Canon

Canon is a Japanese company headquartered in Tokyo. Goro Yoshida and Saburo Uchida started it in 1937 as the Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory, and the first camera, the Kwanon, was shown in 1934. The company reports in yen and runs research centers in several countries. It employs a large workforce and sells in nearly every market through subsidiaries in the Americas, Europe and Asia.

The company makes digital cameras, lenses, printers, copiers and scanners. Its EOS line of cameras is widely used by photographers and filmmakers. Canon also builds medical imaging systems, semiconductor lithography tools and network cameras.

Canon sells in most countries and runs factories in Japan, Southeast Asia and elsewhere. It was one of the largest patent holders in the United States by number of grants. Its shares trade in Tokyo. Canon competes mainly with Nikon, Sony and Fujifilm in cameras, and with HP and Epson in printers. The company reports results in yen. It also runs a business that sells large-format printers.