The Canon EOS and Photography Forums

This is the first of these I've attended, and a very impressive show of Corporate capability. No expense was spared-- including a working model of yankee stadium, complete with players.
Their message is a complex one, not just for customers and potential customers, but to investors, the press, the scientific community,  potential collaborators on the most complex optical/mechanical solutions , or next generation capture, print and display technology, AND how to turn those technologies into solutions for real world problems.
Having seen this, I think Canon believes that the next big step in imaging, has to be about more than resolution and dynamic range in two dimensions.  It has to extend what is possible to capture and to display.
That means at least some of their work is aimed beyond what we traditionally think of as Photography.   I haven't seen this from many others, especially big camera companies.
This is not necessarily what traditional photography enthusiasts are clamoring for, and Canon is doing it at a time when their traditional photography sensor offerings are not cutting edge.  So it leaves them open to criticism from those who are mostly interested in extending the capabilities of traditional photography (like me---- I love all the stuff they are doing but those things are not my issues)
However, when you see some of the work they produced with the 5Ds it is pretty hard to say 'not good enough' with a straight face.
One of their major focuses was 'Better Storytelling'  which puts the story above the equipment.  Their whole show was organized around themes and solutions. There was no video section or photography section but rather they had their products integrated as solutions into every theme. They also had a lot on basic science, and emerging technologies like virtual reality or textured printing.
They also ad the 120mp camera shooting still life pix tethered to one of their 8k displays. Lots about 8k....
It was not what I expected.  I had thought if they didn't announce some new cameras it would be a missed opportunity.  But I was wrong about that. This clearly wasn't the place for new product announcements. But they did show new technologies and new capabilities, many of which had to do with their incredible investment in new lens technology.   They still need to announce some products but Photo plus would be venue for that.

Not what I expected, glad I saw it, especially in an environment where it was not mobbed with people. I don't know if Bob attended if he did we'll get a better report than this, until then  here is a link to Bloomberg.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-09-11/five-crazy-photography-experiments-from-canon-expo-2015

No, didn't get to go this year. I moved from NJ to Maine, and that makes getting to NYC a bit more difficult. In addition to that I was in NYC for the launch of new Tamron lenses a the beginning of the month, so my "trips to NY" budget was spent!

I went to the last Canon expo in 2010 and enjoyed it very much. They certainly do a good job. I think it's as much about looking into the future as a display of current products. The 120MP DSLR is impressive and it's a real working camera, not just an idea or a mock-up.  Hard to say what the price will be or when we will see it, but I'm sure it's creating a stir at Nikon HQ (Maybe Sony too). 4K video is stunning so 8K must be really something. Again it's a product that's maybe 5 years down the line for the average consumer, maybe more. We haven't even really gotten to 4K yet (at least I haven't).

Not sure about their 3D photo printing. Interesting technology, but complex and perhaps not really needed? Hard to say what will be "needed" 5 or 10 years from now though.

Thanks for the report

Canon’s Expo was fabulous!!

It provided a strategic perspective on how Canon leverages its R&D across multiple areas/disciplines to create competitive advantage.  A significant competitive Canon advantage is its excellent customer service.  Superior customer service goes hand-and-hand with expanded technology.  This is a strategy where 1+1 = 3.

Canon provided fully operational as well as prototypes to demonstrate its new technology and current capabilities.  The extension of current capabilities is amazing.  The future for photography will be quite extraordinary.  We are seeing major technical leaps in hardware and software (PS, LR. plug-ins).  I would not expect competition to roll-over and let Canon take over.  The beneficiary of this challenge will be the consumer.  Perhaps we may even see consumers returning to DSLRs. Hard to imagine but . . .

For greater clarity on where Canon is going read the Image Resourcing interview with Mr. Masaya Maeda, the Senior Managing Director and Chief Executive of Canon Inc's Image Communication Products Operations located at:

 http://www.imaging-resource.com/news/2015/09/16/canon-maeda-promises-eos-m-enthusiasts-more-aps-c-lenses-new-printers

Marc