93 Reasons Why Canon Shouldn't Fear Smartphone Photography

My readers know me as The Wildlife Ho-tographer, utilizing Canon equipment for over 30 years and traveling the globe on wildlife photo tours and how I feel about smartphone and mirrorless camera photography. You can follow my travels on Facebook  and Twitter , see my equipment bag and works on MichaelDanielHo.com.

The following article from Nikkei Asian Review puts it well why Canon has nothing to worry about the onslaught of smartphone and mirrorless cameras at this time.

TOKYO -- Quite a few photography buffs will tell you: The lens makes the camera. And for storied single-lens reflex camera manufacturers like Canon, lenses might be the secret to surviving the era of smartphone ubiquity, too.

The market for digital cameras peaked in 2010 and has been shrinking ever since. As smartphone cameras improve, fewer and fewer consumers see a need to lug around an SLR, or even a compact point-and-shoot. Shipments of single-lens cameras fell 11.1% on the year in 2016, by volume.

In response, camera companies are looking for a new niche, with features not found in smartphone cameras. Lenses -- from super telephoto models to ultrawide angles -- offer the manufacturers myriad ways to differentiate themselves. 

Over three decades, Canon has produced more than 130 million EF (Electro-Focus)-mount lenses for its SLRs, carving out a leading market share in Japan. The country's lens market has been shrinking since 2012, but this year it is expected to return to growth, and Canon is once again asserting itself with a wide variety of products.

Even as the domestic lens market was declining, Canon continued to ramp up production by 10 million units a year, on average. Total output of EF lenses surpassed 50 million units in 2009 and 100 million in 2014. 

The EF catalog features 93 lenses -- the broadest range of any Japanese camera maker. It includes EF Cinema lenses, developed for video shooting. Professional models with advanced features bear a distinctive red line around the barrel.

With an adapter, EF lenses can also be used on Canon's EOS M line of mirrorless cameras -- an increasingly popular type.

In 2015, Canon introduced an 11mm lens -- the widest angle in the world. All told, Canon controls 24% of the Japanese lens market, in terms of the number of products in use, according to statistics research company BCN released with its BCN Award 2017. That is nearly 10 percentage points higher than the 14.3% slice held by second-ranked Sigma.

Sigma and Tamron do give Canon a run for its money, but so far it has managed to fend them off.

Canon's reputation as an innovator keeps customers coming back to its lenses. In 1995, it became the first to introduce lenses equipped with image stabilization, which compensates for blur arising from shaky hands. In 2001, Canon introduced lenses that use laminated diffractive optical elements, leading to smaller, lighter models. And in 2015, the company wowed photographers with an 11mm ultrawide-angle lens that captures nearly the entire field of human vision in one shot. 

This is a technological edge Canon is likely to continue to sharpen, in this age where everyone has a camera in his or her pocket.

Super Rare Canon PE 300mm f/1.8 Lens

Canon PE 300mm f/1.8 lens

Remember the rare Canon EF 1200mm f/5.6L lens in my earlier post? However, there is an even rarer Canon lens - the PE 300mm f/1.8  

This lens is used primarily for horse racing to determine the winner at the finish line. There are reportedly only 4 copies of this lens still around.

DP Review Interviews Canon's L Lens Factory Managers

Following the CP+ 2017 show in Japan, DP Review was invited to Canon's Utsunomiya lens factory for a tour and interview the top management at the plant. The team included the Plant Manager, Mr. Kenichi Izuki,  the Deputy Chief Executive of Image Communication Products Operations, Mr. Masato Okada and the Deputy Group Executive of Image Communication Products Operations, Mr. Shingo Hayakawa.

My readers know Canon recently surpassed the 120th million copy of EF lens production. For a preview of what is coming from Canon for the remainder of 2017 and beyond, read my earlier post.

The following is an excerpt from the DP Review's interview :

The Utsunomiya plant is where all Canon's L series, cinema, and broadcast lenses are produced. It's also where all Canon lenses are designed. Many of those designs can be attributed to the three men pictured above. In fact just before we started the interview Mr Izuki informed us that he had been lead designer of the EF 35mm F2 IS lens we'd chosen to document the factory tour. So there's also a pretty good chance you have one of them to thank for your favorite Canon glass!

