Konica (Konishi)

Konica began in 1873 as Konishi Honten, a Tokyo shop selling photographic and lithographic supplies. It made Japan’s first branded camera, the Cherry, in 1903, and Sakura film from 1940.

Its 1977 Konica C35 AF was the first mass-produced autofocus camera, a compact that focused itself with a Honeywell module. In 2003 Konica merged with its old rival Minolta.