Canon Inc. Boss Wants to See More Innovation

[TAF]

From our perspective as camera aficionados, this is something of a disturbing interview. Read the following quotes:
----------------
Q: How far is Canon in fulfilling its medium-term plan to 2020?

A: We aim to make at least 5 trillion yen ($44.1 billion) in consolidated sales. It is definitely not impossible if we maintain the current economic situation and stable exchange rates. I see cameras contributing over 30% and office equipment another 40%, while new business segments, with health care at the center, will account for the rest.

Q: Tell us about upcoming mergers and acquisitions.

A: In particular, we will implement M&As that will further strengthen areas where we've already made acquisitions. Future purchases will supplement the health care, security camera and industrial equipment segments, with no bias toward either hardware or software.
---------

That reads to me as 'the camera business, which is only 30% of our business, is stable, so we're going to expand into other areas to enhance our revenue.

Rather than 'we're going to spend lots to make the camera business better'.

Many massive corporations started in one area and eventually moved into totally different areas, eventually abandoning their original business. 2020 will not be a problem, but I would watch to see if they really continue developing new hardware...I wouldn't be surprised to find by 2040 Canon has moved beyond cameras entirely.

 

[bokehmon22]

To me this does not tell me anything or giving me any confidence. Even if I have to assume he is talking about Cameras, hypothetically let's say if they open up an R&D division in 2018 and start research immediately by the time we see a product coming to the market it will be too late. Two of my most respected reviewers Dustin Abbott and Christopher Frost are in to Sony already and Dustin mentioned he is waiting for his a7r3. Sure there are some caveats with Sony but with dual card slots and decent lens line up Sony is an attractive option for even professional photographers except for wildlife, sports and astro photography. Once Sigma and Tamron starts to deliver full frame lenses for E mount we will see more people jumping ship. Canon is losing its user base slowly and sure enough if they do not come up with a camera that shoots 4k with a decent codec in 2018, I am sure they will loose more market share. I am not even talking about mirror less, just offer the 4k30 with h.265 codec and 1080p 120fps on a DSLR with C-log, focus peaking and zebras

I'm happy they admit this publicly. Canon was awarded more patent in 2016 than Google, Microsoft, and Apple. It's unclear how much of it will materialize, but it's not like they contemplate to " start research immediately ". It could be simply be mean they got the OK from the boss to allow their engineer division to not be hold back from by other division. Whatever it may be, it's not like they are starting from the beginning ;-).

I'm currently shooting with 5D IV for weddings, and honestly switching to Sony A7RIII or D850 won't make any differences in image quality and it would be alot more expensive to switch. Lighting, creativity, working on your craft, post-processing is more of a different maker once you have a certain level of parity in equipment.

Remember how photographers hate to hear "You have a nice camera" when people compliment their nice picture. The irony is all these photographers are all chasing specs.

If camera manufacture make a compelling camera, I'll upgrade otherwise I'll skip a generation.

 

[Antono Refa]

Sure there are some caveats with Sony but with dual card slots and decent lens line up Sony is an attractive option for even professional photographers except for wildlife, sports and astro photography.

Which Canon cameras that pros would consider buying lacks dual card slots? At most the xxD line, if any.

Canon is losing its user base slowly

IIRC, sales figures have shown otherwise.

and sure enough if they do not come up with a camera that shoots 4k with a decent codec in 2018, I am sure they will loose more market share.

4K is niche.

 

[transpo1]

Sure there are some caveats with Sony but with dual card slots and decent lens line up Sony is an attractive option for even professional photographers except for wildlife, sports and astro photography.

Which Canon cameras that pros would consider buying lacks dual card slots? At most the xxD line, if any.

Canon is losing its user base slowly

IIRC, sales figures have shown otherwise.

and sure enough if they do not come up with a camera that shoots 4k with a decent codec in 2018, I am sure they will loose more market share.

4K is niche.

High megapixel photos are also niche.

 

[AbsN]

Too late, just jumped ship and got an A7Riii. Sticking with Canon glass as the AF is excellent on the Sony so may return eventually depending on what they come up with.

