Melville, NY—Canon USA reached a new camera-manufacturing milestone: combined production of the company’s film and digital EOS-series interchangeable-lens cameras surpassed the 70-million mark in February.
Production of Canon EOS SLR cameras began in 1987 with the EOS 650 35mm SLR at Canon Inc.’s Fukushima plant (now Fukushima Canon Inc.). Following the introduction of digital SLRs in the early 2000s, production of the EOS-series cameras increased, surpassing the 60-million-unit mark in October 2012 and now reaching the 70-million-unit threshold.
EOS, which stands for Electro Optical System, also carries the name of the Greek goddess of the dawn. Introduced in March 1987 as a new generation of AF SLR cameras, EOS cameras were the first to incorporate an electronic mount system enabling electronic control not only between the lens and body, but throughout the entire camera system.
Based on the concepts of high-speed and ease of use, the EOS-series 35mm SLRs—including the top-of-the-line professional EOS-1 released in 1989 and the popular compact EOS Rebel introduced in 1990—continued to incorporate new technologies. As digital SLRs gained increasing popularity, Canon developed its proprietary CMOS sensors and Digic digital image processors, as well as a lineup of EF lenses.
Among the new Canon cameras that contributed to the realization of the 70-million-unit production milestone are the EOS 70D, featuring Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology, and the EOS Rebel SL1, among the smallest and lightest digital SLRs.
EF lenses for Canon EOS-series interchangeable-lens cameras are also on track to realize a major milestone as cumulative production is scheduled to pass the 100-million-unit mark in 2014. usa.canon.com
