In alignment with the company’s dedication to introducing innovative and technology-led imaging solutions in Africa, Canon (Canon-CNA.com) brings its much-anticipated R-tour to Abidjan, Ivory Coast. The tour sheds light on its upcoming products, closer to customer strategy, the rise of content creation as an industry in the country, and much more; Canon will introduce its revolutionary mirrorless range of products - EOS R3, EOS R5 C, EOS R7 & EOS R10 in an endeavor to introduce a much wider array of technology solutions in Africa.

Canon Central and North Africa embarked on the Canon R Tour journey in Abidjan, Ivory Coast that falls in line with the company’s vision to bring together the latest imaging technology solutions to the continent of Africa. Attendees at the R-Tour were introduced to the newest cutting-edge product line-up from its well-renowned EOS R system, including the EOS R3, EOS R5 C, EOS R7, and EOS R10. The EOS R3 offers all the familiarity and speed of Canon’s celebrated EOS-1 series, with the innovation and versatility of the pioneering EOS R System whereas the EOS R5 C is a powerful, hybrid cinema camera that combines the professional filmmaking features of the Cinema EOS range with the EOS R System’s photo capabilities. A high-resolution, full frame CMOS sensor, DIGIC X processor and the RF Mount, are the crucial three elements that enable high fidelity 8K capture, and 45 megapixels still photo capture at burst speeds up to 20 frames per second, all in a single body of the EOS R5 C.

“Canon’s robust new collection expands capabilities like never before. It has made life simpler for creatives across the world with a touch of the button, and now creators in Côte d'Ivoire are also able to get in on the action. These award-winning cameras and lenses add to a greater storytelling experience, and this is what Africa needs to compete on a global scale, in such a competitive content creation space,” said Amine Djouahra, Sales and Marketing Director for Canon Central and North Africa.

Connecting, Communicating & Co-creating

At our consumer-focused event, the panel discussion focused on why mirrorless technology is taking over in the photography field and how there is a rising need in shifting from DSLR to Mirrorless. Our experts also spoke about the growth of the content creation industry, both globally and in Africa. This was followed by a greater understanding of the full capabilities of the R System imaging at the different experiential booths each with a specific purpose or need catering to a particular audience. The booths offered an exciting experience for avid documentary filmmakers and cinematographers, simulating a food documentary experience, while action and sports photography enthusiasts could experience diverse techniques that showcased an adrenalin-filled aerial performance. In addition, they were able to gain guidance at the Check-and-clean booth.

Following on the success of our first Canon Creator Summit during Nigeria's R Tour, Canon photographers took centre stage as the audience members learnt useful tips and tricks to get the most out of these cutting-edge cameras and lenses. At this event, our panel discussion focused on the importance of quality content creation and how it can grow industries. Attendees got to hear about how to excel at fashion content creation from Ramez Aoude and were able to test their skills afterwards with the hands-on fashion workshop. Later in the day, Jean Goun shared his experiences as an event photographer and how to expand your skillset in this field, which was also followed by a hands-on workshop. The guests were also introduced to the new mirrorless range and were able to touch and try them for themselves.

In 2021, UNESCO published a report (https://bit.ly/3EiDBZJ) on the continent’s film and audio-visual industries which revealed that this sector accounts for $5 billion in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is promising for local content creators to tap into this creative industry and with Canon R-tour we’re able to showcase how latest equipments and right tools can help develop this sector and upskill young content creators.

Along with the photo-video imaging technology in the spotlight at the R-Tour, a variety of printing solutions were demonstrated to showcase the print quality highlighting the complete input to output solutions offered by Canon. The event also focused on providing the required printing solutions to an important market vertical of copy centres who look into adding value to the work that they do for universities and schools and SMEs in the country by detailing the printing landscape and helping them how to identify the right printing solutions which are cost-efficient for their businesses, that can handle the smallest printing requirements to large format printing.

The Spirit of Storytelling

The R-tour also hosted it's Canon Academy Workshops and Photo Walk at Grand-Bassam which was specially granted by Ivorian government and this event saw 30 photographers, videographers and content creators who enjoyed the opportunity to get hands-on experience with our products.

The town is known for its busy, palm-backed beach stretching along the Atlantic coastline. A practical workshop was hosted by professional photographer, former official president photographer and Canon certified trainer Seibou, where he took the audience through the key mirrorless technology cameras from Canon, the R3, R5C, R7, R10. 

All-in-all it was a remarkable tour. “We are super excited to see what kind of amazing content comes out of Ivory Coast with these new range of mirrorless EOS-R system cameras. We believe that now is the time for content creators in Ivory Coast to take advantage of this opportunity by adding even greater value to their products, creating more authentic channels, benefitting from mirrorless cameras that incorporates the latest technology,” said Amine Djouahra.