Full-frame mirrorless camera is just the beginning: Canon

SENDING a strong message to the existing players in the mirrorless camera segment, Japanese major Canon which just unveiled its first full-frame mirrorless camera EOS R is ready to roll out more enhanced devices in the near future.

For the $11-billion camera industry, mirrorless cameras have been a growth engine as digital/compact camera shipments have plummeted. Currently, Sony and Nikon are the leading players in the professionalgrade camera segment.

According to Japan-based industry body Camera Imaging Products Association (CIPA), mirrorless cameras account for about a third of the segment’s revenue today — up from 9 per cent in 2012.

“We brought the EOS series to the world 30 years ago. With the EOS R, we are confident that you will have an amazing experience. We will improve further and deliver enhanced devices in the EOS segment,” said Naoya Kaneda, Advisory Director, Group Executive, ICB Optical Business Group, Image Communication Business Operations, Canon.

The EOS R, which will be launched in India on September 21 and the price for the country is yet to be announced, employs the newly-developed RF Mount.

The EOS R is slated to ship in October globally with a price tag of nearly $2,300 (for the body) and $3,400 for the kit (with RF 24-105mm f4l IS lens).

A large (54 mm) mount internal diameter and short back focus allows for an enhanced communication between the lens and camera body.

In April, Canon India launched “EOS M50” — a new mirrorless camera for the millennials in India that houses the “DIGIC 8” image processor to ensure better picture quality and comes with 4K movie shooting capability.

“This is just the beginning. We will further improve our ecosystem — lens, processor and sensor — after listening from our customers and innovation teams. For us, feedback from our customers is of great importance,” Kaneda told a visiting group of journalists here.