've found them excellent. MUCH preferred to the equivalent Nikons I've used and seen, IMHO.
C
ch1
Guest
hth said:
Granted that if you are an owner of a K-M camera system you might have a problem. But K-M overall was never a dominant player in the business. And let's be realistic, for years there have been too many Japanese camera makers. During the SLR hey day in the '70's to '90's they were all able to survive - but a market shakeout has been long overdue.
As to K-M film, did they actually make it - or was it re-badged from someone else?
Only reason I ask is that here in US I've never seen it actually for sale at a film kiosk. It is listed in the B&H catalog (very small section on the page). The only time I ever used it was when I got a 27exp. roll as a throw-in from the film drop store after I had some prints developed.
yossarian
Well-known
If there's anything sadder than the demise of yet another historic photographic firm
it's some of the hostility directed at that firm. From the late '60s to early '70s two companies dominated the "popular" camera market--Pentax and Minolta. The SRTs
and Spotmatics battled it out for years with little significant impact from "the big two". From 1985 through 1988 Minolta owned the SLR market, by virtue of the Maxxum (admittedly, they did get the technology from Yashica/Contax, but that's another story). It would be very unhealthy for this to end up as nothing but Canon
vs Nikon. I have no loyalties to or prejudices against any camera manufacturers--I like them all. And one by one, as they've dropped by the wayside, Zeiss Ikon, Kowa,
Petri, Miranda, Rollei (temporarily), Praktica, et al, I never thought it was something to cheer about or gloat over.
Let's not forget that it took Nikon 11 years to update their meter-coupling system to
the type used by Minolta since 1966. And Canon fans--remember the T80?. The first Japanese SLR to hit the US market with a pentaprism and autodiaphragm operation was Miranda in 1955. (Yes, Pentax had a pentaprism, but pre-set diaphragm).
Canon is assuredly in the catbird seat now, and Nikon's profits have soared. But if
Sony and Panasonic get into the market full force, the "big two" may well be crushed
like bugs. That wouldn't be healthy, either.
Meanwhile, let's cross our fingers that Pentax holds on a while longer...
it's some of the hostility directed at that firm. From the late '60s to early '70s two companies dominated the "popular" camera market--Pentax and Minolta. The SRTs
and Spotmatics battled it out for years with little significant impact from "the big two". From 1985 through 1988 Minolta owned the SLR market, by virtue of the Maxxum (admittedly, they did get the technology from Yashica/Contax, but that's another story). It would be very unhealthy for this to end up as nothing but Canon
vs Nikon. I have no loyalties to or prejudices against any camera manufacturers--I like them all. And one by one, as they've dropped by the wayside, Zeiss Ikon, Kowa,
Petri, Miranda, Rollei (temporarily), Praktica, et al, I never thought it was something to cheer about or gloat over.
Let's not forget that it took Nikon 11 years to update their meter-coupling system to
the type used by Minolta since 1966. And Canon fans--remember the T80?. The first Japanese SLR to hit the US market with a pentaprism and autodiaphragm operation was Miranda in 1955. (Yes, Pentax had a pentaprism, but pre-set diaphragm).
Canon is assuredly in the catbird seat now, and Nikon's profits have soared. But if
Sony and Panasonic get into the market full force, the "big two" may well be crushed
like bugs. That wouldn't be healthy, either.
Meanwhile, let's cross our fingers that Pentax holds on a while longer...
GeneW
Veteran
From all I've read, the Big Two in today's camera market are Canon and Sony, with Nikon a distant third. I hope Olympus and Pentax can survive.
Gene
Gene
back alley
IMAGES
i dislike sony!
anyone here have their computer wrecked because of the spyware program sony had on their cd's and dvd's?
i don't like how they market or overprice their products.
i'll miss minolta, even konica minolta but i'll never buy sony!
anyone here have their computer wrecked because of the spyware program sony had on their cd's and dvd's?
i don't like how they market or overprice their products.
i'll miss minolta, even konica minolta but i'll never buy sony!
hth
Well-known
Any Konica film lover that can shed some advice on what film in their range to stockpile? How do they compare to Fuji for example?
I had a look around for 120 film at the Konica-Minolta site yesterday, but they did not seem to have that. Is/was it available in 120?
I missed out on APX 100, ordered some 100 rolls and got none.. Will try to be more alert this time... 🙂
/Håkan
I had a look around for 120 film at the Konica-Minolta site yesterday, but they did not seem to have that. Is/was it available in 120?
I missed out on APX 100, ordered some 100 rolls and got none.. Will try to be more alert this time... 🙂
/Håkan
GeneW said:
Nikon's saving grace, actually I think there are two, is that they have focused very strongly on DSLRs and have the second largest market share in DSLRs. The DSLR market is currently the most profitable in the camera industy.
The other saving grace for them is that they are Nikon. More than any other name currently in the photography business, that name means something. In my opinion, there are photographers out there who will never ever use anything other than a Nikon. It is a very loyal crowd to whom Nikon serves with excellent products.
I actually think that loyalty to Nikon is so strong that Canon doesn't waist time discussing how to capture market share from Nikon. Canon is so big you would think that they would, but I think they just accept the competition that Nikon presents and worry themselves about everyone else.
