News

Canon France last month attracted more than 500 professional photographers to the second of its Open Studio events showcasing the EOS-1Ds Mark III and other Canon products including its large-format printers.

The two-day event, 'Open Studio 2', took place on 15 and 16 February at the famous Le Studio Rouchon in Paris and drew photographers from the fields of fashion, studio, wedding and portrait, along with professionals working in the commercial and industrial arena. The event was the follow-up to the successful Open Studio 1 held in January 2006.

 

A slide show of the construction and use of the ‘Raft of the Medusa’ set made from shots taken every few seconds on a Canon PowerShot G9.

Three studio sets were made available to photographers, with one of the highlights being French photographer Gerard Rancinan’s modern take on Théodore Géricault’s famous painting ‘The Raft of the Medusa’. Rancinan used the EOS-1Ds Mark III to shoot models dressed in Prada, Chanel and Dior. The images were published in Paris Match.

Photographers could also experiment with the 21-megapixel EOS-1Ds Mark III in two other studios, one with fashion models and the other a ‘pack shot set’.

Pascal Briard, Canon France Marcom manager, told CPN that the event attracted over 100 people more than Open Studio 1, and that the main attraction had undoubtedly been the EOS-1Ds Mark III. “The photographers were really impressed with the camera,” he said. “We showed medium format users that the EOS-1Ds Mark III is a real alternative for them.”

 

Another pull for the professionals was the show’s partners. For example, Apple presented its recently-launched Aperture 2 software, E-Center introduced its photo books service and Profoto provided organisers with a top-quality lighting system.

Although the EOS-1Ds Mark III was the star of the show, along with the large-format printers (LFP), there were plenty of other attractions for the photographers. These included a ‘touch and try’ area where photographers could check out the full EOS system such as wireless shooting, L-series lenses and Digital Photo Professional (DPP) software. In addition, a Professional Printing zone showed off PIXMA Pro and LFP systems, with two exhibition areas given over to showing off the amazing results. Canon’s high-definition video products were also on show, including the XH A1 and XH G1, and the ‘check and clean’ area was a popular as ever.

Canon plans to stage similar events in other cities around France. For a chance to test the EOS-1Ds Mark III at events across Europe, contact the Canon Pro Rep in your country.