Kopin Corp. Press Release 17/02/04

Kopin’s Ultra High-Resolution Color VGA Display System Selected for Groundbreaking Konica Minolta Eight-Megapixel SLR-Type Camera

TAUNTON, Mass.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Feb. 17, 2004—Kopin CyberEVF(TM) VGA is World’s Highest-Resolution Electronic Viewfinder System in a Digital Still Camera  

Kopin Corp. (NASDAQ: KOPN) today announced that the new Konica Minolta eight-megapixel DiMAGE A2 digital still camera (DSC), the first in a new generation of professional-class photography equipment, incorporates a full-color Kopin CyberEVF(TM) Electronic Viewfinder system, which is the highest-resolution viewfinder ever used in a DSC. The DiMAGE A2 just commenced shipping in Asia and is expected to be available in the United States by the end of February, 2004.

The Konica Minolta DiMAGE A2 is a single-lens reflex (SLR)-type DSC that for the first time enables photographers to preview the color, lighting and composition of what they are shooting precisely as it will appear in the finished photograph. To deliver this unprecedented performance, the DiMAGE A2 incorporates Kopin’s CyberEVF system along with Konica Minolta’s “Super Fine EVF” technology. In addition to providing extraordinary viewfinder resolution, these complementary systems allow the DiMAGE A2 to display remaining battery life and available memory - information that can be critical to capturing once-in-a-lifetime images.

“With its low-power, miniature footprint and exceptionally large high-resolution image, Kopin’s CyberEVF viewfinder system enables us to give our customers - both hobbyists and professionals - a power-efficient, feature-rich camera that will enable them to create consistently superior images,” said Keiichi Ishizuka, division manager, Digital Photo Development Division, Konica Minolta Camera, Inc. Japan. “With the CyberEVF-equipped DiMAGE A2, what you see is what you get - a tremendous advance for photographers who have mastered the art of seeing. The camera also enables exact focusing capabilities through the viewfinder, eliminating the parallax problems common in other high-resolution DSCs. We look forward to future collaborations with Kopin that advance the state of the photographic art.”

Kopin’s full-color CyberDisplay(R) VGA, the viewfinder’s core, is the world’s smallest color-filter VGA (640 x 480) display at only 0.44-inch diagonal, a size that keeps devices compact while extending battery life. Each of the display’s 307,200 full-color pixels measures a mere 14.1 x 14.1 microns and comprises red, green and blue sub-pixels measuring 4.7 x 14.1 microns for an ultra high-resolution image. Although the CyberDisplay VGA is small, the image it can display to a camera user is equivalent to that of a 21-inch diagonal TV monitor situated at a distance of three feet away - a comfortable size for viewing. The CyberEVF system combines the CyberDisplay VGA display with a lens, polarizer, backlight and housing. The architecture of these and Kopin’s other color-filter liquid crystal displays (LCDs) is similar to that of conventional LCDs used in laptop computer screens and LCD TVs, which is important for rapid mass market acceptance.

“Our relationship with Konica Minolta is one exciting avenue for Kopin to incorporate CyberDisplay in new, high-volume consumer applications,” said Dr. John C.C. Fan, Kopin’s president and chief executive officer. “Our family of CyberEVF systems, introduced in 2003, offers OEMs a broad range of easy-to-integrate solutions for DSCs, from mass market, low-cost cameras to more expensive, high-performance models. We are excited that Konica Minolta is integrating the system into its revolutionary DiMAGE A2. This is the first time that a digital still camera for the consumer market has used a viewfinder with such high resolution. Kopin’s CyberEVF system delivers color VGA images that are truly impressive - an excellent feature that should substantially differentiate the DiMAGE A2 from anything else on the market.”

The news release announcing the DiMAGE A2 can be found at: http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20040212005009&newsLang=en (Due to the length of this URL, it may be necessary to copy and paste this hyperlink into your Internet browser’s URL address field.)

About Konica Minolta

Created from the merger of Konica Corp. and Minolta Co., Ltd., Konica Minolta Holdings (OTC:KNCAY) is creating an entirely new corporate group that maximizes corporate value in the fields of image information, optics, electronic materials (EM) technologies, photo imaging, cameras, medical and graphic imaging and industrial instruments. The company is also actively working to cultivate new business domains through integration of its core technologies. Driven by a focus on “the essentials of imaging,” Konica Minolta strives to deliver innovative products that continue to advance the field of imaging, address the needs of the era, and meet the expectations of stakeholders. The company is headquartered in Tokyo with net sales of more than $10 billion and more than 17,000 employees. For more information, please visit http://konicaminolta.com.

About Kopin

Founded in 1984, Kopin is pioneering the use of nanotechnology to manufacture nanosemiconductor products that make mobile electronic devices small, fast, bright, lightweight and power efficient. With an intellectual property portfolio of more than 200 issued and pending patents, Kopin supplies the world’s largest electronics manufacturers and government agencies with breakthrough semiconductor products. The company’s liquid-crystal microdisplays, ultra-efficient transistors and high-brightness light emitting diodes enhance the delivery and presentation of voice, video and data. Kopin technology is currently used in nearly one-third of the world’s cell phones and camcorders and is the microdisplay standard for the U.S. military. For more information, please visit Kopin’s Web site at www.kopin.com.

CyberEVFs, CyberDisplays and the NanoSemiconductor Company are trademarks of Kopin Corporation

This news release about Konica Minolta Camera, Inc.‘s New DiMAGE A2Digital Still Cameras using Kopin’s CyberEVF electronic viewfinder system contains forward-looking statements made under “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could materially affect future results. Among these risk factors are general economic and business conditions, Kopin’s ability to meet development schedules, the impact of competitive products and pricing, availability of third-party components, continuation of strategic relationships, acceptance of the DiMAGE A2 Digital Still Cameras by consumers, anticipated introduction dates of the DiMAGE A2 Digital Still Cameras in the market and the other risk factors and cautionary statements listed from time to time in the Company’s periodic reports and registration statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to, the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for three months ended September 27, 2003.

Kopin - The NanoSemiconductor Company(TM)