This guy used a camera as a webcam for his interview with Canon. Now he designs cameras for a living

The man in charge of product planning for Canon's EOS R cameras got his job after using a camera as a webcam for his online interview. And it probably helped that his boss was responsible for designing the EOS Webcam Utility software that made it possible.

And this isn't just a happy ending for the man in question, Hirose Heizo; the process greatly influenced how he approached the design of the new Canon EOS R50 V, the company's first camera that sees things distinctly through the lens of video creation and online use.

In a recent developer interview on the R50 V, Heizo shared his Canon origin story.

"My boss had just returned to the Japanese headquarters from Canon America, and I happened to join this department at that time," he explained.

"During the 2020 [COVID] epidemic, internet information dissemination and social media video creation rose rapidly, and we all felt this change firsthand.

"My boss saw this trend in the United States, and I was still in college at the time (laughs). When I was looking for a job, the pandemic hit, and the interviews were basically conducted remotely online."

While he may not have known it at the time, his boss had launched the industry's first webcam software during his time at Canon USA. This made it possible to connect DSLRs and mirrorless EOS cameras to a computer for better quality than a webcam.

"On the one hand, I wanted to highlight my love for image performance during the interview, so I thought, if the online video interview can improve the picture quality, will it leave a better impression on the other party?

"Therefore, I used my EOS 5D Mark IV to connect to the computer, arranged indoor lighting, and bought a switcher. In the end, I used these devices for the interview and successfully passed (laughs). Maybe in these aspects, my boss and I have similar ideas."

Not only did these similar ideas land him the job, it directly impacted Heizo's approach to the camera that became the EOS R50 V.

"Canon's past consumer products were usually designed for a variety of different needs, but in the current era, we believe it is necessary to launch a camera designed specifically for video content creators and social media users. My boss and I hit it off on this idea, so we started this project.

"I felt that the application areas of cameras had expanded a lot worldwide. This project was made possible because people who were not bound by company conventions came together."

The whole interview is a great read (even though it's in Chinese), and provides a fascinating insight into the broader development process behind the R50 V, so I highly recommend checking it out.

And of course, it's a reminder to anyone currently job hunting that doing your homework on a prospective employer really does pay off!

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There's a lot to be said for using the best webcams and the best 4K webcams, but the best Canon cameras can obviously do a fantastic job (and maybe even get you a fantastic job!).