 

[transpo1]

Sure there are some caveats with Sony but with dual card slots and decent lens line up Sony is an attractive option for even professional photographers except for wildlife, sports and astro photography.

Which Canon cameras that pros would consider buying lacks dual card slots? At most the xxD line, if any.

Canon is losing its user base slowly

IIRC, sales figures have shown otherwise.

and sure enough if they do not come up with a camera that shoots 4k with a decent codec in 2018, I am sure they will loose more market share.

4K is niche.

High megapixel photos are also niche.

I should add that this is sarcasm and meant to be taken as such. 4K is so niche, it’s been in every flagship iPhone model for 3 years now, while the photo resolution of those iPhones has stayed at 12MP. 4K TVs are less than $500 now. Time for Canon to take 4K seriously.

 

[rrcphoto]

Sure there are some caveats with Sony but with dual card slots and decent lens line up Sony is an attractive option for even professional photographers except for wildlife, sports and astro photography.

Which Canon cameras that pros would consider buying lacks dual card slots? At most the xxD line, if any.

Canon is losing its user base slowly

IIRC, sales figures have shown otherwise.

and sure enough if they do not come up with a camera that shoots 4k with a decent codec in 2018, I am sure they will loose more market share.

4K is niche.

High megapixel photos are also niche.

I should add that this is sarcasm and meant to be taken as such. 4K is so niche, it’s been in every flagship iPhone model for 3 years now, while the photo resolution of those iPhones has stayed at 12MP. 4K TVs are less than $500 now. Time for Canon to take 4K seriously.

they won't. it's a DSLR meant for stills photography with an addon of the ability to shoot some form of video.

and no matter how much you scream about it, it really hasn't hurt canon sales, so apparently they have a much better pulse on the stills photography market than the handful of loud video people that want it added to a DSLR.

 

[rrcphoto]

From our perspective as camera aficionados, this is something of a disturbing interview. Read the following quotes:
----------------
Q: How far is Canon in fulfilling its medium-term plan to 2020?

A: We aim to make at least 5 trillion yen ($44.1 billion) in consolidated sales. It is definitely not impossible if we maintain the current economic situation and stable exchange rates. I see cameras contributing over 30% and office equipment another 40%, while new business segments, with health care at the center, will account for the rest.

Q: Tell us about upcoming mergers and acquisitions.

A: In particular, we will implement M&As that will further strengthen areas where we've already made acquisitions. Future purchases will supplement the health care, security camera and industrial equipment segments, with no bias toward either hardware or software.
---------

That reads to me as 'the camera business, which is only 30% of our business, is stable, so we're going to expand into other areas to enhance our revenue.

Rather than 'we're going to spend lots to make the camera business better'.

Many massive corporations started in one area and eventually moved into totally different areas, eventually abandoning their original business. 2020 will not be a problem, but I would watch to see if they really continue developing new hardware...I wouldn't be surprised to find by 2040 Canon has moved beyond cameras entirely.

someone gets this.

this has ZERO to do with cameras, and the reality is Canon is simply doing "just enough" for cameras, and focusing it's money and energy into emerging technologies and medical.

 

[goldenhusky]

Canon was awarded more patent in 2016 than Google, Microsoft, and Apple.

Patent does not mean anything to a consumer unless they are delivered as features in products that comes out to the market

I'm currently shooting with 5D IV for weddings, and honestly switching to Sony A7RIII or D850 won't make any differences in image quality

I agree 5D4 is a great camera in fact that is my go to camera. I have no complaints about 5D4 on the stills department. The part that I hate is Canon not offering any usable 4k video and HFR recording or at least RAW 4k out so an external recorder can be used. They deliberately held back on the 4k HDMI out and later claimed the designers did not had access to HDMI 2.0 h/w. The fact is HDMI 2.0 was defined years ago and they were readily available for their competitors and audio and video equipment manufacturers

 

[goldenhusky]

Which Canon cameras that pros would consider buying lacks dual card slots? At most the xxD line, if any.

not sure what you mean here. I referred to Sony a7r3 that has dual slots and IMO the dual card slot will clear the way for many more professionals like wedding photographers to switch over to Sony. Another reason I think that way is I consider Sony A9 and A7r3 are the two decent cameras Sony has put out there. Yes a72, A7r2 and a7s2 were good but they had their own issues as well. a7r3 has addressed lot of them. Regardless of what many Sony fan boys says I consider all Sony's older cameras except a6300 and a6500 are mediocre at best.

