Canon to sponsor Rugby World Cup 2019 Tournament in Japan

Rugby World Cup

Canon to sponsor Rugby World Cup 2019™ Tournament in Japan

TOKYO, January 19, 2017—Canon Inc. announced today that the Company has renewed its contract and become the first company to serve as an official sponsor for Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan, which will take place in twelve cities and prefectures1 across the country from September 20 to November 2, 2019.

Hosted every four years, Rugby World Cup is one of the world’s most prestigious sporting events with the world’s top 20 national teams competing across 48 matches to win the ultimate prize in the sport, the Webb Ellis Cup.

Japan 2019 will be the event’s ninth edition and the first in Asia. The 2015 Tournament, which was hosted in England, was the best attended with 2.48 million fans, the most viewed with record broadcast, digital and social coverage in more than 207 nations2.

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Canon PowerShot SX 730 HS, Canon EVF-DC 2, and two cameras registered at certification authority

Powershot sx 730Nokishita Camera posted some information  about unreleased Canon products which were registered at a Russian certification authority.

  • PowerShot SX 730 HS
    • Color: Black / Silver
  • EVF-DC 2
    • Electronic viewfinder
    • Color: Black / Silver
    • SKU: 1727 C001 AA, 1882 C001 AA
  • Interchangeable lens camera (2 models)
    • SKU: 1895C001AA, 1895C002AA, 1895C003AA
    • SKU: 1892C003AA, 1892C004AA, 1892C017AA
  • Remote controller
    • SKU: 2140C001AA
    • DS586111 ?

As you can see, we have the PowerShor SX 730 HS (black and silver color option), a new version of Canon’s electronic viewfinder, the EVF-DC 2, a new remote controller, and two interchangeable lens cameras. The latter, may be the upcoming Rebel T7i and T7s (possibly in various color options) I do not think it has to do with new mirrorless cameras.

This stuff may be announced soon. Stay tuned…!

Canon Invites Filmmakers to its Creative Studio as a Sponsor of the 2017 Sundance Film Festival

canon

Canon press release:

Canon U.S.A. Invites Filmmakers to its Creative Studio as a Sponsor of the 2017 Sundance Film Festival

Over 20 Percent of 2017 Slate Filmed Using Canon Equipment

MELVILLE, N.Y., January 18, 2017 – Canon U.S.A. Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, is returning as a Sustaining Sponsor to the 2017 Sundance Film Festival (January 19–29 in Park City, Utah). Canon will celebrate the filmmakers working behind the camera with daily programming at the Canon Creative Studio, located at 592 Main Street.

At least 46 of the 213 films premiering as part of this year’s slate – over 20 percent — were shot using Canon equipment. Festival projects filmed using Canon cinema cameras include the first three episodes of the new Amazon Studios series I Love Dick, as well as documentary and narrative features including Menashe, Deer Squad: The Movie, Motherland, Downward Dog, and ICARUS.

“It is our honor to celebrate the work of Sundance Film Festival cinematographers,” said Yuichi Ishizuka, president and COO, Canon U.S.A. “Through the eyes – and lenses – of these talented artists, we see how the visual language of filmmaking evolves and innovations in camera technology are applied to storytelling.”

Canon will welcome invited 2017 Sundance Film Festival attendees to the Canon Creative Studio (open January 21-24, from 11am-6pm) for interactive displays of Canon equipment, live panel discussions, and a relaxing lounge stocked with coffee, snacks, and wireless internet connection. Here, guests will be able to explore Canon’s new flagship cinema camera, the Canon EOS C700 Digital Cinema Camera, the 4.5 million ISO Canon ME20F-SH multi-purpose camera, and the Canon CN-E 50-1000mm CINE-SERVO lens, among other gear on display. On the output side, guests will be able to see the color accuracy and HDR capabilities of Canon’s line of 4K Reference Displays.

The Canon Creative Studio will also host cinematographers, directors, editors, producers, and crew at the invite-only Raise Your Glass To Cinematography cocktail party (Sunday, January 22), Canon’s fifth annual celebration toasting the filmmakers of the Festival.

Canon is also pleased to partner again with IndieWire, a leading news and networking site for the independent film and television industry, for a series of six intimate panel discussions moderated by IndieWire Filmmaker Toolkit Editor Chris O’Falt. Festival filmmakers featured in the discussion series will include Academy Award® nominees Matthew Heineman (City of Ghosts, Cartel Land), Rory Kennedy (Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton), and cinematographer Jim Frohna (I Love Dick, Transparent).

The panels will be streamed through Facebook Live via IndieWire’s page, accessible to those who cannot attend the Festival, giving cinematographers and aspiring cinematographers alike the opportunity to engage with panels. IndieWire will also feature a series of interviews with Sundance cinematographers and pieces that explore cinematography trends at the festival, all sponsored by Canon. To read the series, please visit www.indiewire.com/t/canon-sundance-2017.

Each day, Loren Simons, Canon’s senior product and sales trainer, will lead hands-on workshops highlighting Canon’s newest cinema cameras, including the Canon EOS C700 and Canon EOS C300 Mark II Digital Cinema Cameras, as well as solutions-oriented gear such as the low-light Canon ME20F-SH and the new compact 4K professional camcorder, the Canon XC15.

