About Photoclub Alpha
PHOTOCLUB ALPHA is the website for the Photoworld Club – the former Minolta Club of Great Britain after the final closure of the Konica Minolta camera division on March 31st 2006. David & Shirley Kilpatrick – that’s us, aka Icon Publications Ltd – first started using Minolta SLR systems in 1974. In 1980 we were asked by Minolta Camera Co. Ltd to run the existing club and produce its quarterly magazine, Photoworld; we did this for 25 years with their support and later that of Konica Minolta Photo Imaging (UK) Ltd. In 1987 we formed Icon which is the siteowner of photoclubalpha.com, and now publishes Photoworld as an independent quarterly full colour glossy magazine for Minolta, KM and Sony Alpha DSLR system users.
SUBSCRIBE NOW to the magazine and support this website!
Photoworld started life in 1966 as a black and white newsletter produced by David Shaw, marketing manager of Japanese Cameras Ltd, the UK importing company owned by Charles Strasser which handled Minolta, Soligor, Miranda and several other brands. It became an A4 magazine with some colour in 1976. Between 1982 and 2004 it was published under the title of Minolta Image. Over 110 quarterly issues have been produced under our editorship.
You can now subscribe to digital e-book editions (powered by Flash Player, on YUDU) for just £10 a year including access to all new issues published for one year from the day you subscribe, and all back issues on the site. You will find that buying the subscription below gives you immediate free access to 18 issues starting with Spring/Summer 2004 and covering the complete development of the Alpha digital system from the time of the Minolta/Konica merger. You will also get the latest issue and new ones for the next year. Pages or complete issues can be printed off, or downloaded for off-line reading on PC or Mac. You can keep your own collection.
With over 500 pages of articles, news, portfolios, advice, technique, reviews and tests in the 2004-2009 back issue archive alone this has to be a fantastic deal – for anyone, worldwide, and it’s carbon-neutral publishing into the bargain!
What made the Minolta Club of Great Britain possible was the long-term loyalty of thousands of system owners, and the regular intake of new members through the medium of leaflets in product packaging. This new intake is no longer possible.
The future of the club and the magazine are Icon Publications Ltd’s responsibility. Konica Minolta preferred the option of closing it entirely, and Sony UK will not support any external (non-corporate) user group.
We have since the closure of Konica Minolta welcomed support from Sigma Imaging (UK) Ltd, Intro2020 Ltd (Tamron lenses), The Flash Centre, and Calumet Group. This enabled us to continue the magazine. We really need new blood, however – new photographers to feature in our pages and competitions, to join in with or create future events for readers, to write for us, perhaps to lecture in our sponsored camera club talks programme.
Download and install latest FIRMWARE and SOFTWARE updates for the Alpha cameras and conversion/browsing packages.
View David Kilpatrick’s images on pBase – you will find hundreds of images including comparisons with many other camera systems.
Run our original 2006 Alpha System web slideshow
