Konica (コニカ,Konika) was a Japanese manufacturer of, among other products,film, filmcameras, camera accessories, photographic and photo-processing equipment,photocopiers,fax machines andlaser printers, founded in 1873. The company merged with Japanese peerMinolta in 2003, formingKonica Minolta.
The company traces its history back to 1873 whenpharmacist Rokusaburo Sugiura began selling photographic materials at his shop in Konishiya Rokubē, the biggest pharmacy trader inTokyo at that time.[2]
In 1878, Rokusaburō succeeded to his family and renamed Rokuemon VI (Rokudaime Rokuemon). He gave the original shop to his younger brother and launched a new shop, Konishi Honten (Konishi Main Shop) in theNihonbashi district of Tokyo.
In 1882, Konishi launched a project to produce photography related materials in Japan which were imported at that time. In 1902, Konishi began to sell the "Cherry Portable Camera" (チェリー手提用暗函), the first Japanese produced end-user oriented camera[citation needed]. New products were released respectively, and Konishi Main Shop became the leading camera company in Japan[citation needed]. In 1921, Konishi had his elder son succeed to the family and thus company head with the name, and in this occasion Konishi Honten was turned into a company Konishiroku Honten. The name Konishiroku was taken from the abbreviation of their names,Konishi Rokuemon.
Konica Pearl II, Medium format camera
Konishiroku released their "Konica I" type camera in 1948, after which they would name their own company in 1987. Since 1949 Konica produced aMedium format-cameraPearl.[3] From 1964 until 1975 Konica manufactured Medium format Omega-cameras, which used Konica's Hexanon-lenses; they were namedKoni-Omega for the global market. Two models were namedKonica Press for the Japanese market.[4][5]
Konica'ssingle lens reflex cameras pioneeredauto-exposure in cameras with focal-plane shutters and fully interchangeable lenses[citation needed]. The Konica Autoreflex of 1965 used an externallight meter cell to set thelens diaphragm automatically after the user selected ashutter speed. With the Autoreflex T of 1968, Konica improved this design into athrough-the-lens meter, using the same automation system (the user could also set the exposure manually on these cameras). Other camera makers eventually adopted auto-exposure as well, but Konica was the first[citation needed].
When Konishiroku got the new name Konica in 1987, the company employed about 4,935 people.[6]In the 1990s Konica signed its first major contract withLos Angeles County providing leasing of copiers to theLos Angeles Superior Court. This resulted in a major shift in the industry that had sold only copiers before. The County initial order of 250 copiers required Konica to redirect all of it inventory throughout North America to the county.
On 5 August 2003, Konica merged withMinolta to formKonica Minolta. In 2006, Konica Minolta exited the photography business.[7] In March 2006, the merged company closed down its photo imaging division, which producedcolor film, color paper,photo chemicals and digitalminilab machines. Itsdigital SLR camera section was transferred toSony, currently known as theSony Alpha line.Dai Nippon (DNP) purchased Konica'sOdawara factory site and continues to produce paper under its own brand, while Seapac acquired the Konica chemical factory.
Konica was a major producer of 35mm film and related products, including film development processors and printing technology. Originally Konica film and paper was sold under the brand name "Sakura" (cherry blossom).
In the mid-1980s, Konica launched its SR range of film, then SR-V (1987), SR-G (1989), Super SR (1991), Super XG (1993), VX and finally "Centuria" in 1999.
Konica Auto S3 (export) (1973) Great little camera based upon the C35 line. Fast lens. AE only. "C35 FD" in Japan. Auto S3 produced in black only. C35 FD produced in chrome, too.
Konica C35 EF (1976) first model with built-in flash. "Pikkari"
The first series of Konicasingle-lens reflex cameras used the Konica Flens mount, named after the first camera to use it. This was a bayonet mount, and is not compatible with later Konica lens mounts. Theflange focal distance of the F-mount was 40.5 mm, one of the smallest ever used for a 35 mm SLR. The diameter was 40 mm.
It is not identical toNikon F-mount, which has a much longer flange focal distance of 46.5 mm.
Konica lenses were named Hexanon or Hexar. Hexanon projector lenses are thought to have been used by theJapanese Camera Industry Institute for quality assurance tests on camera equipment of all brands,[25] which may be a testament to the quality of Konica's optics. They are known to have made lenses in theLeica M, Konica F and Konica AR mounts: conventional primes ranging from 15 to 800mm, various zoom lenses and even twomirror lenses.[26]
^Dominique Turpin, Xiaobai Shen:Casebook on General Management in Asia Pacific. Macmillan International Higher Education, 1999, ISBN 978-0-333-71792-9 S. 216 (Konica atGoogle Books).
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