Canon (company)

Canon Inc. is a Japanese multinational corporation that specialises in the manufacture of imaging and optical products, including cameras, photocopiers, steppers and computer printers. Its headquarters are located in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan

The name Canon began in 1947 after the company Kwanon changed its name. In 1934 Kwanon began with a prototype for Japan’s first-ever 35 mm camera with a focal plane shutter. It was named 'Kwanon'^[7] by Goro Yoshida after the Buddhist bodhisattva Guan Yin, known in Japanese as Kannon.

Products

Canon is a manufacturer of business and consumer imaging products which includes printers, scanners, binoculars, compact digital cameras, film and digital SLR cameras, lenses and video camcorders.

The Business Solutions division offers print and document solutions for small and medium businesses, large corporations and governments. These include multi-functional printers, black and white and color office printers, large format printers, scanners, black and white and color production printers, as well as software to support these products.

Lesser known Canon products include medical, optical and broadcast products, including ophthalmic and x-ray devices, broadcast lenses, semiconductors, digital microfilm scanners, and Handy Terminal Solutions.

Laser printers

This section requires expansion.

For many years, Canon were the principal makers of the print-engines found in industry-standard laser printers. The first models of Apple LaserWriter, and the equivalent products made by HP, used the Canon LBP-CX engine. The next models (LaserWriter II series, LaserJet II series) used the Canon LBP-SX engine. Later models used the Canon LBP-LX, LBP-EX, LBP-PX engines and many other Canon print engines.

Between printer models based on the same Canon print engine, many parts (such as toner cartridges, fuser units, roller assemblies) are interchangeable.

Canon laser printers use cartridges.

Digital Copiers

Canon's largest division in terms of revenue is its multifunction copier division. Many of the sweeping changes during the "Digital Revolution" in the industry were invented by Canon. This has enabled Canon to hold the highest market share in the industry for 26 of the last 27 years. Canon distributes its consumer and home office imageCLASS line though retail outlets and professional grade imageRUNNER series through subsidiary Canon Business Solutions and independent distributors. The professional grade series ranges from small table tops to large digital presses.

Canon has been manufacturing and distributing digital cameras since 1984, starting with the RC-701. The RC series was followed by the PowerShot and Digital IXUS series of digital cameras. Canon also developed the EOS series of digital single-lens reflex cameras (DSLR) which includes high-end professional models.

See main articles:

Canon PowerShot

Canon PowerShot G series

Canon Digital IXUS

Canon EOS

Canon EF lens mount (includes list of EF lenses)

Canon have recently implicated Thermal Transition Copying as a part of the manufacturing process for all new cameras being produced by canon. This manufacturing process allows a camera's polymer casing to very slightly change temperature through an exothermic reaction triggered by electronic sensors, to assist in the prevention of condensation inside the camera; a common problem experienced when using an SLRcamera in certain conditions.

Canon Speedlite

Canon has also produced speed lights for their DSLR cameras. They have a wide variety of flash guns available including the 270ex, Canon 430 Speedlight and its bigger brother the Canon 580EX flash gun. Canon’s speed lights are known for their excellent workmanship and durability.

Scanners

This section requires expansion.

Canon has manufactured high-quality scanners for use with home computers for many years; they also make flatbed scanners, film scanners, and document scanners. The Canon Canoscan 8800F is, as of 2009, one of the most popular devices for scanning photographs and transparencies.^{[citation needed]}

Computers

Canon introduced two MSX home computer models in 1983, the V-10 and the V-20. Both offered just the minimum range of the MSX standards without any additional features. The V-20 was able to receive photos from the T90 Canon camera with the Data Memory Back T90 expansion.

See main article: Canon V-20

Company structure

Canon has regional headquarters in the Americas, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Japan, Asia and Oceania (including Australia & New Zealand) . Canon in Europe is split into Canon Europa NV (based in the Netherlands) and Canon Europe Ltd (based in London). Both make up the European headquarters for Canon

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