Minolta

Minolta Co., Ltd.
ミノルタ
IndustryManufacturing
Founded1928; 96 years ago (1928) (as Nichi-Doku Shashinki Shōten)
Osaka, Japan
FounderKazuo Tashima
DefunctAugust 5, 2003; 21 years ago (2003-08-05)
FateMerged with Konica
SuccessorKonica Minolta
Headquarters3-13, 2-chome, Azuchi-Machi, Chuo-ku, Osaka 541-8556, Japan (1998)
ProductsCameras, film cameras, camera accessories, photocopiers, fax machines, laser printers

Minolta Co., Ltd. (ミノルタ, Minoruta) was a Japanese manufacturer of cameras, 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".[1][third-party source needed]

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,[2] 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.[3]

  1. ^ "About Us — Minolta Digital". Retrieved 2020-03-11.
  2. ^ "News release details-News Releases - KONICA MINOLTA". Retrieved 2015-08-16.
  3. ^ "News release details-News Releases - KONICA MINOLTA". Retrieved 2015-08-16.