Canon celebrates 50 years of SLRs
This month Canon is celebrating 50 years of building and selling single lens reflex (SLR) cameras since the launch of its first SLR - the Canon Flex model (pictured above) 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 including perennial favourites such as the AE-1 (launched in 1976) and the T90 (launched in 1986).
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 three years, thanks to the most radical change in photography and the biggest boom – the move from film to digital.
The original film-based Canon EOS-1 SLR was launched in 1989.
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. Since 2003 over 10 million consumer DSLRs have been sold to, and used by, keen photographers around the world.
Canon’s SLR innovations continue to this day. The EOS 5D Mark II was the first camera to record Full 1080p 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.
To find out more about the history of Canon SLR cameras click here.
