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Minolta
The Japanese camera and optics maker behind the Maxxum and Alpha SLRs — merged into Konica Minolta in 2003
Transformed — Minolta was a major Japanese maker of cameras, lenses and optical equipment, famous for innovations in autofocus SLRs. It merged with Konica in 2003 to form Konica Minolta, which later wound down its camera business. The Minolta name lives on inside Konica Minolta.
Minolta was founded in Japan in 1928 and grew into one of the country's great camera and optics companies. It built a strong reputation for innovative SLR cameras, culminating in the Maxxum (sold as the Alpha in Japan) — a landmark autofocus SLR system that made autofocus photography mainstream.
Minolta produced a huge range of cameras and lenses, from film bodies to early digital models, and was known for clever engineering. But the camera industry consolidated fiercely in the early 2000s, and Minolta found it hard to keep up with the scale of its bigger Japanese rivals.
In 2003, Minolta merged with Konica to form Konica Minolta. Konica Minolta continued making digital SLRs for a short while, but exited the camera market in 2006, when it sold much of its camera assets to Sony. The Minolta name remains part of the Konica Minolta group, which focuses on office and business imaging.
Quick facts
- Founded
- 1928, Japan
- Signature
- Maxxum / Alpha autofocus SLRs
- Innovation
- Made autofocus SLRs mainstream
- Merged
- With Konica in 2003
- Camera exit
- Wound down in 2006
- Now
- Part of Konica Minolta
Sources
- Minolta - Wikipedia — Wikipedia (2026-09-05)
- Japanese camera firms to merge — BBC News (2026-09-05)