Konica unveils cheaper digital SLR camera
Japan's Konica Minolta said it will begin selling a cheaper digital single lens reflex (SLR) camera next month.
Japan's Konica Minolta Holdings Inc said on Friday it will begin selling a cheaper digital single lens reflex (SLR) camera next month, aiming to tap demand in the fastest-growing segment of the camera market.
Digital SLR cameras use interchangeable lenses and offer higher performance than simple point-and-shoot compact models.
Demand for digital SLR cameras has grown rapidly over the past two years and is outstripping growth in compact models thanks largely to the introduction of cheaper digital SLRs from Canon Inc and Nikon Corp.
Konica Minolta said its new camera would retail for about 100,000 yen ($890) in Japan for the body only. Canon, Nikon, Pentax Corp and Olympus Corp have already introduced digital SLRs in that price range.
The new camera will be launched worldwide in August and September, sold under the name "alpha sweet" in Japan, "Maxxum 5D" in North America and "Dynax 5D" in Europe. Konica Minolta expects to initially produce about 50,000 units per month.
"We see the 1,00,000 yen price point as the market's volume zone and see a big opportunity," Nobuharu Murashima, who headed development of the alpha sweet, told a news conference.
Konica Minolta said the new camera will feature anti-shake technology to minimise blur in photos and be about one-fifth lighter and more compact than the "alpha 7," its first digital SLR for consumers that was launched last year.