The Unveiling of the EOS R: In Conversation with Canon

Team BP covered the official launch of the new Canon EOS R held in New Delhi. Yoshiyuki Mizoguchi, Advisory Director, Group Executive, ICB Products Group, Image Communication Business Operations, Canon Inc, and Kazutada Kobayashi, Advisory Director of Canon Inc, and President and CEO of Canon India talk to our team regarding the unveiling of the new mirrorless camera system.

Q – Since when has the Canon EOS R been under development? Can you elaborate on the manufacturing process of the camera?
A – We cannot disclose the time since the EOS R has been under development because of company regulations. However, with the EOS R, we aim to focus on the development of the business world of photography. Thereby, we have been keen to create a new zone of lens development. The optimal purpose of the new RF lens is its new optical design which can be understood by drawing the structure of the lens. It will highlight the improvements, the adjustment of the technology, the assembling procedure, and essential elements in the manufacturing stage in this new zone of lenses. The integration or the number of the elements are at the end of the manufacturing and by doing such, we have finally reached the eastern part of the world.

Q – What has been the initial response from the industry especially since the pre-bookings are on in many places around the world for the camera?
A – We have received a large number of positive reactions from across the world since the worldwide announcement of the EOS R on 5th September in Japan.

Q – How do you think the EOS R series will affect the current full frame segment in terms of market share?
A – Keeping the current technology, the maturity of manufacturing, and coverage of the available lineup in mind, we believe the EOS R is at the center of the core. With its introduction in the market, we aim to make the kind of photography possible that cannot be done through other available camera systems. Equipping the EOS R series with better technology, we are in the future. Consequently, in the coming years, we want to develop both, the equivalent of your system and the EOS R system, to expand our versatility in the photographic market. Hence, providing various opportunities for a wider range of users.

Q – Considering that the mirrorless segment has been growing so quickly, what would you speculate regarding the future of DSLR?
A – Gradually, we will expand the coverage of the EOS R with developments as per peoples’ demands. But, the conventional EOS R DSLR system conveys unique advantages such as the optical finder and the strong autofocus system towards the moving object. Canon understands that the EOS R system will not please everyone’s demands in the future which in turn, will motivate us to promote our lineups to feature a wide range of products.

Q – Considering that mirrorless cameras don’t have expensive reflex action components and pentaprism, would there be a new entry level full frame segment by canon in the future?
A – Unfortunately, we cannot announce a concrete plan for the future product lineups. Although, if the market demands a low-end product in the mirrorless camera systems, we’ll take the message seriously.

Q – How will the EOS R affect your DSLR sales? Especially considering that the Canon 5D Mark 4 is about Rs 80,000 more expensive and is the most logical DSLR competitor within the Canon range.
A – Even though we added the EOS R to our existing collection of cameras, we understand that it might have some effect on the existing full frame camera including the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV.

Q – At this point of time, despite the proliferation of the mirrorless cameras, almost every sporting event around the world sees the professional photographers use DSLRs over mirrorless cameras in numbers that are extremely disproportionate to actual market statistics. Would you still regard DSLRs to be superior and when do you see mirrorless cameras catching up especially in professional segments such as sports, action photography, photojournalism or even weddings?
A – First of all, I think the development of mirrorless cameras in the professional area including the areas of sports photography depends on the advancements of future camera systems. We don’t lead professional photographers and they themselves choose the devices depending on the specifications of the machine.