M i t a r a i’s i n te r e s t
in newspapers also
reflects his belief that
a product or medium
that seems to have
outlived its usefulness
can still serve a certain
market. “For years,
part of Canon’s bread
and butter was digital
compact cameras, but
now that many people
have advanced cameras in their smartphones, fewer are
using stand-alone devices for everyday snapshots. But
that doesn’t mean compact cameras don’t have a future,”
Mitarai says.
“One of our compact cameras has a lens powerful enough
to capture the rings of Saturn. You can’t do that with a
smartphone,” he says with a laugh. “Compact cameras are
easier to use and much more affordable than SLR cameras.
I think there’s always going to be room for compact cameras
between smartphones and SLRs. Volume will decrease, but
they’ll stay in the market.”