(mb) Canon announced the achievement of a new EF lens-manufacturing milestone with the production of the company’s 60-millionth lens, an EF70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM.
Production of interchangeable EF lenses for Canon EOS-series AF (autofocus) single-lens reflex cameras began in 1987 at the company’s Utsunomiya Plant, and has since expanded to a total of four production facilities including Canon Inc., Taiwan; Canon Opto (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.; and Oita Canon Inc. in Japan. EF lenses reached the 10-million-unit milestone after approximately eight and a half years in production, followed by the 40-million-unit mark in April of 2008 and the 50-million-unit mark in December of 2009. Canon has since produced 10 million units in just 13 months and reached the 60-million-unit milestone in January of 2011.
First introduced in March 1987, along with Canon’s EOS SLR camera system, the EF lens has featured a range of innovative proprietary technologies that lead the industry. These include such world’s firsts*1 as the Ultrasonic Motor-powered lens (USM), Image Stabilizer (IS) to compensate the effects of camera shake, Subwavelength Structure Coating (SWC) anti-reflection technology, and a super telephoto lens that employs a diffractive optical element. Last year, Canon successfully launched EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM, featuring outstanding optical performance and Image Stabilization.
Canon’s current EF lens lineup has 65 models*2 ranging from super-wide-angle lenses to super-telephoto zoom lenses, catering to the varying needs of photographers from first-time users to advanced-amateurs and professionals. Canon’s diverse selection of lenses offers several features such as zoom lenses (from standard to super-telephoto), Image Stabilizer-equipped lenses, large-diameter lenses, macro-lenses and TS-E lenses featuring a special tilt-shift mechanism allowing manipulation of image perspective and distortion. In addition, the EF8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM, the world’s first*1 fisheye zoom lens, is planned for market release in March of 2011.
Canon will continue to proactively introduce innovative technologies, striving to provide unmatched image quality and reliability in lens production.
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