Please note that this interview was conducted through an interpreter, and has been edited slightly for clarity and flow.

What percentage of L lenses are manufactured in the Utsunomiya lens plant?

Because this is the 'mother' factory, 100% of L lenses are made here.

How many different lenses can be manufactured simultaneously in this plant?

Basically, we create all lenses every day [including L-series EF, Cinema EOS and broadcast]. The only exception is some of the broadcast lenses.

Which lenses in particular are the most difficult to manufacture and why?

Any large super telephoto lenses because of the size of the glass elements. In terms of skill required for lens assembly: the TV broadcast lenses are most difficult.

How many lenses are produced at this lens plant every year, both in terms of types of lenses and total units?

We do not disclose total production for this plant. That said, Canon has produced a total of 120 million lenses over the years. Of course, many of those are kit lenses, which are not produced here, but in our facility in Taiwan.

Tell us a little bit about the history of the plant.

The facility as a whole has been here for forty years, however prior to 2005, we were located in an older building on the other side of the property. And the land where the current plant sits was initially owned by the Du Pont family. When they returned it to the prefecture, we bought it.

The current lens facility opened in 2005. When we moved in we completely revamped our lens-making machines and devices. Not all, but the majority. This helped to push [us] to a higher standard of quality.

Over the past 40 years, lenses have changed a lot, with autofocus introduced, aspherics, etc., what was the largest paradigm shift in lens technology?

We are reaching the 30th anniversary of the introduction of the EOS line. It was at that time, in 1987, that we moved into autofocus. When we did that, I believe we were the first ones to go fully-electronic mount autofocus. Because the motors were built into the lens we had a significant competitive edge.

As DSLR resolution increases, it can be a challenge to achieve precise focus because AF errors are more noticeable. How do you reduce this risk in the manufacturing and quality control process?

Overall precision is something customers are increasingly requiring. In this factory, we have increased the level of precision of our machines so that lenses have more accurate autofocus.

A lens going through QC testing. Information from the test will be saved on a chip in the lens.
During the tour it was mentioned that Canon lenses now store their quality control test data using on-board memory. Can that data be used to improve autofocus reliability?

We do store data from final lens testing on each unit. I won’t be able to speak in greater detail other than saying, yes, in theory, that data could be used to achieve higher autofocus performance [better AF precision] with a DSLR.

How long does it take a lens like the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM to make its way from start to finish in the assembly line?

From raw material being polished, to the final tested product being boxed: about 24 hours of work, in theory. But the physical production would actually take longer. This is because we are producing parts in batches and there are machines that need to be fitted. These variables aside, if you take the actual time of labor, assembly and packaging, it is about 24 hours.

You mentioned you were looking to hit an 80% automation rate in this facility. What kind of efficiency gain does that represent?

It’s difficult to say in terms of time, but I can say it use to take about 70 people to make a lens like that prior to automation, now we need about 6 or 7.

As production becomes more automated will you require fewer skilled manual workers?

In one sense yes. But it’s not about firing the rest of these people, it’s about allowing them the time to build up their skills. This way they can face challenges and difficulties like increasing precision and performance. So we’ve essentially been able to allocate these workers to a different environment.

A lens in the final assembly process. It can take 25-30 years to become an Assembly Meister at Canon's Utsunomiya plant. 

Typically how long does someone train before they attain the title of 'Meister'?

In terms of the level of 'Lens Meister,' it would take 30-35 years. For 'Assembly Meisters", 25-30 years.

Now that the process for assembly, element polishing and quality control is so automated, we're curious how many lenses pass QC the first time vs those that have to go back for re-calibration.

In terms of maintaining a level of quality before going into mass production, we do a lot of checking and scenario building [using a super computer] to make sure everything will go right. Once a lens goes into mass production we can safely say that we have seen no lenses returned for further calibration.

What impact did the 2011 have on this facility and how long did it take to recover?

A lot of the ceilings came down. We took a big hit in that regard. But, we were able to come back into operation within about 2 to 3 months.

