Canon has Funds and Willingness for more Acquisitions after Axis, says CEO

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Reuters reports:

Chief Executive Fujio Mitarai said his company had the funds and willingness for more acquisitions this year after a planned 23.6 billion Swedish crown ($2.8 billion) takeover of network video surveillance leader Axis AB (AXIS.ST).

Mitarai has been leading efforts to find higher-growth businesses to complement Canon’s imaging expertise, and help the Japanese company expand beyond a camera market under attack from smartphones sporting competitive image-capturing capabilities.

Canon’s offer for Axis represented a premium of nearly 50 percent to the stock price before the announcement, a price some analysts said was high enough to ward off rival bids.

“If you buy a cheap company, you need to spend on drastic restructuring,” Mitarai told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday. “I only buy good companies, even if they’re expensive.”

Read the rest of the story at Reuters –>

 

(CW3) New Canon 35mm f/1.4L Lens to be Announced in Fall 2015?

[shoplink 184]EF 35mm f/4L[/shoplink]

I and others on the web have been told that Canon may announce a new 35mm “L” lens later this year, possibly before Fall 2015. While we do not have any specs or other information, I was told that some prototypes are already out in the wild undergoing testing. I strongly suppose this will be a f/1.4 lens, also because we had some patents filed by Canon pointing in this direction (1 | 2).

Canon Announces Canon BioMedical, New Company for Life Science and Healthcare Businesses

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Press release:

Canon U.S.A. Announces New Company: Canon BioMedical, Inc.

The New Subsidiary Will Serve as Worldwide Headquarters For Life Science and Healthcare Businesses

MELVILLE, N.Y., March 2, 2015 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, today announced the establishment of Canon BioMedical, Inc., a new wholly owned subsidiary that will serve as a worldwide headquarters for its biomedical business. The new company will conduct development, manufacturing and marketing operations relating to Canon’s life science and molecular diagnostics platform and seek to expand the use of Canon technology into other medical fields.

Based in Melville, New York, Canon BioMedical will be under the leadership of President and CEO, Ms. Akiko Tanaka. The new company will look for long-term future growth opportunities in previously untapped markets for Canon such as life science, healthcare, and medical analysis through the use of existing and emerging Canon technology, as well as strategic partnerships.

“We are truly excited and proud to launch Canon BioMedical, Inc., an American-born worldwide headquarters committed to bringing to market innovative technologies and solutions,” said Joe Adachi, chairman and CEO, Canon U.S.A., Inc. “We look forward to bringing Canon technology to clinicians and scientists all over the world in an effort to assist in improving human health and in advancing science.”

For further media inquiries, please contact [email protected].

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Viral Weasel on Woodpecker Photo was captured using a Canon EOS 70D

The image above showing a weasel on the back of a woodpecker went viral on social networks, starting from Buzzfeed (screenshot above) where it was viewed more than 1.5 million times.

The photo was shot by Martin Le-May using a a [shoplink 14246]Canon EOS 70D[/shoplink] and a 300mm f/2.8 lens. If you are curious, Amateur Photographer interviewed Martin Le-May. No Photoshop nor else. Kudos!

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Canon EOS M3 Available for Pre-Order at Amazon Italy, Germany and UK

Thanks Andrea.

Various Amazon EU sites have the Canon EOS M3 with EF-M 18-55mm IS STM lens available for pre-order: Amazon Italy, Amazon Germany, Amazon UK. It appears the rumor saying the EOS M3 will be available in Europe only as kit with the 18-55mm is true (so far).

You can also pre-order the M3 also at DigitalRev (ships internationally). DigitalRev’s price at checkout is inclusive of all taxes and customs for customers from Asia and the EU (and possibly a better price than Amazon), for customers from the US taxes depend by the state.

Detailed M3 specification can be read here. A round-up of hands-on and previews: