An Expo, it’s huge, attractive, mind blowing and Delighting Us as always, this is Canon EXPO 2016 Shanghai held recently from 19th May 2016 to 22nd May 2016 at the Shanghai International Convention Centre. This is a very special Expo presented by Canon, it’s only held once every five years! Prior to their last stop in Shanghai, Canon EXPO had traveled around the world to major cities New York, Paris and Tokyo.

I was invited to Canon EXPO 2016 Shanghai as a member of the media, this was a very great honour for me to travel overseas, covering this huge and mind blowing Canon EXPO 2016 in Shanghai. It’s beyond amazing, it’s spectacular, the experiences were great and delightful. This media trip open my eyes really big, it allows me to learn, understand and know more about Canon beyond my current knowledge of Canon’s photography family consisting of DSLRs, mirrorless cameras, compact cameras, accessories and Canon’s printers. Canon’s various business groups are now also beyond just photography.

During the media briefing and opening ceremony, Mr Hideki Ozawa, President, Canon Asia Marketing Group, President & CEO, Canon (China) Co. Ltd and Mr Kazuto Ogawa, Managing Executive Officer of Canon Inc., Chief Operation Officer of Canon Asia Marketing Group, Executive Vice President of Canon (China) Co. Ltd, gave members of the media an insight into Canon EXPO 2016 Shanghai and what they can expect – unlimited delight at Canon EXPO. The Canon EXPO 2016 Shanghai was officially declared opened by Mr Fujio Mitarai, Chairman & CEO of Canon Inc, along with key Canon executives and distinguished guests.

After the official opening ceremony, we waited for our turn to begin our Canon EXPO 2016 Shanghai adventure! Let me bring you through a visual story journey of Canon EXPO 2016, a walk through the various exhibition themes, concepts and presentations. It’s more than just an EXPO to showcase Canon’s wide range of products and technologies, Past, Present and Future. Canon EXPO 2016 Shanghai is an Imaging Carnival, allowing your eyes to feast and enjoy the experiences, the connections, the communications between Canon’s products and services, to delighting you always in your journey with family and friends, in work and in leisure.

Starting my Canon EXPO 2016 Shanghai journey on the 7th floor of Shanghai International Convention Centre, there were 10 sectors for me to walk through them in sequence for my start of an experiential adventure with Canon.

  1. Canon History

Take a step back in time into history, a walk down Canon memory lane. A rich and comprehensive Canon history timeline on the wall on the right side as you walk, along with a number of historical and iconic Canon products that were on display on the left side. This is Canon’s rich history and achievements.

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2. Canon Now

Moving from history to the modern times, Canon Now shares with you Canon’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), their programs and efforts through Canon’s imaging technology, products and services in delivering the “Chinese Dream”. Here you can also see Canon (China) project titled “Discovering Beauty along the Silk Road”, amazing photographs and documentation.

Visitors would also be able to learn and know more about Canon in Asia, the programs and activities that had taken place in many countries in Asia. There was a segment inside Canon Now, that showcased Optical Technology, displaying the strength and diversity of Canon’s imaging technology, from the micro world to the far far away cosmic space.

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3. Moment

The Moment, whether it is the priceless moment or the moment in time, this is for everybody to celebrate, experience and enjoy photography, delighting and connecting with family, relatives and friends, through technology or print out a photography memory for them to keep.

Personally, as a photographer myself, this is probably one of my favourite segments because we love and live for the priceless photography moment. This was an experiential and immersive zone whereby you can try out the various Canon digital cameras and lenses, taking photographs of major cities around the world at the Connect Train, the Moment Studio where you can get a feel of a fall-down from a high altitude. A DIY Café to let you print your favourite photographs, decorate it with your artistic skills, frame it up as a gift for yourself or for your family, relatives and friends, all in a cosy café accompanied by coffee.B47X9518 B47X9527

4. Working Space

Canon’s colour printing solutions can be seen here at Working Space, from the small home office printer to big office multi-purpose printer solution. There is printing solution available for everybody, from photographers to businesses.