Now Sony, there is a concern for Canon. Sony is the largest producer of image sensors in the world right? But they mostly produce CCD sensors. Canon produces their own CMOS sensors. That sets up some great competition. Competition is good for us. KM wasn't big enough anymore to contribute to this.
Little Prince
Well-known
Oh! I hope by brother doesn't hear of this. Very recently, he was looking for a DSLR and passed the decision making task to me. Upon my express recommendation, he bought a Maxxum 5D. I was more impressed by that camera than any others in the sub $1K range (barring the 7D). I wasn't very happy with their lens options, disliking crop factors and paying for a 17-35 to get a 25-50, and was hoping to see some new digital primes or other lenses come up. Now that's not going to happen, or is there a chance Sony will take up the Maxxum digital series?
I did like Minolta and Konica and KM was okay too, but I dislike Sony on the whole. It's like what Joe said. Besides I'm afraid even if they do develop some stuff it will be crap designed to send the yuppies into fits of frenzy. This is all conjuring up distasteful images in my mind.
KM also offered a nice line of scanners, providing a mid-cost option between flatbeds and pricey Nikon scanners. I bought a Scan Multi that I hope won't be needing service any time soon.
Oh well...
I did like Minolta and Konica and KM was okay too, but I dislike Sony on the whole. It's like what Joe said. Besides I'm afraid even if they do develop some stuff it will be crap designed to send the yuppies into fits of frenzy. This is all conjuring up distasteful images in my mind.
KM also offered a nice line of scanners, providing a mid-cost option between flatbeds and pricey Nikon scanners. I bought a Scan Multi that I hope won't be needing service any time soon.
Oh well...
Designer
Keven
Don't know if the future logotype could be something like SonyKonicaMinlota.........................! That's too long!
C
ch1
Guest
yossarian said:
Recognizing and criticiszing poor businees strategy is not hostility. Neither Konica nor Minolta were ever seen as "top of the line" camera producers even during the SLR hey day. They always marketed their products as lower-cost alternatives to Nikon and Canon that were "almost as good".
So long as there was a huge and growing SLR market - they were able to do well. And both of them were able to leverage into other optical business lines such as copiers and, at least with Konica, a disasterous foray into medical imaging.
With the decline in demand for film-based SLRs it is obvious that not all of the tranditional firms can survive. Add to that the entry of electronic giants such as Sony, Panasonic and now, Samsung etc. into the digital camera market and it is clear that a major market shakeout and realignment is taking place.
As I Nikon user I dearly hope that rover (see above) is correct - and I think his analysis is very good. But it is going to be difficult for a narrow-product company like Nikon to stay competitive since innovation will drive the marketplace and that is a very costly endeavor. It may well turn out that Nikon will ultimately become acquired by someone like Epson (with whom they have done some joint marketing) or Panasonic etc. and survive as the "luxury mark" similar to Lexus within Toyota.
I'm sorry if a hard business analysis offends some here - but working in finance, it is how I am trained to analyze information such as K-M's announcement.
Gabriel M.A.
My Red Dot Glows For You
Oh friggin' great.
Anybody interested in buying a Konica Minolta Dual Scan IV scanner? 😀
Anybody interested in buying a Konica Minolta Dual Scan IV scanner? 😀
yossarian
Well-known
I just hope we don't see the day when Nikon is in the same shape Leica is now.
Nikon remains at the cutting edge of "imaging" (that hurts) technology. Their cameras are state of the art, their market share is significant, and they are competitively priced (Leica's biggest mistake). I think I will be correct to say that they are profitable. They are a "little" fish compared to Sony and Canon, but they have always been so. Again, this hurts, but their discontinuation of film cameras actually is a strong position for them to take, again an action to focus on the profitable portion of their business.
sockeyed
Well-known
We should all be sad to hear of the demise of the companies behind the Leitz-Minolta CL, the Minolta CLE, and the Hexars AF and RF. I am.
jaapv
RFF Sponsoring Member.
yossarian said:
Actually nobody knows what shape Leica is in (except themselves,one should hope). They seemed to be on the way back to profits in the last half-year report and the next one is due within a few weeks and should tell us more. So what exactly are you trying to say? If you mean the shape of the camera's, I prefer Leica. 😛
jaapv
RFF Sponsoring Member.
And don't forget the Leica R3 and R4-5-6-7 series. Minolta-based.sockeyed said:
taffer
void
sockeyed said:
Even the voigtlander name was once dead and look at it now, who knows...
Roger S.
Member
This is disappointing as I was planning to buy a KM DSLR next. I still may, especially if prices drop because of the announcement.
I do hope Sony takes the design and lens mount and runs with it, because they have a strong consumer line, and could benefit from a pro/prosumer SLR line. Their marketing resources and name recognition could make them a force...
Even if KM dies, their current cameras will remain competitive for years to come. My non-RF cameras are X-700s, and I enjoy using them a lot. If the 7D becomes an orphan too, it will still be a quality camera.
I do hope Sony takes the design and lens mount and runs with it, because they have a strong consumer line, and could benefit from a pro/prosumer SLR line. Their marketing resources and name recognition could make them a force...
Even if KM dies, their current cameras will remain competitive for years to come. My non-RF cameras are X-700s, and I enjoy using them a lot. If the 7D becomes an orphan too, it will still be a quality camera.
