Canon celebrates 50 years of SLR cameras
United Kingdom / Republic of Ireland, 06 January, 2009: Canon today
announces a milestone with the 50th anniversary of Canon SLR (single lens
reflex) cameras. Canon has been building and selling SLR cameras since the
launch of the Canon Flex in May 1959. Today, Canon SLR cameras have been
accepted as the benchmark standard for amateur and professional photography
and, to date, over 50 million Canon SLRs have been sold worldwide.
The EOS series was born in 1987 with the EOS 650 and the EF-series (Electro
focus) lens system where the camera and lens communicate through electrical
contacts rather than mechanically, as was previously the case. The EOS
series and EF lenses have proved incredibly popular with more than 40
million EF lenses sold worldwide. Incredibly, 10 million of these have been
produced within the last 3 years, thanks to the most radical change in
photography and the biggest boom – the move from film to digital.
It was the debut of the EOS 300D in September 2003 that really shook things
up. The EOS 300D was the first affordable digital SLR aimed at general
consumers and it took the world by storm while professional EOS-1 series
cameras and EF lens are chosen by the majority of the world’s news and
sports photographers.
And Canon continues to innovate to this day. The new EOS 5D Mark II is the
first camera to record Full HD movies and opens a multitude of new
possibilities for photojournalists and news photographers. Through ongoing
investment in research and development and by listening to its users, Canon
will continue to offer photographers the very best tools available and lead
the image culture for the next 50 years.
For more information visit www.canon.co.uk