Actor Josh Hutcherson Joins Canon USA And Ron Howard For Project Imagination

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Actor Josh Hutcherson Joins Canon U.S.A. And Ron Howard For Project Imagination: The Trailer; He Will Star In A Hollywood Film Inspired By A Winning Trailer

The Contest Opens February 25, Inviting Consumers of All Skill Levels to Submit Trailers of Their Everyday Life Moments
NEW YORK, N.Y., February 17, 2015 – Canon U.S.A. Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, announced that actor, Josh Hutcherson, star of The Hunger Games franchise, has partnered with Canon U.S.A. Inc. and Ron Howard for Project Imagination: The Trailer, and for the first time ever, anyone’s life moments can become a movie trailer and inspire a Hollywood film. The user-generated experiment invites consumers of all skill levels to create and submit trailers of their everyday life moments, resulting in one winning trailer selected by Ron Howard and Josh Hutcherson, which will ultimately inspire a short film in which Hutcherson will star and produce.

“Josh Hutcherson is going to be a great addition, empowering a whole new generation to pick up a camera and realize they are far more creative than they give themselves credit for in their everyday life moments,” said Ron Howard. “I encourage people to really have fun with their storytelling; who knows, the kid’s birthday party might end up looking like a horror film or a trailer for a fantastic thriller that could truly captivate us.”

“I’m fascinated by filmmaking and recently sat down with Ron Howard to hear about the history of Project Imagination,” said Josh Hutcherson. “The creative process truly excites me, as does officially joining the cast of Canon’s Project Imagination: The Trailer. I’m really looking forward to starring in a film inspired by user-generated trailer submissions.”

Submissions will open on February 25 at imagination.usa.canon.com. Until then, consumers can visit the website and get inspired by watching “The Trailer of Your Life” – a 45-second trailer about the project, leveraging everyday footage from everyday consumers. The site also includes Ron Howard’s tips for creating trailers.

Project Imagination: The Trailer marks Ron Howard’s third time partnering with Canon, a brand that aligns with his conviction that people’s everyday lives are visually and cinematically worth recording.

“We’re delighted to continue our great partnership with Ron Howard and welcome Josh Hutcherson to the project,” said Yuichi Ishizuka, president and COO Canon U.S.A.

The Evolution of Project Imagination

In 2011, Ron Howard and Canon U.S.A. launched Project Imagin8ion, the first photo contest in history to inspire a Hollywood short film. Project Imagin8ion resulted in one film, “When You Find Me,” directed by actress Bryce Dallas Howard, inspired by eight winning photographs.

In 2012, Howard and Canon U.S.A. teamed up again for Project Imaginat10n, the first photo contest in history to inspire a film festival. Project Imaginat10n resulted in the production of 10 films, five of which were consumer directed and five of which were directed by influential celebrities from five diverse backgrounds, Jamie Foxx (entertainer), Eva Longoria (actress), Georgina Chapman (co-founder of Marchesa; fashion), James Murphy (formerly of LCD SOUNDSYSTEM; music) and Biz Stone (co-founder of Twitter; technology). The collective project was inspired by 91 winning photographs, one from each of 10 core tenets of storytelling. The 91st photo from the tenth theme, Discovery, was selected by Ron and woven into all films to create a common thread.

Grey New York, Canon’s agency partner for more than thirty years, is developing the creative and digital elements of Project Imagination: The Trailer. Grey Activation & PR is managing the partnerships with Ron Howard and Josh Hutcherson, as well as the promotional, event and public relations efforts.

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Canon to sponsor the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games

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Canon press release:

Canon to sponsor the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games as an official Tokyo 2020 Gold Partner (Still Cameras and Desktop Reprographic Hardware)

TOKYO, February 18, 2015—Canon Inc. and Canon Marketing Japan Inc. announced today that the Company will support the Games of the XXXII Olympiad and the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games (Tokyo 2020) as a Tokyo 2020 Gold Partner in the category of Still Cameras and Desktop Reprographic Hardware which include desktop printers.

Canon has entered an agreement with the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, making the Company a Tokyo 2020 Gold Partner. In this capacity, Canon will contribute to the delivery of the Games of the XXXII Olympiad and the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, which will be held in 2020 in Tokyo, and in addition, will provide support to the Japanese national Olympic and Paralympic teams competing from 2016 to 2020.

Tokyo 2020 Gold Partners are positioned as the highest tier of the Tokyo 2020 domestic Sponsorship Programme. As a sponsor of Tokyo 2020, Canon products and services in the still cameras and desktop reprographic hardware categories, which include desktop printers, will be designated as Official Products of the Games.

Canon will provide behind-the-scenes support to members of the press covering the Games, including camera and lens maintenance services and product loans. Drawing from the Company’s experience and know-how cultivated to date, Canon will improve on-site media support for cameras during Tokyo 2020, including on-site camera service and support centers to assist the numerous journalists and sports photographers from various countries and regions across the world.

Canon will continue contributing to the advancement of sports through the use of Canon still cameras and desktop reprographic hardware which include desktop printers.

