Konica Minolta giving up Photo branch

[az]

Konica Minolta is going to stop producing film and digital cameras and photo films, concentrating on printers and copiers. They will sell their Photo branch to Sony, with whom they've made ties already a while ago. It is not known what parts of the Konica Minolta lineup sony will continue, other than digital SLRs using the Minolta A mount (they've had a license to do this for a few months now, anyway). Let's hope Sony will continue developing lenses (though I think it is safe to assume this).

In the past, Sony and Konica Minolta have often had quite similar camera concepts competing against each other, and I think something good might become of this: Sony has quite a few interesting technologies and made some very good cameras in the past, and Konica Minolta has a lot of experience with cameras, color expertise (the color reproduction of the digital Dynaxes was highly praised), lenses, and Anti-Shake.

I'm curious. Sony should have been working on an A-Mount DSLR for a while now, I can't wait to see it - and Sony point and shoot cams with Anti-Shake.

[VJ]

Wow... this does come as a suprise to me...

Konica-Minolta has developped interesting technologies and implemented them in their digital cameras. I'm a bit suprised to see they are selling all of this.

I do wonder what it means for lenses (Sony commonly uses Zeiss lenses). Of course, with the acquisition of the Konica-Minolta photo branch, Sony has also obtained a decent lens research and production. So perhaps this means that the Konica-Minolta expertise in lenses is coming to Sony.

I doubt Zeiss will be making lenses for Konica-Minolta DSLRs (seeing how they just have announced to develop lenses with the Nikon F mount).

Jörg

[Nappe1]

this really stroke me. a total suprise.