Friday was Canon Friday in Perpignan.

Friday 7 September 2007

Friday was a big day for Canon at Visa pour l’Image and it wasn’t just because of the cocktail party at midday and an invitation-only party after the evening screening.

CPN caught up with Kazuyuki Suzuki, head of photo products at Canon Europe, and Hiroshi Maeno, general manager of software product planning from Canon Inc. Both sat in on the Canon roundtable discussions yesterday, where they gained useful feedback from the photographers that could inform the direction products take in the future.

Canon’s Digital Photo Professional (DPP) software has recently undergone a major update to coincide with the announcement of the EOS-1Ds Mark III. One new addition to the DPP software, the lens correction function, is seen as closing the circle and improving on the already high quality of the Canon EF lenses to further enhance the image quality. Maeno said that eventually all current lenses and some of the discontinued L-series lenses would be included in the DPP software lens correction function.

With two major new products recently announced, the 10-megapixel EOS 40D and the 21-megapixel EOS-1Ds Mark III, they said they have great hopes for the next few years both in the advanced amateur and high-end professional areas.

CPN also spoke to Guy Dassonville, head of Pro Club, at Canon France. As well as huge interest in the new EOS products, the Canon Powershot G9 has been much-requested product during the week. “Most photographers know about the EOS system, but they want a small camera to put in their pocket and take everywhere. The Powershot G9 is that product, especially since it now has RAW and the larger screen size,” said Dassonville.

The EOS 40D has been popular too, mainly due to the success of the EOS 30D. “There has been a lot of questions about the new features of the EOS 40D. The DIGIC III processor, integrated sensor cleaning and WiFi communication options especially.

“It has been a successful show for us. There has been positive interest in the products and we have received some good feedback from the people we have spoken to,” he said.