A spokesperson for Sony UK has said that Canon would be welcome if it chose to enter the compact system camera market in the future, making it the final major manufacturer to do so.
Many expect Canon to announce a mirrorless camera at some point in 2012, but speaking to TechRadar, Paul Genge from Sony UK, said "Canon has a lot to concentrate on at the moment, with both the video side of the market and its professional core consumer base."
"They're trying to compete in the growth of the video market, which they themselves launched with the 5D Mark II, so they're innovating in that direction. They're a big enough company that could be innovating in other directions that we don't yet know about."
Sony was one of the early adopters of CSC technology, introducing the APS-C sized sensor NEX series in 2010. It has since been joined by Fujifilm, Pentax and Nikon, along with other models available from Panasonic, Olympus and Samsung.
Welcome
"If they [Canon] choose to enter the CSC market, they'd be welcomed by Sony because we want the market to grow, we want the consumer to have more confidence that it's the right direction to invest their disposable income into," Genge said.
Several rumours have hinted at the likelihood of an APS-C size sensor for Canon's entry into the market, which would directly compete with Sony's NEX range.
"They'll have to come up with their own solution as and when they're ready," Genge continued. "But for now at least, we'll continue developing, we'll up our game."
"The market can only get bigger by the number of players within it and developing technology and marketing the potential benefits, so it wouldn't be a bad thing if Canon did come in."
