[ ] · · ფოტო სიახლეები, სიახელეები ფოტო სამყაროში

[nachkebia]

კონიკა მინოლტა იყიდია სონიმ და კონიკა მინოლტა როგორც ასეთი აღარ არსებობს (bye bye black bird)

Konica Minolta withdraw from camera business
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0601/06011901...aminoltaout.asp

Konica Minolta has long been a leading company in photo imaging business covering wide range of imaging from input to output. In addition, we have provided inspiring products and services by fusing our unique technologies.

In camera business, we have expanded picture-taking opportunities by developing innovative technologies such as the world’s first autofocus cameras. In 1962, our camera, well-accepted for its high reliability, boarded on the US’s first manned spaceship “Friendship 7.” Also, ever since introduction of the world’s first body-integral autofocus SLR camera, Maxxum/Dynax series, in 1985, SLR cameras have become more popular among picture-takers, and we have succeeded in selling 16 million units of interchangeable lenses since then.

However, in today’s era of digital cameras, where image sensor technologies such as CCD is indispensable, it became difficult to timely provide competitive products even with our top optical, mechanical and electronics technologies.

In photo business, represented by the silver-halide photography such as color film and color paper, we have produced Japan’s first photographic paper in 1903, and Japan’s first color film in 1940, thus pioneering joy of photography for more than a century. In 1984, we introduced the world’s first compact washless photofinishing system known as a minilab system. The minilabs contributed to the expansion of worldwide photographic market by making photos closer to consumers and amazingly shortening delivery time.

However, traditional silver-halide photographic market is shrinking astonishingly by the surge of the worldwide digitization. In such a changing world, profits for camera and photo businesses worsened in recent years, and it became necessary to drastically reform business structure for the further growth of Konica Minolta. Ever since we decided and announced restructuring guidelines of our businesses on November 4, 2005, we have been considering practical and detailed plan, and we would like to announce our decision made today as follows:

[nachkebia]

სიახლო ლაიკის დიგიტალ M ის შესახებ!
მოკლედ კროპ ფაკტორი ექნება X/1.33 და ამას ხსნიან რო ფულ ფრეიმზე ხარისხი არ იქნებოდა საუკეთესოოო..... ჰელლო ქენონ!

It's not so much an article in the current issue of LFI but mentioned in part of an interview with Stefan Daniel about the products to come in 2006 and beyond. The section about the digital M is:

"LFI: Does 35mm photography, i.e., the orginal 'Leica Format', even have a digital future? What with the digital M, which you've announced for photokina 2006 look like?

Stefan Daniel: The digital M will basically maintain the size and the weight of a classic M, consisting of the same, high-quality materials and featuring the time-honoured optical rangefinder. In other words, it will remain an M, just without film. Of course, we had to solve the problem with the traditional cloth blind practically filling the entire M body, and since we wanted the digital M to maintain the same volume, we'll provice it with a metal-blade focal plane shutter.

Beyond that the digital M will have a focal length crop factor of 1.33. This technical constraint is necessary because our top priority is to deliver the utmost picture quality. Given the optical reality of M lenses and today's state of sensor technology, the ideal solution for our customers, a full-format sensor, would not live up to our high standards. This is particularly true for aspects such as vignetting and sharpness from image centre to corner. In this respect we've already reduced the thickness of the cover glass and filters located before the sensor to an absolute minimum so that laterally impacting light rays do not cause unwanted calculations. The radius of the micro lenses and their positioning before the sensor was designed in such a way that they channel as much light onto the pixel as possible. These measures and others ensure the picture quality that one has come to expect from the M system. The crop factor was selected so that the same picture angles are maintained - all one has to do is take a different lens: a 21mm turns intoa 28mm, a 28 into a 35. Having considered our options we are convinced that this is the best solution, in terms of attainable picture quality and - since the costs of a sensor increase exponentially to their size - in terms of the price of a digital M.

LFI: Consequently there would be a gap in the wide-angle department. Did you consider expanding the lens palette correspondingly?

SD: Indeed. We want to present the digital M from the start as a complete package. Therefore, we will be introducing it together with attractive wide-angle solutions. These will be compatible with both digital and analogue camera bodies - in the future this will hold true for all of our lens developments."

Which is good news for those of us with film M's who would love more wide-angle options, with or without a digital body.