(yahoo minolta group posting) From: "hi_mark_k" <[email protected]> Date: Tue Nov 11, 2003 5:11 am Subject: Re: Minolta Digital SLR next year Eventuall, an interview with Minolta Head in Japan by a local Chinese Newspaper confirms that a digital SLR will be launched next year. Here is the original article A translation from Frisky Strong DSLR competetor joins in. Konica Minolta claims that they will surpass Canon & Nikon. The number of professional and amatuer photographers are increasing rapidly, DSLR market is set to grow at phenominient rate, this year's production can expect to hit 1 million units. Looking at the great opportunity, Konica Minolta announced that they will be launching DSLR with exchangable lens system next year. CEO Yijuwenxion even claims that Konica Minolta will become the world's biggest supplier. Joining the battle Currently, Canon & Nikon are the market leaders of the DSLR market, but Konica Minolta's competitors are not limited to them, there are others like Pentax & Olympus etc. Canon has revise target 3 times. But according to Yijuwenxion, in traditional SLR market, Minolta has market share of 25%. Analyst thinks that he implied that Minolta's loyal customers will continue to use Minolta DSLR products to be lauched shortly. Shi Shou Shan, stock analyst from JP Morgan commented : the DSLR market is growing rapidly and would be sustained for several years, reaching new heights together with the overall digital camera market. He thinks that Konica Minolta has a good future in this market, and recommends investment in their stock. Canon points out that the sales of EOS Kiss Digital in Japan, and EOS Digital Rebel in US are better than expected and has up their shipment estimates of digital cameras 3 times. Fierce competition in the Digital camera market While the factories of 8 major Japanese cusumer electronic manufacturers like Sony and Panasonic are ramping up their production of digicam, some analyst are warning that the digicam market might rapidly reach saturation, as besides Japanese manufactuers, Eastern Kodak & Samsung are competing to increase their production. Canon has put 8 billion yen into building a new factory in japan, and is the most watched production expansion activity in the market. The factory is expected to enter production in 2006, and when that happens canon's yearly production figures will exploded to 20 million units. Konica Minolta expect to increase their overall digicam market share from 5% to 15%; once this target is achieved, the companie's overall camera sales will increase 70%, reaching 200 billion yen. Actively developing china market Besides eyeing the digicam market, Konica Minolta is also making flim coating for LCD. Konica Minolta is also increasing its targeting of the china market, and plans to relocate digicam factroies there. Yijuwenxion estimates that revenue from China will increase to 100 billion yen by 2008, which is a 4 fold increase over last year's 26 billion yen. Konica Minolta's main revenue comes from oversea market, looking at 2002 pre merger financial reports, konica's oversea revenue accounts for 58%, and minolta's figures are higher at 83%.
I wonder if it will be based on the Maxxum 7 or 9? Bill Mcdonald in Joshua Tree. Olympus E-10, Olympus IS-3 DLX. ICQ#138329143.
I have the 9, great camera. The 7 has many improvements I would like to see in an upgraded 9 or a DSLR.
