Canon Going To Attend The Photography Show in March 2014

Canon UK press release:

United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, 3rd February 2014 – Canon, world-leader in imaging solutions, will be attending The Photography Show 2014 with an aim to excite everybody with a passion for photography. With talks from special guests, access to Canon experts and a vast interactive display of innovative products, Canon is set to bring photography to life (Stand B10). Hear first-hand and delve into the journeys of seasoned professionals that have been operating in the industry for years. Learn of their experiences and tips with talks from Canon photographers across different areas of the show, including:

  • Jeff Ascough, Wedding Photographer & Canon Ambassador, at The Student Conference
  • Clive Booth, Fashion Photographer & Canon Explorer, at The Catwalk
  • David Noton, Landscape Photographer & Canon Explorer, at The Studio
  • Danny Green, Wildlife Photographer & Canon Explorer, at The Studio
Click here to open the rest of the article

Inside Look at Canon’s EF Extenders (Canon DLC)

The Canon Digital Learning Center published part 2 of their article series about Canon EF and tele extenders (part 1 is here). Some extender basics from part 1:

  • Tele extenders cause an unavoidable loss in light transmission to the imaging sensor or film. There’s a constant, steady 1-stop light loss with 1.4x Extenders and a 2-stop loss with a 2x. This is consistent, regardless of camera or lens brand.
  • A 1.4x Extender multiplies the effective lens focal length by 1.4x. Thus, a 300mm lens would have the power and field of view of a 420mm lens. And a 2x Extender doubles the effective lens focal length.
  • When using a digital SLR with an image sensor smaller than a full-frame, it’s “crop factor” is added to whatever an extender is to calculate effective lens coverage relative to a full-frame camera. In other words: an EOS Rebel has a 1.6x crop factor. If using a 200mm lens with a 2x Extender (400mm equivalent), putting it on an EOS Rebel would result in a lens that effectively “acts” like a 640mm lens (400mm x 1.6 = 640mm) would on a full-frame or 35mm film camera.
  • Tele extenders do not impact or change a lens’ minimum focus distance. Because extenders do impact effective focal length, at minimum focus distance, a lens with extender provides a noticeably tighter composition of small objects than the lens alone would.
  • Canon EF 1.4x and 2x Extenders are exclusively designed to work with specific, compatible Canon EF lenses. Part of the reason for this is the front element design of Canon extenders, which literally projects forward and into the rear of any lens they’re attached to. This enhances optical performance with those lenses, but prevents their attachment to many lenses that have a rear element flush with the rear lens mount.
  • Canon EF lenses that are extender-compatible:
    • All fixed focal length EF L-series telephoto lenses, 135mm and above (thru 800mm)
    • All white-colored EF 70-200mm f/2.8 and f/4 L-series zoom lenses (all versions)
    • EF 100–400mm f/4.5–5.6L IS USM zoom
    • EF 200–400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x zoom (can be used in addition to lens’ built-in 1.4x)

Canon Ranks First Among Japanese Companies For Corporate Emission Performance

 

Canon press release:

Canon earns highest ranking among Japanese companies in 2013 Climate Counts science-based corporate emissions performance study

TOKYO, January 30, 2014—Canon Inc. announced today that, in a collaborative study on corporate emissions performance conducted by Climate Counts1 and the Center for Sustainable Organizations,2 Canon earned a fourth-place ranking, the highest of any Japanese company included in the survey.

The 2013 Climate Counts Science-Based Carbon Study analyzes the operational emissions of 100 global corporations between 2005 and 2012 to determine their performance against science-based targets. The companies included in the study spanned 10 industries, including technology, healthcare, oil & gas, and consumer goods. The study relies on a metric developed by the Center for Sustainable Organizations (CSO) called the Context-Based Carbon Metric.3 Embedded in CSO’s metric for purposes of the Climate Counts study were science-based emissions targets developed by Tellus Institute, an interdisciplinary not-for-profit research and policy organization.

The study evaluates sustainability performance not only in terms of the environment, but also from social and economic perspectives, assessing and ranking each company’s performance based on emissions per dollar of contribution to gross domestic product, as well as the amount that the company contributes to GDP.

Click here to open the rest of the article

Canon Supports Young Filmmakers at Berlinale Talents 2014

 

Canon Europe press release:

Canon supports the next generation of filmmakers at Berlinale Talents 2014
London, UK, 29 January 2014 – Canon is continuing its support for budding filmmakers with the second year of its partnership with Berlinale Talents – a creative networking event for emerging film industry talent that is part of the Berlin International Film Festival. As Principal Partner of Berlinale Talents, Canon will present a number of master classes for over 300 promising talents in the film industry, featuring world-class workshops with cinematographers and the latest Canon equipment.
Berlinale Talents 2014.jpg
The main venue of Berlinale Talents – HAU Hebbel am Ufer (HAU1)
© Berlinale 2013, photo Peter Himsel
Click here to open the rest of the article

Canon Releases Financial Results For 2013

Canon

Canon published their financial results for the year 2013. There is a lot of material to read and dive into. I suggest you go for the presentation material, since it is a summary of the much more comprehensive Financial Results. All files are PDFs.

From the incipit of the  Financial Results document:

Looking back at the global economy in 2013, although the U.S. and Japanese economies began heading toward moderate recoveries during the latter half of the year, the economic downturn in Europe continued to drag on while the economies of emerging countries such as China faced slowdowns. As such, contrary to expectations at the beginning of the year, the global economy remained stagnant. As for exchange rates, the correction of the historic high value of the yen continued, with a trend toward a weaker yen growing increasingly clear.

As for the markets in which Canon operates amid these conditions, owing to the economic slowdown, flat demand led to a continuation of the harsh business environment especially for consumer products. Among office multifunction devices (MFDs), color models continued to drive growth while demand for laser printers realized a turnaround toward recovery. Although demand for interchangeable-lens digital cameras continued to show strong growth in Japan, demand overseas fell short of the previous year’s level as the economic rebound in such markets as Europe and China takes longer than expected. As for digital compact cameras, demand continued to shrink in both developed countries as well as emerging markets. Overall market demand for inkjet printers, hit by the prolonged economic downturn, also declined in all major markets. In the industry and others sector, a rebound in capital investment for memory devices led to a pickup in demand for semiconductor lithography equipment in the latter half of the year, while demand for lithography equipment used in the production of flat panel displays (FPD) showed healthy market growth for mid- and small-size panels used mainly in smartphones and tablet PCs, and a modest recovery for large-size panels.

[via CR]

Canon EOS-1D X Firmware Update Article By Canon Digital Learning Center

[shoplink 4119]EOS-1D X Firmware[/shoplink]

Two weeks ago Canon released an important firmware update for the Canon EOS-1D X. This is a big update that brings improvements for auto-focus, exposure control, and more.

The Canon Digital Learning Center published a long and detailed article to explain all what you need to know about the firmware update. The highlights that come with the update:

  • Autofocus: improve low-light focus capability when tracking moving subjects in AI Servo AF
  • Autofocus: expanded range of Accel./Decel. Tracking settings toimprove AI Servo AF stability when focus-tracking subjects moving at a consistent speed.
  • AF point management: Orientation Linked AF adds a new option toregister only AF points rather than AF point plus area; Auto AF point selection in AI Servo can now start from the same AF point used last during Manual AF point selection.
  • Exposure control: Make Auto ISO even more viable (two important new changes), and a new option to maintain consistent manual exposure, even if aperture changes (such as if a tele extender is removed and shooting immediately begins after it’s removed)
  • Customization: New “back-button” options to instantly change AF characteristics on-the-fly