[1] The TC-1 was equipped with a high quality lens and body, similar to other luxury compacts produced during the Japanese bubble economy era, including the Contax T line, Konica Hexar, Leica minilux, Nikon 28/35Ti, Ricoh GR series, and Rollei QZ 35W/35T.

Expensive when initially released in 1996 with a suggested retail price of ¥148,000 (equivalent to ¥153,704 in 2019), it was produced in small numbers and since then has become collectible.

According to Minolta, development of the TC-1 began when an engineer questioned why SLRs were too bulky to carry day-to-day, but compact cameras sacrificed image quality.

[7][8] A special edition for the Japanese domestic market, finished in black, was built to celebrate Minolta's 70th anniversary in 1998 and limited to 2500 examples.

[12] The TC-1 controls and display are provided on the top panel, with the exception of the aperture selector lever, which is on the lens.

[5] A button on the top edge of the rear panel, just under the control dial, engages the spot meter.