Thursday, December 27, 2007

Milestones for Canon

There are a few important milestones for Canon happening right now. 1) They’re celebrating their 70th Anniversary as a company. 2) They’re celebrating their 20th Anniversary of making EOS SLR cameras. 3) They’ve just produced their 30 Millionth EOS camera. Congratulations to Canon.

Canon made the switch from manual focus cameras to autofocus cameras in 1987 with the introduction of the EOS 650 camera. They had established a large loyal following through the 60s and 70s with pro-oriented cameras like the F1 and amateur-oriented cameras like the very popular AE-1. At one time, it seemed like everyone was using an AE-1. Then in 1987, they made the tough choice to change lens-mounts and come up with a totally new AF line of cameras and lenses. Even at that time, they were seeing the eventual change from film cameras to digital cameras, and with the new lens-mount system it would be easier to make that transition. After making the change, Canon has been more popular than ever, trading the #1 spot with Nikon back and forth ever since.

I bought my first Canon SLR in 1989, when I picked up a brand new EOS-1, their professional level camera. I loved the camera and the Canon lenses. Previously, I had been using first Nikon and then Olympus cameras, but decided to make the shift to autofocus, since that was where the industry was going. I never regretted that decision. Over the years I’ve continued to use Canon cameras, switching to digital bodies when they became available—first the D30 in 2000, then a 10D, a Rebel XTi, and soon a 40D. It’s been a fun trip and I plan to continue using these fine cameras. Thanks, Canon.

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