DYNAX Generation IV

Generation IV : Shifting Emphasis from High to Comfortable Performance

As camera manufacturers added more functions to their AF SLR cameras, operating them became more complicated. To buck this trend, DYNAX engineers designed a series of cameras that emphasized easy operation--the si series--si standing for "simple and intelligent." The DYNAX 700si, the main model in the series, garnered a number of industry awards for its design

DYNAX 700si (1993)

In contrast to the emphasis placed on advancing technologies enabling automatic control that had appeared in the xi-models, DYNAX engineers made comfortable operations a priority in the 700si.

From the beginning it was conceived as a model stressing ergonomic design, ease of operation and automatic control functions that coordinated well together and which were comfortable to use. For instance, each control function was assigned just one operation to reduce operational complexity. As a result, this model was the recipient of numerous domestic and overseas awards.

RD-175 (1995)

This was Minolta's first digital SLR. The aim was to offer photographers a digital camera with a very high resolution at a reasonable price. It was praised for its unique optical design and the quality of its manufacturing.

The RD-175 incorporated 3 CCDs and employed a dual-green image-sensor method with a pixel-offset technique to raise the pixel count. This produced an image resolution equivalent to 1.75 million pixels, while the camera itself was the industry's smallest and lightest SLR of its day. The RD-175 also employed the DYNAX 500si body, enabling it to use most of the α lenses.