The 100 millionth camera to roll of the production line was the EOS R camera, Canon's first full frame mirrorless model originally launched in October 2018.
The Canon EOS system was first launched in March 1987, with the introduction of the EOS 650 film camera. The EOS 650 was a next-generation AF single-lens reflex (SLR) camera, featuring the world’s first fully electronic lens mount. Production of the EOS series began in what was then Canon’s Fukushima plant and now takes place at a variety of locations – including Taiwan, Miyazaki, Nagasaki and the lynchpin Oita Canon – where production is now carried out under stringent product quality management. Following the release of the EOS 650, Canon went on to develop innovative products and technologies that put speed, comfort and image quality at the forefront – such as the high-end EOS-1 released in 1989 and the EOS 500, which was released in 1993 – expanding the EOS series to cater to many users, from amateur to professional.
In the early 2000s, as the pace of digital SLRs (DSLR) adoption picked up, Canon sought to create even more appealing products. The EOS series’ core concept was expanded to include “high image quality,” achieved through proprietary, cutting-edge technology such as Canon-developed CMOS sensors and DIGIC image processors. The EOS 300D – a compact, lightweight DSLR with an affordable price (it was the first DSLR camera to break the sub-£1000 barrier) contributed to the wider adoption of interchangeable-lens digital cameras for consumers.
Both the EOS 5D-series and 1D-series expanded digital EOS to professionals – specifically, the EOS 5D Mark II introduced DSLRs as valid means for movie capture and independent filmmaking. Whilst the establishment of the Cinema EOS System of professional digital cinematography products in 2011 extended Canon’s video technology to the B2B sphere entering the video production industry.
Canon will continue to explore new approaches, building on the success of the EOS cameras and the original EF mount, which gave photographers and filmmakers versatility when shooting, such as the 2018 launch of the EOS R System, which employs the new RF Mount. Speed, comfort and high-image quality will all continue to be at the core concept of the EOS series, further strengthening the EOS System towards expanding the culture of photographic and video imaging.