40 millionth Canon EF lens produced

Press Release:
Canon today celebrate a new milestone in the history of D-SLR photography, as production of the company’s EF lenses – which began in 1987 with the birth of Canon’s EOS system – reaches 40m. Incredibly, a quarter of these were produced within the last two-and-a-half years. With 67 models, the EF series is the world’s most extensive range of D-SLR lenses.

“The production of the 40 millionth EF lens is testament to the soaring popularity of D-SLR photography,” said Mogens Jensen, Head of Canon Consumer Imaging, Europe. “With the increasing number of consumer-orientated D-SLR models on the market – including Canon’s market-leading EOS 400D and the new EOS 450D – D-SLR has moved from the professional domain to become a truly mass interest”.

“We are delighted that photographers of all levels continue to rely upon Canon EF lenses, and we remain committed to producing the industry’s most extensive, cutting-edge line-up,” he added.

Canon’s comprehensive range of EF lenses benefits from a long lineage of forward-thinking design. In 1987, the first EF lenses rewrote the SLR rulebook with their large-diameter, fully electronic lens mount, and the incorporation of a drive motor within the lens. Since then, innovations have included the first lens with an Ultrasonic Motor, the EF 300mm f/2.8L USM (1987), the world’s fastest aperture interchangeable lens, the EF 50mm f/1.0L USM (1989), and the world’s first lens with Image Stabiliser to compensate camera shake, the EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM (1995).

2008 will see the addition of two new models to the EF range: the EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM, the world’s longest image-stabilised telephoto lens, and the EF 200mm f/2L IS USM, another large-diameter telephoto lens. They join a total of 67 different lenses – ranging from super wide-angle to super telephoto models - which includes standard zoom and telephoto zoom lenses, fast aperture lenses, macro lenses, and the TS-E lens, equipped with tilt and shift function.

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