Canon developing high-sensitivity network camera at achieves high visibility even for long-range nighttime surveillance*

Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, today announced that its parent company, Canon Inc., is developing a high-sensitivity network camera equipped with a fast, high-magnification lens capable of long-range color image capture, even at night, enabling the surveying of subjects that might be hard to see with the naked eye.

Amid ever-increasing safety and security concerns, a growing need for advances in surveillance systems has fueled demand for high-performance network cameras capable of recording clear visual data night and day for such applications as urban surveillance and the monitoring of important infrastructure facilities. Canon is developing a compact high-sensitivity network camera that is designed to enable the clear viewing in color of distant subjects, even under conditions that might prove challenging to the naked eye, such as at night with few ambient light sources. The camera's imaging capabilities will make it ideally suited for such surveillance applications as crime prevention and the monitoring of natural disaster sites, enabling the viewing of scenes during either night or day.

Drawing on a range of optical technologies Canon has refined over the years, the network camera being developed will feature a large-aperture, ultra-telephoto zoom lens with a focal length of more than 600mm (35mm film equivalent) that achieves a bright F-value of 2.4 to allow large amounts of light to enter. The compact lens unit will incorporate aspherical and UD (Ultra Low Dispersion) lens elements that help suppress the incidence of chromatic aberrations, which become more prevalent as a lens's aperture size increases. The combination of the large-aperture lens with a high-sensitivity sensor and high-performance image processor will enable the color recognition of a subject's face at a distance of 100 meters, even in dark environments with a mere 0.08 lux of illumination, roughly equivalent to the illuminance of moonlight. By comparison, conventional nighttime surveillance to date has only been possible within a limited range with the aid of infrared illumination, or by using a night mode that only captures images in black and white.

Through the combination of an electric-drive pan/tilt function that control's the camera's orientation with the ultra-telephoto zoom lens, the network camera is designed to fulfill a wide range of surveillance requirements. In addition to the monitoring of natural disasters involving rivers or bays, for example, the camera will be well-suited for such applications as urban surveillance from the rooftops of buildings and for identifying automobile license plate numbers on roads, not only during the day, but also in settings in which nighttime surveillance is required. Canon aims to offer the new network camera in 2016. Through the enhancement of the Company's network camera lineup, Canon is responding to society's ever-expanding monitoring and surveillance needs.

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.

Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions to the United States and to Latin America and the Caribbean (excluding Mexico) markets. With approximately $31 billion in global revenue, its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), ranks third overall in U.S. patents granted in 2014 and is one of Fortune Magazines Worlds Most Admired Companies in 2015. Canon U.S.A. is committed to the highest level of customer satisfaction and loyalty, providing 100 percent U.S.-based consumer service and support for all of the products it distributes. Canon U.S.A. is dedicated to its Kyosei philosophy of social and environmental responsibility. In 2014, the Canon Americas Headquarters secured LEED Gold certification, a recognition for the design, construction, operations and maintenance of high-performance green buildings.

To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Companys RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/rssand follow us on Twitter @CanonUSA. Based on weekly patent counts issued by United States Patent and Trademark Office. All referenced product names and other marks are trademarks of their respective owners.

* This product is currently under development and is not available for sale or use in the U.S. Specifications may change and no assurances can be given that it will be made available for sale or use in the U.S.

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