Enthusiast-grade EOS M4 and new EF-M lenses coming, says Canon’s Masaya Maeda (8K, 4K, 120MP & 250MP sensors, new EF-S lenses, high-end inkjet printers coming soon, and much more)

Imaging Resource posted a long and revealing interview with Mr. Masaya Maeda, Senior Managing Director and Chief Executive of Canon Inc’s Image Communication Products Operations. The interview was taken at Canon Expo 2015 in NYC.

One of the things you can read in the interview is that Canon will soon release a new line of high-end inkjet printers. According to Mr. Maeda, this may happen very soon. There is also talk about Canon’s strategy in the lens department. All the new lenses released in the last 5 years have been engineered with the EOS 5Ds and EOS 5Ds R in mind. Mr. Maeda talks about 8K and 4K, the 120MP and 250MP sensors, reveals that new EF-S lenses will be announced.

Obviously, there is a question about Canon’s plans with mirrorless technology.

Q: […[ What is Canon’s strategy relative to mirrorless, and are you in any danger of being left behind in that market? Many competitors have not just a range of bodies, but a very large collection of lenses for them, as well.

Masaya Maeda: As I mentioned before when I talked about lenses, for all of the products, we are working from the top of the pyramid. Going forward […] we will put more effort into mirrorless, and also, naturally, we will continue to expand the EF-M lens group. In the very near future, I think that Canon will come out with a mirrorless camera that you would really like.

Masaya Maeda: I promise.

Sounds a bit like a deja vu to me (thanks lw). Another interesting question regards Canon’s Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology.

Q: […] Dual Pixel CMOS AF has had a huge impact on autofocus performance, especially for video. We understand that it’s also a very expensive technology to manufacture. Can the cost come down as you gain more experience in manufacturing, or will it always cost quite a bit more than conventional sensors? And is there a chance we would eventually see it in Rebel-class cameras? Dual Pixel would especially benefit EOS M, where you don’t have the separate phase-detect system; is cost the overriding reason we haven’t seen it there?

Masaya Maeda: You are exactly right here. In the future, I would really want to introduce the Dual Pixel CMOS AF on projects in the Rebel-class cameras. We’re working on that.

An EOS M4 camera with Dual Pixel AF on board would make a huge difference. There is a lot more in the interview with Mr. Masaya Maeda.

Canon EOS M3: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA