TWICE: Is complacency among the established leaders a danger here and what are you doing to avoid it?
Eliott Peck, Canon: From our perspective, there is no complacency. A company like Canon is unique in that we offer complete input to output solutions for everyone’s imaging needs. Sharing our emotions, our visual stories, needs to go beyond the fleeting moments when we share digital images via social media to the tangible printed images that are framed and displayed proudly in our homes, offices, etc. Once people can see the difference, they can get in the image quality from a dedicated digital camera, not only on their computer screen but in an image printed at home with an affordable Pixma Photo printer. The benefits and advantages of utilizing Canon’s input and output devices will become clear.
We also invest in the market, new technologies and education to keep the enthusiasm for photography alive. We are committed to service and support excellence maintaining a 100 percent U.S.-based call center staffed with over 600 Canon employees. In fact, we have recently added a brand new call center in Albuquerque, N.M.
Canon is also invests in the future and new businesses such as medical products, IP network security cameras, 4K reference monitors, projectors and certainly Cinema EOS, which is steadily increasing in popularity among filmmakers. We are actively promoting the HDSLR capabilities of our cameras through our new “Bring It” advertising campaign. And with lenses being a core part of our business for 75 years, we continue to support this business by placing a high priority on educating customers about the creative possibilities that await them when they go beyond their kit lens.
Masahiro Horie, Nikon: As a manufacturer with a rich legacy in imaging and optical superiority, we never stop innovating. We were the first company to use face detection, the first to build Wi-Fi into a camera, the first with a projector camera and the first in DSLR video. We were also the first to market with a camera powered by the Android operating system with the S800c, and created the first rugged mirrorless camera, the AW1. Our commitment to innovate and anticipate the needs of consumers will continue in the future and support our growth. Nikon always seeks to provide the latest technologies for all levels of photographer and find new ways to enhance the image and video capture experience. We do see the ease and accessibility of using mobile devices to capture moments as a significant challenge. However, we also believe our brand needs to inspire customers to graduate, and choose the Nikon for them by showing them what’s possible with a camera. We coexist through wireless technologies in our products that work hand-in-hand with mobile devices to make sharing as easy as possible to support consumers.
Manny Almeida, Fujifilm: Fujifilm is leading the market and supporting photographers by delivering innovative new products, including the new weather-resistant CSC X-T1 and the fun Instax Share Printer, to all those who are looking for a photographic experience that goes beyond just taking a picture. Consumers today want to enjoy the moment and capture truly memorable images, and Fujifilm is committed to bringing exciting new products to consumers worldwide.
Darin Pepple, Panasonic: We see a major opportunity that’s being ignored by many manufacturers. So as part of our Changing Photography motto, we have [we] are working very hard driving the integration of video as part of photography to meet the consumer and professional demands that the new social media world demands of photography — we call it hybrid photography. We are educating end users with the outreach our Lumix Luminary Photographers offer and content provided in the Lumix Lounge website.
Scott W. Hardy, Polaroid: In today’s incredibly fast-paced, rapidly evolving market, no one can afford to be complacent. We are incredibly vigilant about staying on top of evolving technologies, applications and trends and working to anticipate consumers’ needs by incorporating all of these things into new products, services and solutions. Working with our best-in-class partners all over the globe, we are developing and delivering innovative, accessible and easy-to-use products that meet the needs of consumers in markets all over the world.
Jay Kelbley, Samsung: Customers continue to expect innovation in all of their technology products. Cameras are no exception to this rule, and should continue to evolve rapidly to meet consumers ever growing feature and application needs.
Mark Sherengo, Ricoh Imaging: Yes, it is for all of us — but through unique design and innovation we can join the connected community.
Mark Weir, Sony: Complacency is always a danger in a category that serves an end-user base is engaged in creative expression (like digital imaging). Advances in technology help consumers further their creativity and is a key to the replacement purchase cycle. Consumers are becoming more and more aware of lack of innovation, and this has slowed growth. At Sony, we are always trying to excite consumers with new innovation — small and compact cameras with the performance only full-frame image sensors can provide, incredibly fast and wide coverage autofocus, truly pocketable cameras with performance of much larger cameras, and cameras with 4K video capture — to name a few.
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