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5. Professional Imaging

Entering Canon’s Professional Imaging zone, I was blown away with my eyes wide open because my favourite toys were on display! The 4K Corner displaying Canon’s rich series of 4K products and solutions, the “Red Line” products for Professionals. I personally own a few Canon “Red Line” products, the L lenses from the Canon EF lenses family, therefore, I can testify to the quality of the Canon L lenses, part of the “Red Line” products family.

Another exciting part in this Professional Imaging zone was the Shooting Corner and Broadcasting Studio. In-lieu of the upcoming 2016 Rio Olympics, visitors were able to experience the life of a sports photographer. At the shooting corner, there were a number of Canon DLSR models and lenses mounted on tripods, the visitors were able to touch, feel and shoot gymnasts in action with them. This would be a great experience for those who were not into sports/action photography that they were able to try out the various Canon DSLR models and lenses for sports photography.

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Walk behind the gymnastics stage, the visitors can view the setup of a live broadcasting studio in action, a beautiful news commentator doing her broadcast live at Canon EXPO 2016 Shanghai, powered by Canon’s high performance video cameras and lenses for broadcasting television systems.

There was an elevated platform opposite the broadcasting studio setup, lined with a series of top end Canon EF prime L lenses and top end Canon DSLR cameras commonly seen in sports competitions around the world. Visitors can have a feel of what it was like being a sports photographer, learning and understanding more about the the Canon professional “Red Line” products.

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6. Healthcare

In this zone, visitors had a first glimpse of Canon’s business interests diversity beyond their cameras and printers business entities that most of us would know about Canon. In the healthcare zone, visitors would be able to know more about Canon’s medical business division, how Canon’s imaging technology plays a part in the medical machinery and devices in Radiology, Breast Imaging, Eye Care and Medical Information Cockpit.

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7. Security Solutions

Security in the modern era has taken on a lot more importance and significance around the whole world than before. Canon recognised the importance and potential of the security solutions business, thus they are expanding into this area. By combining Canon’s unique imaging technology strengths and capabilities, along with outstanding security solutions partners, visitors in the security solutions zone can get a first hand experience for themselves on how the security solutions would be like now and in the near future.

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8. Environment

Canon Group corporate philosophy of “Kyosei” can be seen in their commitments and actions that they embarked on for the Earth and her environment. In the Environment zone, visitors would be able to know more about Canon’s efforts and actions in environmental protection and having environmental friendly products.

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9. Cultural Protection

In the Cultural Protection zone, visitors can see view the “Tsuzuri Project – Cultural Heritage Inheritance Project”, a joint project organised by Canon and the Kyoto Culture Association (NPO). One of the zones that fascinated me deeply because I have strong and personal interest in the fields of heritage, culture, conservation and preservation with my Canon cameras.

The Tsuzuri Project aims to create high resolution facsimiles of cultural assets from Japan, making use of the high resolution facismiles that can be shown to the public to experience and enjoy, while allowing the original cultural assets to be kept in more favourable environments, preventing deterioration and ensuring that the rich and cultural heritage can be, and will be passed down to the future generations.

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10. Lens Experience

The lens experience zone is another experiential zone for visitors to get a hands on experience with the different types of Canon’s cameras, lenses and video products. With the beauty of the Huangpu river, Oriental Pearl Tower and Pudong district, visitors can take photos, look through the viewfinder/LCD screen, enjoying and having a delightful experience with Canon’s diverse range of imaging technology products.

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After the completion in exploring 10 different zones on the 7th floor of Shanghai International Convention Centre, I quickly rush to the 1st floor to enter Canon’s “Beyond High Image Quality” zone, it’s about Canon’s future imaging display beyond high image quality. This was something that I am very eagerly looking forward to with lots of excitement and eyes wide open. What am I am able to see with my eyes, through my photographs that I can share to the whole world on the future of Canon’s imaging technology?

High Definition Large Format Print “Airport”

First and foremost, the first Canon showcase upon entering the “Beyond High Image Quality” zone totally blew me away when I stood there, looking, admiring and observing a high definition large format print “Airport”.

Just by looking at the high definition large format print, I had the feeling that I am actually at the Airport right now! Using the word “amazing” would be an understatement to the very high quality and standards of that high definition large format print, this is indeed beyond high image quality, it’s like the real thing in life.

