Canon is still weighing up whether to launch a compact system camera (CSC), the head of the firm?s camera division is quoted as saying in a press interview yesterday.
Masaya Maeda told Reuters news agency: ?We are considering the technical aspects.?
Though he did not indicate whether a mirrorless model is on the cards, he said Canon plans to introduce a small model in 2012, reports Reuters.
He added: ?We will launch an interesting product next year.?
Earlier this year, Canon told Amateur Photographer that it doesn’t need to introduce a mirrorless CSC to remain competitive, despite growing demand for these products.
Rainer Fuehres, Canon?s head of consumer imaging in Europe, explained that the firm does not have difficulty selling its existing compact and DSLR products.
However, he did not rule out a CSC.
Speaking in March, Fuehres told AP: ‘The idea of the compact system camera is nothing to do with whether the camera has a mirror or not, but about creating a small and more portable system.
?If Canon does take part I hope we won’t introduce just a me-too product, but we’ll use the opportunity to do something different.’
Fuehres added. ‘For Canon it would be about connectivity and providing high image quality in a small form’.
Amateur Photographer has requested an official statement from Canon on this issue, following the comments made in the Reuters interview.
? The news comes as Canon reportedly announced plans to boost DSLR camera production in Taiwan by increasing capacity at its plant in Taichung and building another factory nearby.
The new 70,000 square meter plant, expected to be 90km south of Taichung city, will employ more than 1,000 staff and cost 10 billion yen, according to media reports in Japan.
The move will increase Canon?s DSLR output by around 3m units per year, Maeda told Reuters.