IIRC, sales figures have shown otherwise.

True, I should have made that clear. I hear about more and more hybrid shooters switching over to Sony because of the video features. Most people I have been following on youtube for years have switched one by one. Like me many has adopted Sony as a second system because of video features but not able to switch over because Sony has short comings as well. If you want to know more on this read my post here http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=34057.msg698706#msg698706

4K is niche.

Absolutely, especially for Canon fan boys because there is no option at all

 

[AvTvM]

Has AvTvM become CEO at Canon ?

no.
1. I am not old [and senile] enough yet for the job
2. And in interviews i don't just talk, but say something ... specific
;D

 

[unfocused]

From our perspective as camera aficionados, this is something of a disturbing interview.

...That reads to me as 'the camera business, which is only 30% of our business, is stable, so we're going to expand into other areas to enhance our revenue.

Rather than 'we're going to spend lots to make the camera business better'...

someone gets this.

this has ZERO to do with cameras, and the reality is Canon is simply doing "just enough" for cameras, and focusing it's money and energy into emerging technologies and medical.

It's a bit more complex than that.

You can't simply "spend lots to make the camera business better."

No amount of spending is going to significantly boost demand. All manufacturers are fighting to capture a share of the enthusiast market, which is about the only market left for cameras. And, that market is aging out rapidly. Once baby boomers get too old to spend their discretionary income on travel and hobbies, cameras sales are likely to plummet even further.

Given the realities of the market, we should be pleased that Canon is diversifying and investing in new technologies that have the potential to generate innovation with spillover effects to the consumer market. Research and development in medical imaging, defense and security may yield new technologies that can translate to the consumer market. Without the incentives offered by these new areas, there simply would not be sufficient return on investment from the consumer imaging sector to justify the kinds of investment needed for new innovations.

 

[Ozarker]

He might want to take some cutting edge innovation lessons from Sigma. Compared to them, Canon crawls along at a snail's pace on their hands and knees.

Pure hyperbole. Sigma is very good at shaving costs and reverse engineering...but true innovation? Not so much.

How dare you! I hear Sigma's AF tech is almost crawling on it's knees. At the moment... Sigma is just slithering along. How is Sigma's camera line-up? Yeah, that's what I thought. Cutting edge. Ha!!! Innovation? Ha!!! Please list Sigma's innovations. Please. Thanks for the laugh, Kirk.

 

[transpo1]

Sure there are some caveats with Sony but with dual card slots and decent lens line up Sony is an attractive option for even professional photographers except for wildlife, sports and astro photography.

Which Canon cameras that pros would consider buying lacks dual card slots? At most the xxD line, if any.

Canon is losing its user base slowly

IIRC, sales figures have shown otherwise.

and sure enough if they do not come up with a camera that shoots 4k with a decent codec in 2018, I am sure they will loose more market share.

4K is niche.

High megapixel photos are also niche.

I should add that this is sarcasm and meant to be taken as such. 4K is so niche, it’s been in every flagship iPhone model for 3 years now, while the photo resolution of those iPhones has stayed at 12MP. 4K TVs are less than $500 now. Time for Canon to take 4K seriously.

they won't. it's a DSLR meant for stills photography with an addon of the ability to shoot some form of video.

and no matter how much you scream about it, it really hasn't hurt canon sales, so apparently they have a much better pulse on the stills photography market than the handful of loud video people that want it added to a DSLR.

Scream? Nah. But I can see some are very threatened by the idea of video in what is traditionally a stills camera. I always find it funny that those who complain the loudest about Canon fans desiring 4K are the ones most resentful or frightened of video entering their world of still photography. These technologies are merging (they have merged already) and they will continue to do so. Stills and high quality video can co-exist and you will not lose any of your precious stills capability because of it. In fact, the whole reason people complain and push for Canon to offer both in the same camera is because they LOVE the stills capability and want the quality of the video to live up to that promise of quality imagery (“See Impossible,” as the motto goes). It is inevitable that this will happen, and we are just trying to hasten that inevitability. It’s nothing to get upset about. Everyone here has the right to post and push and speak up for what they want to see in the products they love.

