Canon developing next-generation imaging devices
to expand the possibilities of visual experession
MELVILLE, N.Y., September 8, 2015 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, today announced that its parent company, Canon Inc., is developing a Cinema EOS System 8K camera* and professional-use 8K reference display* that will support the production of next-generation 8K video content, along with a still-image single-lens reflex camera equipped with a CMOS sensor featuring approximately 120 million effective pixels.* Through the Company’s proprietary imaging technologies, Canon provides still and video input and output devices that contribute to the development of imaging culture.
Canon Inc., as a leading company in the field of imaging technology, conducts research and development into devices designed to support cinema and video production with the aim of expanding the boundaries of visual expression. Through the development of the Cinema EOS System 8K camera and professional-use 8K reference display, Canon aims to contribute to smooth production workflows, facilitating not only the input and output of 8K video content, but also such processes as 8K to 4K down-conversion and 4K cropping.
The Cinema EOS System 8K camera, being developed, will be equipped with a Canon Super 35 mm-equivalent CMOS sensor that makes possible high-resolution 8,192 x 4,320 pixel (approximately 35.39 million effective pixels) imaging performance, even at a frame rate of up-to-60 frames per second with 13 stops1 of dynamic range and a richly expressive wide color gamut. Additionally, featuring a body size that realizes outstanding mobility and a design that delivers high levels of operability, along with an EF mount that offers compatibility with most of Canon’s extensive interchangeable EF lens lineup,2 the camera will support diverse shooting styles and means of visual expression.
Incorporating Canon image-processing technology, the ultra-high-resolution 8K reference display currently under development aims to achieve high brightness, high contrast (high dynamic range) and a wide color gamut. Additionally, with a pixel density exceeding 300 pixels per inch, a level approaching the limit of human visibility, the display intends to make possible ultra-realistic imaging that can enable the reproduction of even subtle changes in light. Furthermore, when used in combination with the Cinema EOS System 8K camera, the display under development will be capable of conveying truly impressive levels of visual expression.
Featuring a resolution of approximately 120 effective megapixels, the SLR camera now being developed will incorporate a Canon-developed high-pixel-density CMOS sensor within the current EOS camera series platform, which will realize compatibility with most of the Company’s diverse interchangeable EF lens lineup.3 The high-resolution images that the camera is being designed to be capable of producing can recreate the three-dimensional texture, feel and presence of subjects, making them appear as if they are really before one’s eyes. The camera under development is being designed to facilitate a level of resolution more than sufficient for large-format printing and extensive cropping capability while maintaining fantastic image quality.
About Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions to the United States and to Latin America and the Caribbean (excluding Mexico) markets. With approximately $31 billion in global revenue, its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), ranks third overall in U.S. patents granted in 2014† and is one of Fortune Magazine’s World’s Most Admired Companies in 2015. Canon U.S.A. is committed to the highest level of customer satisfaction and loyalty, providing 100 percent U.S.-based consumer service and support for all of the products it distributes. Canon U.S.A. is dedicated to its Kyosei philosophy of social and environmental responsibility. In 2014, the Canon Americas Headquarters secured LEED® Gold certification, a recognition for the design, construction, operations and maintenance of high-performance green buildings.
†Based on weekly patent counts issued by United States Patent and Trademark Office.
All referenced product names, and other marks, are trademarks of their respective owners.
* These products are currently under development and are not available for sale or use in the U.S. Specifications may change and no assurances can be given that it will be made available for sale or use in the U.S.
1 A stop is a unit of measurement used to express dynamic range, which refers to the difference between the brightest and darkest areas of an image that can be simultaneously captured.
2 Out of the 96 lenses that make up the EF lens lineup, 78 models (60 EF lenses and 18 EF Cinema Lenses) will be compatible with the 8K camera under development.
3 Out of the 96 lenses that make up the EF lens lineup, 60 models will be compatible with the SLR camera under development.
