Richard CanonNews / Thursday, February 4, 2021 / Categories: News, Canon General News This post may contain affiliate links(s). An affiliate link means I may earn advertising/referral fees if you make a purchase through my link, without any additional cost to you. It helps to keep this site afloat. Thank you in advance for your support. If you like what we do here, maybe buy me a coffee. Canon celebrates another milestone 150 million EF and RF lenses Canon is celebrating a new milestone, 150 million EF lenses. That's well, alot of lenses ;) I actually did some digging being the camera nerd I am, and here's how Canon has faired on these milestones over the years. The dates for 10 and 20 million EF lenses are estimated to the month since no one cared back then. I'm going by announcement date, because in reality, Canon never really gave the official date of when that momentous lens was produced (usually only the month). So it's probably only accurate to around +/- 5 to 10 days. Date Milestone (millions) Approx Days to Accomplish 01/01/95 10 2618 02/01/01 20 2223 01/19/06 30 1813 04/28/08 40 830 01/29/10 50 641 02/07/11 60 374 10/18/11 70 253 08/21/12 80 308 05/09/13 90 261 04/30/14 100 356 07/08/15 110 434 09/08/16 120 428 10/17/17 130 404 12/19/18 140 428 02/01/21 150 775 For the more visual, here's a chart! What causes the pause on this milestone from the 140 million? Quite possibly the amount of slowdown in both factories and supply chains because of COVID-19, and the amount of new RF lenses that were put into the pipeline. Canon USA's press release; Canon Celebrates Significant Milestone with Production of 150 Million Interchangeable RF And EF Lenses MELVILLE, NY, February 3, 2021– Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, announced today that its parent company, Canon Inc., reached a new lens-manufacturing milestone with the production in January 2021, of the Company’s 150-millionth RF and EF series interchangeable lens for EOS cameras1— an RF70-200mm F2.8 L IS USM telephoto zoom lens (released in November 2019). 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 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 interchangeable lenses, and now, setting a new world record for the most interchangeable lenses produced, Canon manufactured its 150-millionth RF and EF lens in January 2021. Laid end-to-end2, all of the RF and EF lenses Canon has manufactured thus far would measure approximately 7,736 miles in length — nearly equivalent to the Earth’s diameter, which measures approximately 7,917 miles. 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 firsts3 as the Ultrasonic Motor (USM), Image Stabilizer (IS) technology, and a multilayered diffractive optical (DO) element. In 2018, Canon introduced the EOS R system and the RF series lenses, which pursues new heights of quality under the core concept of “Speed, Comfort and High Image Quality.” Today, the Company’s extensive RF and EF lens series lineup currently comprises a total of 118 models4, expanding the possibilities for image capture. In addition, thanks to the extensive lineup of lenses, Canon has maintained the number one market share for digital interchangeable-lens cameras since 2003 — a total of 17 years5— and in September 2019, the Company celebrated the production of 100 million EOS-series interchangeable-lens cameras. Canon will continue refining its imaging technologies centered on its RF and 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. Model name & Release date Main features and technologies EF300mm f/2.8L USM6 Nov. 1987 World’s first7 use of a lens-based Ultrasonic Motor (USM) USM technology delivers fast autofocusing thanks to its high torque and responsiveness. By converting ultrasonic vibrations into rotational energy, the technology makes possible quiet, smooth AF drive performance. EF75-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM8 Sept. 1995 World’s first7 use of Image Stabilizer (IS) technology Users can see the results of IS technology through the viewfinder. Delivering high precision and stability for superb image stabilization results, this technology expands the possibilities for handheld photography. EF400mm f/4 DO IS USM9 Dec. 2001 World’s first7 use of a diffractive optical (DO) lens element Diffraction is an optical phenomenon in which light waves bend as they pass around the edges of an object. DO lens elements use this phenomenon to correct for a variety of aberrations by controlling the path that light travels. EF24mm f/1.4L II USM Dec. 2008 World’s first10 use of Subwavelength Structure Coating (SWC) SWC technology helps to minimize reflections by aligning countless wedge-shaped structures more minute than the wavelength of visible light on the surface of a camera lens. EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM Oct. 2009 World’s first7 use of Hybrid IS, which compensates for both angle camera shake and shift camera shake Employing an algorithm, Hybrid IS optimally adjusts for camera shake based on information gathered by two sensors located in the lens. By precisely driving the optical correction system, the technology simultaneously corrects for angle and shift camera shake. EF8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM July 2011 World’s first7 fisheye lens to deliver both 180-degree diagonal angle of view and 180-degree circular fisheye The EF8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM enables the capture of images with dramatic deformations, exaggerated perspectives and extreme depths of field, making possible images that are significantly distorted, similar to what a fish might see were it to look skyward from under the water surface. EF200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x May 2013 World’s first7 super-telephoto zoom lens to employ an internal extender Featuring a built-in 1.4x extender, the EF200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x’s zoom range can be expanded with a simple one-touch operation even in locations where users are unable to switch lenses EF11-24mm f/4L USM Feb. 2015 World’s first7 lens offering ultra-wide-angle 11 mm minimum focal length In addition to achieving the world’s widest angle of view starting at a minimum focal length of 11 mm, the EF11-24mm f/4L USM effectively corrects for aberrations commonly associated with ultra-wide-angle lenses, delivering superb image-quality performance RF28-70mm F2 L USM Dec. 2018 World’s first11 standard zoom lens to deliver f/2 aperture across the entire zoom range Employs a large internal mount diameter and a short back focus to realize an f/2 aperture across the entire zoom range, a feat which was considerably difficult for EF series lenses. About Canon U.S.A., Inc. Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions to the United States and to Latin America and the Caribbean markets. With approximately $30.4 billion in global revenue, its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), ranks third overall in U.S. patents granted in 2020† and is one of Fortune Magazine's World's Most Admired Companies in 2020. Canon U.S.A. is dedicated to its Kyosei philosophy of social and environmental responsibility. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company's RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/rss and follow us on Twitter @CanonUSA. More links Canon USA Richard CanonNewsRichard CanonNews Richard has been using Canon cameras since the 1990s, with his first being the now legendary EOS-3. Since then, Richard has continued to use Canon cameras and now focuses mostly on infrared photography. Richard is the founder and editor of CanonNews since 2017, and has worked as a writer on CanonRumors and other websites in the past. Other posts by Richard CanonNews Contact author Facebook page Print Tags: CanonEF and RFMilestone Please login or register to post comments.