Today, Canon gets to celebrates a significant milestone with the announcement of the production of the company’s 150-millionth RF and EF series interchangeable lens for EOS cameras.
The 150 millionth unit produced was an RF 70-200mm F2.8 L IS USM telephoto zoom lens.
Laid end-to-end, all of the RF and EF lenses Canon has manufactured thus far would measure approximately 12,450 km in length – nearly equivalent to the Earth’s diameter (approx. 12,742 km).
EF lens production passed the 10-million-unit mark in 1995 and crossed the 50-million-unit threshold in 2009. In April 2014, Canon celebrated its world-first achievement of having manufactured 100 million interchangeable lenses. Now, Canon is setting a new world record for the most interchangeable lenses produced, with the Company manufacturing its 150-millionth RF and EF lens in January 2021.
Laid end-to-end, all of the RF and EF lenses Canon has manufactured thus far would measure approximately 12,450 km in length – nearly equivalent to the Earth’s diameter (approx. 12,742 km)[2].
Canon’s EF lenses were first launched in March 1987 along with the EOS SLR camera system. Over the years they have continued to evolve through the incorporation of a wide range of innovative technologies. These innovations include such world’s firsts as:
- Ultrasonic Motor (USM)
- Image Stabilizer (IS) technology
- Multilayered diffractive optical (DO) element.
In 2018, Canon introduced the EOS R system and the RF series lenses. Today, the RF and EF lens series line-up consists of 118 models.
According to Canon, they have maintained the No.1 global market share for digital interchangeable-lens cameras since 2003. In September 2019, the company celebrated the production of 100 million EOS-series interchangeable-lens cameras.