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As a photographer, it would be a big big dream come true, if you have a special and delightful photograph that is printed in this High Definition Large Format, showcased and displayed in this huge format. For now, I would continue taking photographs and producing stories, while continuing to dream of this “Airport”.

Next Generation PRO Inkjet Printer

The next generation of Canon’s inkjet printers now join Canon’s Red Line family of products, showing their professional class and quality of Canon’s imaging technology and image quality.

High Resolution Printing / Printing with Wide Dynamic Range

Experience the world of Canon’s high resolution printing, the quality, sharpness and wide dynamic range from Canon’s newly developed pigment inks. The Canon ecosystem, starting from the input of Canon’s imaging technology, EOS cameras, sharpness and clarity from the Red Line family, the EF L lenses, putting them into Canon’s world of high resolution printing. This is the journey, the delightful experience of Canon imaging, from taking and producing the photograph, to printing and sharing your photography works.

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120 Megapixel EOS Camera

The number is 120, yes, a Canon EOS concept DSLR model with a 120 megapixel CMOS Sensor! The one and only of its kind in the world, shown to the world at Canon EXPO 2016 Shanghai. The future of ultra high image quality is upon us in the years ahead.

Would this 120 Megapixel Canon EOS camera be available in the next 5 years? Your guess is as good as mine. The recent Canon DSLRs that were launched, the Canon EOS 5DS and EOS 5DS R are equipped with 50.6 megapixel CMOS sensor. Maybe the 120 megapixel Canon EOS camera might be available in the next 5 years!

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Gallery – Power of Printing / Shanghai Printing World

Enter into the world of prints, feel and experience the power of the prints on display. This zone showcased Canon’s input/output collaboration and Canon’s specialised printed products featuring advanced printing technologies for various industries.

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Canon Super Creative Printing

The power and quality of Canon’s imaging technology, armed with the combination of Canon texture capturing and imaging processing technology with OCE’s elevation printing technology, this is Canon’s super creative printing, producing previously impossible textures.

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The 8K World

Welcome to the future world of 8K, the standards that would be entering the society in the years to come. Visitors at the 8K World got to experience various 8K technology and standards with their 8K Projection “8K Ride”, HDR 4K Display, 8K Display, 8K Movie Image Sample Print, 8K Camera Solution and a 360 degree Imaging and Sound arena.

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Enriching the World through Innovative Imaging

The world ahead is getting more connected with innovation, technology and internet. Through innovative imaging, our future world can be very different from the world today. Technologies such as Mixed Reality (MREAL) Stage, the Versatile Collaboration System and Rich Collaboration System.

How we work and live, how we communicate, how we get our jobs done, this zone gave a glimpse into the trends and future of how the society might be like/would be like.

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Walking out at the end of the exhibition hall on the 1st floor of Shanghai International Convention Centre, I had a lot of products, things, technologies, trends, future to absorb, digest, compile, write and share on my thoughts and feelings on current Canon’s family of products, the future of imaging technology, 8K World and innovative imaging.

Canon’s slogan “Delighting You Always” can be seen and felt in their products, marketing, support and services, it was brought to another higher level at Canon EXPO 2016 Shanghai. The Internet of Things is opening up new worlds and Canon Group recognises the importance and significance for the future growth and expansion of their businesses.

The Canon ecosystem, Canon’s Internet of Things, the inputs and outputs, their diverse range of products and services, put together in Canon EXPO 2016 Shanghai – Experiencing, Communicating, Educating, Engaging, Exciting, Entertaining, Participating, Getting closer to each other between people & people, people & things, things & things. The relationship and ecosystem between Canon, their products and their customers, get closer and inter-connected right now, even more so in the future with the power of technology and the Internet of Things.

Delighted and excited I am, after visiting Canon EXPO 2016 Shanghai, it’s a real eye-opener, understanding and learning more about Canon and its diverse business entities, the trends and future. I am looking forward to the year 2020 when Canon holds their next EXPO in Tokyo! I hope that I am able to visit Canon EXPO again in the future, continuing my visual story telling with Canon EOS camera and lenses.


Created with flickr slideshow.

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