Overview of Tokyo 2020 Gold Partner agreement

Agreement programme: Tokyo 2020 Gold Partner—”Tier 1″ within Tokyo 2020 domestic Sponsorship Programme
Products and services: Still Cameras and Desktop Reprographic Hardware
Agreement period: From February 18, 2015, to December 31, 2020
Region: Japan

Canon-sponsored Games

Event Dates Location
Games of the XXXII Olympiad Jul. 24-Aug. 9, 2020 Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games Aug. 25-Sep. 6, 2020 Tokyo, Japan

Canon-sponsored Japanese NOC Delegations attending the following Olympic and Paralympic Team events

Event Dates Location
2nd Lillehammer Winter Youth Olympic Games Feb. 26-Mar. 6, 2016 Lillehammer, Norway
Games of the XXXI Olympiad Aug. 5-21, 2016 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Rio De Janeiro 2016 Paralympic Games Sep. 7-18, 2016 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
XXIII Olympic Winter Games Feb. 9-25, 2018 PyeongChang, South Korea
PyeongChang 2018 Winter Paralympic Games Mar. 9-18, 2018 PyeongChang, South Korea
3rd Summer Youth Olympic Games 2018 (dates TBD) Buenos Aires, Argentina
3rd Winter Youth Olympic Games 2020 (dates TBD) Location TBD
Games of the XXXII Olympiad Jul. 24-Aug. 9, 2020 Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games Aug. 25-Sep. 6, 2020 Tokyo, Japan

Canon announce the HJ24ex7.5B lens with outstanding Optics, Created for HD TV production

HJ24

Canon announce a new high-profile cinema lens, the HJ24ex7.5B. No indication on the price so far (won’t be a inexpensive lens). Available from May 2015.

Press release:

Canon unveils the HJ24ex7.5B lens – outstanding optics and lightweight design created for HD TV production

London, UK, 18 February 2015 – Canon today unveils a new addition to its HD broadcast lens range – the HJ24ex7.5B. A successor to the hugely popular HJ22ex7.6B, the lens has been updated using customer feedback and includes a number of new features, including a wider and longer focal range with enhanced image quality, as well as an improved design and user handling. A truly versatile lens, the HJ24ex7.5B is perfect for a diverse range of broadcast environments, including studio sets, live production and news gathering, thanks to the unique combination of a high quality 24x zoom – the longest zoom in this class available today¹ – an impressive 7.5-180mm wide-angle view and a lightweight, portable design.

Advanced optical performance, both wide and far
Created specifically for the world of TV production, the HJ24ex7.5B’s enhanced optical design allows broadcasters and producers to go both wider and closer on their shoots, with the new 24x zoom giving added freedom whilst on set or on location. Demonstrating Canon’s expertise in optical design, the lens’ 7.5-180mm focal range surpasses that of its predecessor and removes the hassle of mounting different lenses, enabling users to switch seamlessly between long distance, fast action shots, to close ups. The HJ24ex7.5B’s revised optics also produce a sharper, more refined image throughout the entire zoom range, with the quality and clarity that’s required for HD productions.

Exceptional portability and professional performance in one
An enhanced ergonomic design and revised optical structure ensures operators can quickly and comfortably shoot on the go. The weight of the lens has been reduced down to just 1.78kg, allowing shooters to freely move around sets and locations, as well as easily keep pace with subjects. The lens has been engineered to be both lighter and better balanced than its predecessor, with an improved centre of gravity – thanks to the weight reduction and optimisation of the optical layout and body structure. The lens can also be easily handled when shoulder mounted, with access to settings easily accessible in the palm of the hand, ensuring operators don’t have to move away from the camera’s viewfinder.

Designed to provide the best possible performance for broadcasters, the HJ24ex7.5B features the same Digital Drive Unit found in the latest HD High-end ENG lens line-up, which enables camera operators to select repeatable zoom positions and speeds, as well as focus and iris settings as they wish. An absolute value encoder, built into the Digital Drive unit, also allows operators to quickly commence shooting without any initialisation, ideal in news gathering and sports environments. Also suited to virtual applications, the absolute value encoder improves the lens’s power consumption, helping operators to shoot for longer, as well as enabling the lens to automatically detect lens positions so the chromatic aberration compensation function on cameras works instantly.

The HJ24ex7.5B will be available from May 2015.

Are you a Canon Shooter, is there something you are not happy with Canon?

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Image © Photography Bay & used with permission

Canon is the leading camera manufacturer, Canon is the market leader. However…

Canon does a lot of things in the right way (though not all agree) but this doesn’t mean everything is ok. Photography Bay made a list of things you may really dislike as a Canon bound photographer (my comments in parenthesis).

  1. Price of Lenses and Accessories
  2. One-Year Warranty on ALL Products (not for EU)
  3. Major Lag Between Product Announcement & Availability (think 5DS, it will be available in June 2015)
  4. Affordable 4K (uh, this is a good point – c’mon Canon give us this stuff)
  5. Lack of Internal Interval Shooting Options (this was eventually featured on the [shoplink 22664]EOS 7D Mark II[/shoplink] and the upcoming 5DS and 5DS R)
  6. Where is the Next Generation of Storage Formats?
  7. Slow to Adopt New Technologies and Trends (another good point)
  8. Mild Upgrades in the Canon Rebel Line
  9. Abandonment of the Serious HDSLR Shooter (I do not agree on this one)
  10. Market Segmentation

Each point of the list is discussed and explained, just have a look at Photography Bay to learn the reasons.

Canon Cameras Dominate the World Press 2014 Photo Award

 

Quesabesde made some interesting infographics about the cameras (and camera brands) used for the World Press 2014 Photo Award (won by Canon photographer Mads Nissen). The infographic above shows which camera models have been used the most. As you can see the [shoplink 2431]EOS 5D Mark III[/shoplink], [shoplink 254]EOS 5D Mark II[/shoplink], and [shoplink 4119]EOS-1D X[/shoplink] clearly dominate. Canon predominance is  visible also in the next infographic below.

 

The Spanish text says (machine translated): Infographic created from data provided by World Press Photo. In the series of images made with several models has posted only the most used camera. The identity of a total of seven cameras are known.

[via Quesabesde ]