Canon bets big on professional range to boost India business

Imaging giant Canon today said it will strengthen its position in the country's professional camera market, driven by demand from emerging segments like wedding photography and enthusiasts looking to upgrade their equipment.
"India is one of the most important markets for Canon. We are seeing strong demand from wedding photographers, who are looking for better cameras. Besides, there are many who are looking to upgrade as well," Canon India President and CEO Kazutada Kobayashi said.
He added that while the demand for these high-end cameras is coming from metro and tier I cities now, gradually it would pick up from the smaller cities as well.

The company has launched a new range of cameras -- EOS 6D Mark II -- priced between Rs 1.32 lakh-2.03 lakh.
Featuring a full-frame CMOS sensor, the cameras support 26.2 megapixels (effective), and has a shutter speed of 6.5 frames per second (under constant shooting mode). These devices have a DIGIC 7 image processor.
The company is also looking at wooing customers through experiential marketing through its Canon Image Squares.

Currently, the company has 233 such outlets where consumers can experience the products before buying them.
"We want people to experience the products before they make a decision. We will have 260 such Canon Image Squares by the end of the year. These are present across cities, including tier II and below," he said.

Canon India currently holds leading position in DSLR segment and has around 50 per cent market share.
"Our target is to maintain number one position in DSLR segment and capture more than 50 per cent in terms of market share by the end of 2017," the company said.