Well maybe digital cameras will become serious photographic tools.
And Olympus will market an OM5.
But I think based on the facts below in ten years we will be carrying
colorful cardboard boxes with autofocus zoom lenses.
1982
The number of camera shops in Japan reaches a peak of 18,655.
This number steadily decreased in the years following.
1983
35mm SLR production falls to 5.37 million units, down by more than
30 percent from 1981's peak production of 7.67 million units. Demand
for SLRs continue to fall while compact cameras become the mainstream
market.
1992
In February, the federal district court in Newark, New Jersey orders
Minolta Camera Co. to pay Honeywell Co., Ltd. 96 million dollars in
damages for patent infringement concerning autofocus technology.
Honeywell also demands patent royalties and a ban on Minolta AF
camera sales in the U.S. Minolta agrees to pay Honeywell 127.5 million
dollars even while still claiming that they did not infringe on patent
rights. They decide to settle to avoid a prolonged court battle and
damage to the corporate image.
Honeywell subsequently announces that it will seek settlements from
other camera manufacturers such as Nikon, Canon, and Olympus. Honeywell
had took the case to court in 1987.
In August, Honeywell announces that a settlement has been reached with
Nikon and Canon over its AF technology patent infringement. Nikon is
said to have agreed to pay Honeywell 45 million dollars by 1995 when
the Honeywell patent expires. Canon accepts a similar settlement.
Olympus and Konica are reported to settle out of court.
(Asahi Optical, Ricoh, and other firms are supposedly pursuing a
similar solution.) Honeywell says that it will receive 124.1 million
dollars from a number of firms including Matsushita Electric and
Kyocera.
Maitani Yoshihisa of Olympus Optical is admitted to the Photography
Hall of Fame by the American Photography Marketing Association in
April.
1997
As of June 1, Japan had 10,504 camera shops. This is 8.9 percent fewer
than three years before, and 43.7 percent lower than the peak number
of 18,655 attained in 1982. This is also about the same number as in
1966.
1995
In March, Casio introduces the QV-10 digital camera retailing for
65,000 yen. The great success of this camera spur other camera makers
to develop low-cost digital cameras. The camera's built-in
liquid-crystal display allows the user to see the captured photographs
on the spot.
1996
On April 22, Advanced Photo System (APS) cameras and film are marketed
after years of development by a consortium consisting of Canon, Nikon,
Minolta, Eastman Kodak, and Fuji Photo Film. The Canon IXY (ELPH in the
U.S.) camera becomes a runaway hit. A few camera makers forego making
APS cameras and instead concentrate on digital cameras.
In 1996, sales of single-use cameras ("film with lens") jump to a
record 80 million units in Japan. The demand is driven mainly by female
high school girls fueling Japan's photography boom
1997
In June, Konica conducted a survey to find out the photography habits
of Japanese female high schoolers. There were 115 responses from the
Tokyo and surrounding area. The survey found that most of the girls
liked to take pictures and to have their pictures taken. However,
slightly more preferred to take pictures rather than be photographed.
Most also carried a camera either at all times or sometimes. By far,
the most popular type of camera was single-use cameras (color, B/W, or
sepia film). Only 16 of the respondents used a compact camera, and
only two carried an SLR. They also spent about 1,500 yen (one-fourth
of their average monthly allowance of about 5,700 yen) on photography. The
most popular place to have the film developed was the neighborhood camera
shop, followed by convenience stores.
Since 1996, Japan has seen a resurgent boom in single-use cameras,
especially among female high school girls and other young women. The
variety and functions of single-use cameras (3-D, sepia, B/W, 8-frame
continuous shooting, underwater, close-up, etc.) have escalated
dramatically since 1986 when the first single-use camera was introduced.
The camera's packaging and design have also become colorful and cute
(with penguins, sunflowers, and other characters), turning the cameras
into fashion accessories. Although Kodak and Konica also offer
single-use cameras, Fuji Film enjoys about an 80 percent market share
of the single-use camera market in Japan. Single-use camera sales
peaked in 1993 with 55 million units. In 1996, the number jumped to a
record 80 million units. In 1997, the number is expected to increase
further by about 10 percent.
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