<p>TOKYO, MAR 10 - Due to increased use of smartphones for taking pictures and the camera market heading towards saturation in the West, leading camera producer Canon has concentrated its marketing efforts on Asia. As a result, Nepal has also emerged as one of the priority countries for the global camera giant. Over the last one decade, Asia has emerged as a big market with the market share of its DSLR cameras jumping from 9 percent in 2003 to 30 percent in 2013. As Asian countries are becoming increasingly rich with larger populations capable of purchasing cameras, Canon has focused on this market.</p><p>Canon has also seen a huge market scope in Nepal given that the country is a relatively unexplored market and the penetration rate of smartphones is also lower compared to the developed world. "People in emerging markets like Nepal still do not own smartphones and cameras overwhelmingly, but they have mobile sets," said Heideaki Nishimura, senior director and general manager, consumer imaging and information products group, Canon Singapore, which looks after Nepal market too. "If we can provide cameras at cheaper prices, there are definitely huge prospects for market growth."</p><p>In view of Nepal's market potential, Canon has planned to organize a workshop and establish an "image square shop" with touch-and-try facility in coordination with its Nepali distributor Primax International.</p><p>The image square shop is also aimed at providing professional assistance to photographers. In Indonesia and Cambodia, it is organizing marathons. Canon said that these initiatives were taken to promote the photography culture in the respective countries. Nishimura said that Cannon wanted to develop a healthy photography culture in Nepal as it one of the many Asian countries that missed the photography culture some 20-30 years ago when the developed countries including Japan had a huge penetration rate for cameras.</p><p><a href="http://www.ekantipur.com/2014/03/10/business/canon-turns-to-asia-as-west-nears-saturation/386525.html">Keep reading...</a></p>