Research and Development

Conventionally, the "retractable optical system" that moves and stores the lens perpendicular to the CCD (charge-coupled device) was the mainstream as the photographic optical system for digital cameras. However, with the "retractable" type, the lens was mounted in the same direction where the camera is thickened, restricting to make the camera thinner. We, at Konica Minolta, succeeded in the development of the "refractive optical system" in which the thickness of the lens will not be directly associated with the thickness of the camera. We incorporated this system the first time in digital cameras, shocking the industry with its extraordinary thinness. Nowadays, the "refractive optical system" has become the mainstream optical system for thin compact digital cameras. Konica Minolta took a role of a pathfinder and will further promote the evolution of the "refractive optical system" in the future.

In the refractive optical system, a "prism" that refracts light is placed in front of the optical system. However, the error when assembling the prism enlarges the image point of the optical system, leading to the deterioration of shooting performance. Konica Minolta established the high precision simulation technology that forecasts performance deterioration due to error occurrence, and based on the super high precision lens centering technology and the aspheric glass mold lens technology that were advanced from the optical technologies cultivated from the silver salt photography age, we succeeded in the mass production of the refractive optical system. These top level production technologies in the industry are the source for producing optical systems that lead the world.