Live from Rio: Canon Offers a Hand to Clients

Canon’s U.S. and European team are in Brazil where they are supporting a number of clients, including NBC Olympics, NEP, NHK, Euromedia Group, and HD Resources. One estimate is that there are more than 1,000 Canon broadcast lenses in Brazil.

(l-to-r( Kenny Nakagawa, Dover Mundt, and Hank Yoshida of Canon.

“The biggest challenge is keeping the equipment up and running and moving around some gear as there can be damage to the lenses and then things like rain and the environment can be difficult,” says Hank Yoshida, Canon Europe, director, engineering sales support, broadcast TV products. “But we want our products to perform 100%.”

Canon’s team of more than 70 highly trained technicians and support staff will be in Brazil for nearly a month to support professional photographers and broadcasters, just as they do throughout the year. Canon Professional Services (CPS) is set to provide comprehensive equipment maintenance and repairs, extensive equipment loans and expert technical support.

“Canon is proud to offer professional photographers and broadcasters high quality image-making solutions that are thoughtfully designed and versatile so that they can capture sharp, clear, detailed images and video,” said Elizabeth Pratt, director, Professional Client Development and Support, Canon U.S.A. “Knowing that iconic images will be captured, seen and shared by people around the world really drives Canon to provide professionals with not only high quality equipment but the customer support they need to help ensure they never miss a beat if anything happens to their equipment.”

Kenny Nakagawa, Canon U.S.A, senior manager, engineering, says that the company’s Rio office has been busy and can also support complete overhauls of lenses and cameras.

“Face to face communication is important,” he says.

The Associated Press will be using Canon cameras and lenses exclusively, including cameras which are integrated with advanced robotics systems. The robotic camera systems can be mounted both in the rafters high above a field of play and underwater in pools, all fully controlled remotely over a network. “High-speed and high-performing digital imaging solutions like the EOS-1D X Mark II camera and L-series EF lenses are key to our team’s success,” said Santiago Lyon, vice president and director of photography, Associated Press. “Canon provides innovative technology and world-class optics that give us the solutions we need to create compelling images.”

A majority of Reuters photographers from around the world will be using Canon DSLR cameras and lenses and trust Canon products and award-winning support team to keep them up and running. “Photographing large sporting events for thousands of news outlets and an audience of billions requires meticulous planning and technical resilience. The staff and engineers from CPS help ensure that the Canon cameras used by the world’s top sports photographers receive precision treatment that allows them to take pictures that capture key moments and illustrate the spirit of competition,” said Kevin Coombs, production editor for Thomson Reuters.