Canon celebrates significant milestone with production of 110 million interchangeable EF lenses

TOKYO, July 8, 2015—Canon Inc. today announced the achievement of a new lens-manufacturing milestone with the production on June 22, 2015, of the Company’s 110-millionth EF-series interchangeable lens for EOS cameras—an EF11-24mm f/4L USM ultra-wide-angle interchangeable zoom lens.

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. Over the years, EF lenses have gained support from a wide range of users and production has since expanded to a total of four manufacturing bases, including Canon Inc., Taiwan; Canon Opto (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.; and Oita Canon Inc. in southern Japan.

EF lens production surpassed 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 110-millionth EF lens in June 2015.

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 multi-layered diffractive optical (DO) element, and Subwavelength Structure Coating (SWC) anti-reflection technology.

The 110-millionth EF lens, an EF11-24mm f/4L USM (launched in February 2015), boasts a minimum focal length of 11 mm to achieve the world’s widest angle of view.1 Furthermore, winner of the prestigious Camera Grand Prix Japan 2015 Lens of the Year award,2 the model was recognized for its generous use of Canon proprietary optical technologies, making possible superior image quality while effectively correcting for aberrations that commonly occur when shooting at the ultra-wide-angle end.

The Company’s extensive EF lens-series lineup currently comprises a total of 97 models,3 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.