A Momentous Milestone Celebration

Canon celebrates the production of 120 million interchangeable EF lenses

On 26 August, Canon achieved a new lens-manufacturing milestone with the production of the company’s 120-millionth Ef-series interchangeable lens for EOS cameras, an EF 100-400MM/2.5-5.6LIS II USM telephoto zoomlens.

Production of interchangeable EF lenses for Canon Eos-series AF (Autofocus) single-lens reflex film cameras began in 1987 at the Company's Utsunomiya Plant. As photography picked up as an international hobby and career for many, the EF lenses have gained support and exposure from a wide range of users. Production has since expanded to four manufacturing bases including Canon Inc., Taiwan; Canon Opto (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.; and Oita Canon Inc. in southern Japan.

EF lens production passed the 10-million-unit mark in 1995 and crossed the 50-million-unit threshold in 2009. In April 2014, the Company celebrated its first-in-the-world achievement of having manufactured 100 million EF lenses, and now, setting a new world record for the most interchangeable lenses produced, Canon manufactured its 120-millionth EF lens in August 2016. What's more, Canon's interchangeable-lens digital cameras (digital SLR and compactsystem cameras), which utilize EF lenses, have maintained the No. 1 share of the global market for 13 consecutive years since 2003.

Canon's proprietary EF lenses, launched in March 1987 along with the EOS SLR camera system, have continued to evolve since their introduction, leading the industry through the incorporation of a wide range of innovative technologies, including such world's firsts as the Ultrasonic Motor (USM), Image Stabilizer (IS) technology, a multilayered diffractive optical (DO) element, and Subwavelength Structure Coating (SWC) anti-reflection technology. The Company's extensive EF lens-series lineup currently comprises a total of 97 models,2 including EF Cinema Lenses for digital cinematography.

Canon will continue refining its imaging technologies centered on its EF lens lineup, striving to cater to the varying needs of photographers – from first-time users to advanced amateurs and professionals – while contributing to expanding the photographic and video imaging culture.