Retailing: Maxxumizing Camera Prices

From the moment Minolta's sleek Maxxum camera arrived on the market in January 1985, the hot-selling, auto-focusing 35-mm instrument seemed immune to the photographic-equipment industry's usual cutthroat discounting practices. One reason, some consumers claim, is that Minolta coerced its retailers to charge a minimum of $319.95 for the Maxxum and $189.95 for its AF-Tele. Last week John Troncelliti, a suburban Philadelphia barber, filed a national class- action suit against the Japanese manufacturer, charging that it ordered retailers to keep prices high or lose the right to sell Minolta's line.

Minolta denies the charges, but earlier this month agreed to settle two similar cases filed by the states of Maryland and New York. The company promised as much as $700,000 in refunds to customers in those states.