Melville, NY—Canon USA, Inc., announced that its parent company, Canon Inc., celebrated a camera manufacturing milestone. The company is celebrating the production of its 100 millionth EOS ILC (interchangeable-lens camera).
That number includes Canon’s EOS-series silver halide (film) cameras combined with its digital interchangeable-lens cameras.
Moreover, an EOS R mirrorless digital camera was the 100 millionth EOS-series camera produced. This “is a true testament to Canon’s continued dedication to innovation and evolution of the EOS series with its first full-frame mirrorless camera,” the company announced.
The company’s product lineup caters to a variety of user needs and an extensive series of EF lenses. “Canon strives to expand the boundaries of imaging expression. The EOS series has supported many users over its long history and enabled Canon to maintain the Number One share of the global interchangeable-lens digital camera market for 16 consecutive years from 2003 to 2018,” the company stated in a release.
What Led to 100 Millionth EOS ILC
The timeline of Canon’s EOS series history begins with the EOS 650, which was released in March 1987. The AF single-lens reflex (SLR) camera featured the first fully electronic lens mount. Production of the EOS series began in what was then Canon’s Fukushima plant. Currently, it takes place at a variety of locations—including Taiwan, Miyazaki, Nagasaki and Oita Canon—where production is under high-product quality management.
Following the release of the EOS 650, Canon continued to introduce products with more advanced technology. This included the high-end EOS-1 released in 1989 as well as the EOS Rebel released in 1990. As a result, Canon extended the EOS series to cater to users ranging from amateur to professional.
Then, as the pace of digital SLR (DSLR) adoption picked up from 2000 onward, Canon sought to create more appealing products. The EOS series’ core concept expanded to include “high-image quality,” achieved through such proprietary technology as CMOS sensors and Digic image processors.
Furthermore in 2003, Canon released the EOS Rebel—a compact, lightweight DSLR with an affordable price. This model contributed to the wider adoption of interchangeable-lens digital cameras.
What followed was the EOS 5D series, which spurred the use of interchangeable-lens cameras for video capture. In addition, Canon established the Cinema EOS system of professional digital cinematography products in 2012. Consequently, it extended its video technology to the business-to-business, video-production industry.
Canon continued to explore new approaches within the EOS series with the 2018 launch of the EOS R mirrorless system, which employs the new RF mount.
