Canon India is planning to market compact cameras with improved features such as higher resolution, zoom ratio and better lens to combat the onslaught of smartphones.

Kazutada Kobayashi, President and CEO, Canon India, admits the market has been “compressed” by smartphones. But adds, “If there’s Rs 10,000 in the pocket, smartphones are high on the wish list, but I don’t believe they will replace taking pictures with a camera.”

Speaking to Business Line , he said Canon India intends to grow 26 per cent over the previous year. Its camera and copier businesses account for a third each of its revenue. Printers account for 30 per cent. India accounts for one per cent of Canon’s business worldwide.

Canon has expanded the pricing range of compact cameras from Rs 5,000 to Rs 20,000. The “mainstream” price is around Rs 10,000, he says. The profusion of smartphones has resulted in more picture-taking which in turn motivates people to go in for DSLR cameras. The market has grown by over 30 per cent over 2011 in India, he says. Canon’s DSLR business grew by 61 per cent in volume terms.

At present, one DSLR is sold for every 10 compacts but he would not be surprised if the ratio changes to 1:2 in about five years, he says. In 2012, total DSLR sales touched 2.16 lakh units; the digital camera market was estimated at 29.9 lakh units. Kobayashi observes that Indians have moved from “taking pictures to enjoying the pictures” and this bodes well for the industry. Canon wants to cater to specialist and niche segments as well, such as movie cameras and remote control cameras.

In a branding move, Canon has invested Rs 70 lakh in putting up neon signs at the New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore international airports. The company has been in India for 15 years now.

sravanthi.challapalli@thehindu.co.in

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