While not the most exciting photo, if you look very carefully, you might see some minor impressions on the linoleum. This is (subtle) evidence of the 2011 earthquake, which caused some ceilings to collapse. The yellow tape line is used by computerized robots in the factory.
Did you implement any changes as a result of the earthquake?

We have fortified the building, so that it is more earthquake-proof. And the assembly tools we use are put together in such as way that they are shake-proof.

Are there major differences in how you QC test broadcast and cinema lenses vs EF lenses?

The concept for testing is basically the same. But, in terms of broadcast/cinema lenses there are some unique customizations that we offer depending on the particular cameraman or filmmaker. If they want to zoom by hand, for instance, we can accommodate the pressure of the mechanism to their requirements.

A lot of your users use EF lenses for video creation. Has that changed the way you design some EF lenses?

In terms of stills shooter, when it comes to autofocus, the faster the better. On the other hand, videographers tend to require a variance in autofocus speed. Sometimes they want a slow effect. So we had to create a motor that could actually do both fast and slow focus. This is why we introduced Nano-USM. It's in both the 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 IS USM and the 70-300mm F4-5.6 IS II USM.

Will that kind of autofocus be used more in the future as video becomes more of a requirement for users?

Yes. 

At any given time, how many new lenses are in development at this facility?

I can not give you a number, unfortunately. But I can say that new lenses are in development as we speak. So I hope you look forward to them.

DP Review Notes

Let me begin by saying how grateful I was to be given access to Canon's lens factory and what an honor and privilege it was to sit down and interview the creators of some of Canon's most legendary glass. In my six and a half years writing about photography, this was one of my most memorable and rewarding experiences. 

As you might expect, there were nearly endless points of fascination. Some of which are covered in this interview, others in our factory tour slideshow. Something that particularly interested me is the fact that all the information from a lens' final calibration and quality control check is saved on a chip within the lens itself. The idea here is this information can been used, in theory, when a lens comes back in for cleaning or recalibration. It also means that at some point, perhaps camera bodies will be able to access this information, which could lead to better AF precision. This is solid forward thinking on Canon's part. 

I was also intrigued to find that Canon manufactures every L lens in the same factory. Not only that but every current lens in the L series is being made every day. As you might imagine, security at the facility is very tight. 

"Canon, it seems, recognizes just how important pushing lens development is"
Also hearing Canon put a concrete number on their automation goals (80%) was interesting. Of course you could read that as Canon displacing workers with machines, but throughout the tour and the interview, our guides made it clear that automation wasn't about replacing workers, rather dedicating more workers to research and development. Canon, it seems, recognizes just how important pushing lens development is, all while maintaining a high level of quality control. Automation offers just this. 

And I'm not ordinarily one to be starstruck, but when Mr. Izuki told me he designed the Canon EF 35mm F2 IS, my jaw dropped a little. There's nothing quite like standing of front of the creator of one of your favorite lenses. Speaking of favorites, we also asked Mr. Hayakawa, Mr Okada and Mr Izuki which Canon lens they've designed/worked on over the years they are most proud of. We got some great answers. We'll be posting those in a separate article soon, so stay tuned!

Canon Celebrates 30th Anniversary Of EOS Camera System

My readers know I am The Wildlife Ho-tographer and have used Canon equipment for over a quarter of a century. Throughout the years, I have embarked on many worldwide photo tours testing numerous pieces of Canon equipment. I recently came back from a Wildlife Photo Tour of Japan with the EOS-1D X Mark II camera. You can follow my travels on Facebook and Twitter. See my equipment bag and works on MichaelDanielHo.com

This year, Canon is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the launch of its Electro Optical System (EOS), which includes EOS-series interchangeable-lens cameras and a diverse range of system accessories. The system debuted in March 1987 with the launch of the EOS 650 SLR camera and EF lenses, making EOS cameras the World’s first to incorporate an electronic mount system, representing a new generation of auto focus SLR cameras.

EOS is an acronym of “Electro Optical System” and is also fittingly the name of the Greek goddess of dawn. A total of 98 EOS models have been produced since 1987 (35 film cameras and 63 digital).
Currently, the EOS system, including the Cinema EOS system, comprises 24 models with a selection of 97 EF lenses.