With a nod to Canon’s deep roots in still photography, Michael Ori will be returning to shoot professional headshots of Creative Studio guests. This year, Ori will take his photographs with the new Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, the latest in Canon’s EOS DSLR camera series. Canon will send guests home with an 8×10 copy of their portrait, printed on-site with the Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 Professional Inkjet Printer. In an exciting new collaboration withIMDbPro, the essential resource for entertainment industry professionals, filmmakers will be able to instantly upload their newly snapped portraits to their IMDbPro profiles. The IMDbPro station will be open January 21-23, from 11am-5pm.

On Monday, January 23, Canon will present a screening and panel called “The New EOS C700: A Q&A with the The Calling Filmmakers.” Following a screening of The Calling, the first film shot on the EOS C700, Canon’s Senior Film and Television Advisor Tim Smith will lead Director Tyler Stableford and Colorist Billy Hobson in a conversation exploring the versatility of the EOS C700’s low-light capabilities and vast dynamic range.

For a full schedule of events for Canon’s activities at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival and to request access to attend, please visit https://canonsff17.splashthat.com/.

To find out more about Canon’s Festival activities, please visit our CinemaEOS website or follow us on Twitterand Vimeo. Join the conversation with #CanonCreativeStudio.

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Canon filed more patents than Google, Apple, Sony, Intel, and many other big names in 2016

canon rumors

Last week I reported that Canon again ranked first among Japanese companies and third overall for the number of U.S. patents awarded in 2016. We knew that Canon files an impressing number of patents. Well, it seems Canon is really into filing patents on their technology, more patents than Google, Microsoft, Apple, Intel, Sony (!), Fujitsu, Ricoh, and other big names, according to the annual IFI Claims report.

Canon is ranked third among the top 50 USPTO Patent Assignees in 2016, following IBM and Samsung. Seymour Liebman, executive vice president, chief administrative officer, and general counsel for Canon USA Inc., states:

“The first critical element towards developing remarkable solutions that move the needle for consumers and business industries alike is research and development […] This strong showing of patents granted year after year allow us to build intelligent products and solutions for the future, turning great ideas into reality.”

While it is likely that the patents refer not only to cameras (printers, calculators, medical equipment, etc), it never the less shows clearly how committed Canon is to innovation, and how hard Canon’s labs are working. Canon, go on turning great ideas into reality!

Oh, and btw, it is the 31st consecutive year that Canon ranks among the top five patent filers in the USA.

[via Digital Trends]

The Canon EOS M5 drops Sony’s mirrorless market share figures by 7% in Japan

eos m5

Edit: I was a bit too quick to claim all the merit goes to the EOS M5. It’s more likely that the EOS M3 and EOS M10 made it.

Well well, despite all the crap about the Canon EOS M5 I get in my inbox, it appears that Japanese customers really like Canon’s feature-rich mirrorless camera.

Mirrorless Rumors posted market share figures for cameras and lenses in Japan (unfortunately with no further link to the source material. Edit: the figures appear to be drawn from the latest BCN Awards). Looking at the figures you can see that Sony lost 7% market share and that Canon gained 5% on the mirrorless market.

Canon is estimated to become the second most important mirrorless camera manufacturer in Japan in 2017, and I am sure it is to a large degree due to the excellent EOS M5 camera, and to the EOS M3 and M10, which hit the market before the M5. It appears that a lot of people waited for Canon to build a serious mirrorless camera. And Canon delivered.

The other market shares have no story. Canon rules in Japan.

fixed-lens

lenses

dslr-cameras

Canon EOS M5 at a glance:

  • 24.2MP APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • DIGIC 7 Image Processor
  • 2.36m-Dot EVF, Touch and Drag AF Control
  • 3.2″ 1.62m-Dot Tilting Touchscreen LCD
  • Full HD 1080p Video Recording at 60 fps
  • Built-In Wi-Fi with NFC, Bluetooth Smart
  • Dual Pixel CMOS AF
  • Up to 9 fps Shooting and ISO 25600
  • Digital IS 5-Axis Image Stabilization

Canon EOS M5: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

eos m5

Japan’s low cost mini-rocket, aided by Canon tech, failed launch

canon rumors

Some time ago I reported about Canon joining the space race by helping Japan build a low-cost “mini-rocket”. Engineers from Canon joined a team led by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Canon’s contribution was to “choose the best rocket parts as well as make key control instruments smaller and lighter”.

Unfortunately the launch of the Japanese mini-rocket, the SS-520, failed. Nikkei Asian Review reports:

The rocket, about 10 metres (35 feet) long and 50 centimeters (20 inches) in diameter, was carrying a 3-kg (6.6 lb), 35-centimetre satellite to take images of the earth and gather other data.

The first stage of the rocket launch was carried out but not the second, after communication problems were discovered, JAXA’s spokeswoman told Reuters.

The mini-rocket SS-520 fell into the sea southeast of Uchinoura. The launch was supposed to be a proof of concept that Japan has the technology to launch micro-satellites using mini-rockets. JAXA hopes to use this technology for commercial operations made available to private companies.

More technical information about the failed launch can be read at Nasa Spaceflight. Thanks Barry for the tip!