We recently wrote about an interview released by a senior Nikon executive where some views on the market and strategies were explained. Now it’s time for Canon who, through the voice of Takeshi Tokura (Managing Executive Officer of the Global Imaging division), wanted to give his contribution to the discussion.

Despite the CIPA data of November 2020 show a certain stability in the sales of cameras , we certainly cannot speak of a thriving or even recovering market. Companies know this well and even those in top positions cannot let their guard down. Here’s what Tokura said during the interview.

Canon’s strategy and the market that has shrunk by eight in 9 years

The reduction of the camera market , as written above, was significant globally. There is talk of a reduction in volumes of one eighth in the period from 2010 to 2019. And in the 2020 the COVID pandemic was added – 19 to further aggravate the situation.

Tokura wanted to underline however that from July 2020 there was a partial recovery (testified by CIPA data) after the collapse in the previous months. One of the problems that Canon had to face was its delay in entering the mirrorless market, where Sony managed to capture the right timing to overcome two historical brands in the photography sector.

of the new solutions, we cannot fail to underline the success of the sale of Canon EOS R5 which, despite some problems, has proved the potential of the Japanese brand. Despite everything, the company will aim at a reduction and optimization of expenses and production. Tokura did not hide the fact that the new cameras (ed. Not all) must also have advanced video features. We will therefore find ourselves in front of increasingly multifunctional products, with an increase in added value.

We then moved on from an idea of ​​cameras that should be “fast, comfortable, high image quality” to one of “pleasing image quality” as users would seem interested in quality but not necessarily in going beyond certain limits. Probably the influence derives from the means by which the images are viewed (social networks for example).

A product to which this philosophy could be applied is IVY REC, born as a prototype and officially announced at the end of 2019. This is a relatively inexpensive solution, with acceptable image quality but which is shockproof, waterproof and compact. According to Tokura , this kind of product could allow the company to resist the wave of smartphones . Finally, the company will focus on B2B where, also thanks to 5G, there will be an increasing need for optical / vision detection systems, expanding the sales possibilities for producers.

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