To mark this milestone, Canon is displaying a range of cameras and lenses from the EOS archive on its stand at The Photography Show, including the EOS 650 and the EF 1200mm f/5.6L USM, the world’s longest focal length and largest aperture lens. Visit Canon on stand D141/E131 at The Photography Show from 18th – 21st March at the NEC in Birmingham.

For what to expect from Canon for the remainder of 2017 and beyond, read my earlier post.

EOS System Milestones

• 1987 EOS 650, EF 35-70mm f/3.5-4.5, EF 35-105mm f/3.5-4.5, EF 50mm f/1.8 announced
• 1989 EOS-1 launched, Canon’s first professional Autofocus camera
• 1994 EOS 5 launched with eye tracking AF system
• 2000 EOS D30 Canon’s first in house digital camera
• 2001 EOS-1D launched first Canon in house digital professional camera
• 2003 EOS 300D launched first consumer DSLR for under €1000
• 2005 EOS 5D first low cost full frame DSLR announced
• 2008 EOS 5D Mark II first DSLR to feature Full HD movie recording
• 2012 Launch of Cinema EOS range of professional digital video cameras
• 2012 Launch of EOS-M range of mirrorless cameras
• 2015 80 million EOS cameras produced milestone achieved
• 2016 120 million EF lenses produced milestone achieved

Canon Explains the Science of Optics and EF Lenses

Canon has recently surpassed the 120 million copy of EF lens production in its milestone. Their family of lenses range from 8mm to 1200mm. However, the science behind each piece of glass is essentially the same.

The video below shows the basics of understanding optics. Take a look at how the EF 500mm f/4L IS lens is made, from scratch to final assembly. This is one of my favorite Super Telephoto lens in Canon's lineup. You can see my equipment bag and works on MichaelDanielHo.com

Canon Celebrates Production of 120 Million EF Lenses

TOKYO, September 8, 2016 - Canon Inc. today announced the achievement of a new lens-manufacturing milestone with the production on August 26, 2016, of the Company’s 120-millionth EF-series interchangeable lens for EOS cameras—an EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM telephoto zoom lens.

Production of interchangeable EF lenses for Canon EOS-series AF (Autofocus) single-lens reflex film cameras began in 1987 at the Company’s Utsunomiya Plant. Over the years, EF lenses have gained support from a wide range of users and production has since expanded to a total of four manufacturing bases, including Canon Inc., Taiwan; Canon Opto (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.; and Oita Canon Inc. in southern Japan.

EF lens production passed the 10-million-unit mark in 1995 and crossed the 50-million-unit threshold in 2009. In April 2014, the Company celebrated its first-in-the-world achievement of having manufactured 100 million EF lenses, and now, setting a new world record for the most interchangeable lenses produced, Canon manufactured its 120-millionth EF lens in August 2016.

What’s more, Canon’s interchangeable-lens digital cameras (digital SLR and compact-system cameras), which utilize EF lenses, have maintained the No. 1 share of the global market for 13 consecutive years since 2003.1

Canon’s proprietary EF lenses, launched in March 1987 along with the EOS SLR camera system, have continued to evolve since their introduction, leading the industry through the incorporation of a wide range of innovative technologies, including such world’s firsts as the Ultrasonic Motor (USM), Image Stabilizer (IS) technology, a multilayered diffractive optical (DO) element, and Subwavelength Structure Coating (SWC) anti-reflection technology. The Company’s extensive EF lens-series lineup currently comprises a total of 97 models,2 including EF Cinema Lenses for digital cinematography.3

Canon will continue refining its imaging technologies centered on its EF lens lineup, striving to cater to the varying needs of photographers—from first-time users to advanced amateurs and professionals—while contributing to expanding the photographic and video imaging culture.

1. As of March 29, 2016, based on a Canon survey.
2. Including two EF lens extenders and 3 models available outside of Japan. As of 9/7/2016.
3. For more information visit “The Eyes of EOS” Canon EF lens portal site at www.canon.com/the-eyes-of-eos/