 

[Antono Refa]

4K is niche.

High megapixel photos are also niche.

Yes, they are.

They are popular only because its easy and profitable for the manufacturers to participate in a megapixels war, e.g. due to customers insisting they bought a new 30MP 5DmkIV, so they ought to buy lenses that "match", such as the 24-105mm mkII.

But have no fear. When the competition becomes fierce enough, Canon will join the video megapixels war, and John Q. Public will get a DSLR with the 4K video he "needs" as well.

 

[gsealy]

I have a bunch of Canon cameras and camcorders. I love Canon. The thing is the Panasonic GH5 has better combination of video specs and price point than anything Canon has. The word is that a GH5s is due to be announced shortly. Lots of filmakers use the GH5. Then there is the Fuji GFX50. You say why spend $6500 on that camera? True, until you see the photos. Then it's wow, where can I get the money to buy it. So for me, it's I like Canon, but there are these other alternatives that offer more. So I have to consider them.

 

[Antono Refa]

Then there is the Fuji GFX50.

Yes, medium format has definite advantages. I wonder why those aren't more mainstream.

You say why spend $6500 on that camera? ... where can I get the money to buy it.

Ah, yes, that's why.

 

[transpo1]

4K is niche.

High megapixel photos are also niche.

Yes, they are.

They are popular only because its easy and profitable for the manufacturers to participate in a megapixels war, e.g. due to customers insisting they bought a new 30MP 5DmkIV, so they ought to buy lenses that "match", such as the 24-105mm mkII.

But have no fear. When the competition becomes fierce enough, Canon will join the video megapixels war, and John Q. Public will get a DSLR with the 4K video he "needs" as well.

Looking forward to it.

 

[Chaitanya]

I have a bunch of Canon cameras and camcorders. I love Canon. The thing is the Panasonic GH5 has better combination of video specs and price point than anything Canon has. The word is that a GH5s is due to be announced shortly. Lots of filmakers use the GH5. Then there is the Fuji GFX50. You say why spend $6500 on that camera? True, until you see the photos. Then it's wow, where can I get the money to buy it. So for me, it's I like Canon, but there are these other alternatives that offer more. So I have to consider them.

Many wildlife documentaries are being shot on with Panasonic/Canon Combo. This photo was posted by Sandesh Kadur couple of months back when he was shooting Pallas cats in Ladakh(India).

 

[Mikehit]

Scream? Nah. But I can see some are very threatened by the idea of video in what is traditionally a stills camera. I always find it funny that those who complain the loudest about Canon fans desiring 4K are the ones most resentful or frightened of video entering their world of still photography. These technologies are merging (they have merged already) and they will continue to do so. Stills and high quality video can co-exist and you will not lose any of your precious stills capability because of it. In fact, the whole reason people complain and push for Canon to offer both in the same camera is because they LOVE the stills capability and want the quality of the video to live up to that promise of quality imagery (“See Impossible,” as the motto goes). It is inevitable that this will happen, and we are just trying to hasten that inevitability. It’s nothing to get upset about. Everyone here has the right to post and push and speak up for what they want to see in the products they love.

In your world, not wanting 4k is the same as being 'scared of' 4k, which amounts to tabloid style thinking (to put it politely). Almost childish (WAAAAH! Why don't people want what I want....?)
The only thing many have said is that there is no urgency to include 4k. It will come, of that I have no doubt and I have no complaints but when you say it shows Canon's incompetence and Canon's misunderstanding of the market, and Canon will suffer because they don't include it NOW then history proves you wrong, time and again. It is the sense of urgency where you are wrong yet you cannot understand this - you can't understand the facts nor can you understand the counterargument people put forward. If you want small-minded thinking, there it is...right there.
By the way, a few of your mates switching to Sony for video is not evidence of Canon 'suffering'.