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Camera zooms up in Middle Class Indian's must-buy list

The Great Indian Middle Class's fascination for and the desire to own cameras is intensifying, according to Canon Inc, the world leader in the camera market.

The company is aiming to tap the huge potential in Indian market.

Canon wants to sell its latest models Super 135 N and the Prima Super 115 N of the Platinum Series on a large scale in India.

The two models were launched in Madras this week. At the launch, T Ishii, marketing manager, Canon (Singapore), and Ajay Mehta, director of Mahatta Camera Corporation, which holds the right to distribute and service Canon cameras in India, talked about the Indian market.

They said as per a survey conducted first in 1995, possessing a camera was "at the fifteenth place on the priority list of a middle class Indian". But the survey conducted again in 1998 revealed that the priority had risen to the seventh place.

They said the camera market in India has the potential to absorb 700,000 units. The market was growing at the rate of 20 per cent.

Canon is seeking to sell 40 to 50 per cent of its production in India. The political uncertainty that affected the economy last year also had an adverse effect on Canon's business in India, officials said.

MCC had increased its distribution network in Tamil Nadu setting up over 50 retail points in Madras alone in addition to outlets in Coimbatore and Pondicherry. It aimed to set up a network of around 200 retail outlets by the end of June 1999.

UNI

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