Electronics giant Canon on Tuesday said it is now focusing more on
middle and high-end cameras amid smartphones with high resolution
imaging capabilities eating into sales of compact cameras.
Compact or
point and shoot cameras sales were flat in 2012 compared to 2011, mainly
as a lot of smartphones are now available with similar camera features.
On
the other hand, we saw a 30-32 percent growth in DSLRs in 2012 (over
2011) compared to our estimate of 25 percent growth," Canon India
President and CEO Kazutada Kobayashi told reporters at New Delhi.
Digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera are digital devices with a single-lens reflex and a digital camera back.
Canon is now focused on cameras in the middle to high-end category and Rs. 10,000 price point is like the borderline, he added.
Over
the last year, handset majors like Nokia and Samsung have launched
smartphones with high resolution cameras like Nokia's 808 PureView that
has a 41 megapixel camera -- the highest in the category.
Samsung,
which competes with Canon in the printer and camera categories,
launched its Galaxy camera in 2012 that lets users share pictures online
directly with 3G and Wi-Fi.
"At the same time, we are also
working on bringing in technology available in the high-end cameras to
lower priced devices," Kobayashi said.
The company is targeting
revenues of Rs. 2,350 crore by the end of 2013 and Rs. 5,500 crore by
2016 from Rs. 1,850 crore in 2012.
Canon gets about one-third of
its revenues from cameras, while the remaining comes from printers and
copiers as well as commercial printers.
While new businesses
(commercial printers and movie cameras) comprise a small percent of the
revenues, Kobayashi said Canon expects this vertical to contribute as
much as 25 percent in three years.
Canon, which sold 50 units of
the movie camera 'Cinema EOS' last year, is targetting sales of 200 of
these in 2013. The Cinema EOS is priced at Rs. 15 lakh onwards.
Meanwhile,
the company has set up neon signages at international airports in New
Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore as part of its marketing initiatives with an
investment of Rs. 70 lakh.
The company's first neon signage was put up in Times Square in 1956.
The signages in India have been designed by advertising major Dentsu.
Canon has been present in India for 15 years and we are looking at building our brand further.
While our products are well-recognised for our products, but we also want to be known as a good corporate," Kobayashi said.
Canon will put up more such signages in Chennai, Kolkata, Pune and Hyderabad in 2014, he added.
Kobayashi said the company spends about seven percent of its revenues on marketing initiatives.