Canon has achieved a lens manufacturing landmark with production of Canons EF lenses passing the 40-million mark.

Canon’s proprietary EF lens was born in March 1987 along with the EOS SLR camera system. Canon celebrated the production of its 10 millionth EF lens in August 1995, its 20 millionth in February 2001, its 30 millionth in January 2006 and, a mere two years and three months later, has now surpassed the 40-million-unit mark.

Canon’s current EF lens line-up comprises 64 models.

Press Release

CANON CELEBRATES PRODUCTION OF 40 MILLION EF LENSES

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., April 29, 2008 – Canon U.S.A., Inc. is proud to announce that Canon Inc. has achieved a new lens-manufacturing milestone as production of the Company’s EF lenses passed the 40-million mark.

Production of interchangeable EF lenses for Canon EOS-series AF (autofocus) single-lens reflex cameras began in 1987 at the Company’s Utsunomiya Plant. Canon commemorated the production of its 10 millionth EF lens in August 1995, its 20 millionth in February 2001, its 30 millionth in January 2006 and, a mere two years and three months later, has now surpassed the 40-million-unit mark. This achievement reflects users’ high level of satisfaction with the innovative technology and quality offered by EF lenses, as well as with Canon’s marketing operations and service.

Canon’s proprietary EF lens, born in March 1987 along with the EOS SLR camera system, marked a new direction in the future of AF systems and soon garnered attention for it use of a large-diameter fully electronic lens mount and an internal autofocus motor. In November of the same year, Canon introduced the industry’s firsti Ultrasonic Motor-powered lens: the EF300mm f/2.8L USM. In September 1989, the EF50mm f/1.0L USM, featuring the world’s largest apertureii of f/1.0, was launched, and in September 1995 the EF75-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM, equipped with the world’s firstiii Image Stabilizer to compensate for the effects of camera shake, made its debut. Further, in December 2001, Canon introduced the world’s first super telephoto lens to employ a diffractive optical element for camera lensesiv: the EF400mm f/4 DO IS USM. Canon’s EF lens lineup, through the incorporation of innovative technologies, has consistently led the industry.

In conjunction with the launch in September 2003 of the highly acclaimed EOS Digital Rebel SLR camera, Canon expanded its EF lens lineup with the introduction of the EF-S series of lenses, optimized for use with digital SLR cameras that incorporate APS-C size image sensors.

Canon’s current EF lens lineup comprises 64 models, the most extensive selectionv in the industry. The Company’s diverse range of EF lenses include standard and super-telephoto zoom lenses, Image Stabilizer-equipped lenses, large-aperture lenses, macro lenses, and TS-E lenses, which include a special tilt-shift mechanism that permits the manipulation of image perspective and distortion. The comprehensive product lineup effectively caters to the wide-ranging needs of a broad user base, from novice photo enthusiasts to advanced amateur and professional photographers.

Looking to the future of the total EOS system, including EF lenses, Canon will continue to promote technical innovation, from optical design to electronics and production engineering, with the aim of contributing to the creation of a new photo culture through attractive products to satisfy the needs of all users.

For more information on Canon lenses please visit, www.usa.canon.com/dlc
 

Canon has released a new firmware update for the EOS 40D 10.1 megapixel DSLR. The firmware update (version 1.0.8) fixes the following issues:

1. Fixes a phenomenon in which Image Stabilization operation emits a sound when certain buttons are pressed, with the EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS lens attached to the camera.
2. Fixes a phenomenon in which the Image Stabilization operation emits a sound from the lens when IS lenses are attached to the camera.
3. Fixes a phenomenon in which a part of the image looks unnatural when reviewed on the LCD.
4. Corrects errors in the Spanish and Norwegian menu screens.

You can download the update file here

Luminous-Landscape compares the Canon 1Ds MKIII VS Nikon D300 VS Nikon D3 and write: “Sad to say, D300 is not in the same low noise league as either the D3 or the 1Ds MKIII. Noise is more apparent, and though the exposure was 1/50th second vs the D3’s 1/60th second (essentially identical), the image was overall quite a bit darker, indicating that the ISO was likely not what the camera indicated it was; maybe ISO 1000 in reality, and the apparent dynamic range somewhat less as well. The D3 Nikon is now back in the IQ game. Canon has enjoyed a deserved reputation for high image quality, especially at high ISO. But now with the D3 Nikon has upped the ante, producing a camera that appears to offer lower noise than Canon (at least against the flagship 1Ds MKIII), and higher available speeds as well.”

Read more about the Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III

Read more about the Nikon D300

Read more about the Nikon D3

The Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III is the successor to Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II features 21.1-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor, 5 fps at shutter speeds 1/500 second or faster (for bursts of up to 45 Large/Fine JPEGs or 15 RAW images), sRAW mode; 35-zone metering system; 45-point AF; integrated Self-Cleaning Sensor Unit, and a Large 3.0-inch LCD display with Live View and seven brightness settings.

Read the full story

The Canon EOS 5D features a 12.8 megapixel Sensor (full frame), AF with 9 points, LCD of 2.5 inches, Magnesium body, DIGIC II and USB 2.0.

Each pixel is a very large 8.2µm, and is therefore able to receive a great deal of light, producing not only excellent resolution but a wide range of ISO settings and low noise levels on a par with the 8.2 megapixel EOS-1D Mark II camera. The DIGIC II Image Processor, DDR SDRAM and 4-channel reading enable an incredible burst performance of 60 Large/Fine JPEGs or 17 RAW images at 3 fps.

The Canon EOS 30D is an upgrade of the Canon EOS 20D (same 8.19 megapixel CMOS sensor) with a larger 2.5 inch LCD (230,000 pixels) with ISO up to 1600 (in 1/3 stop increments), Spot Metering and High Precision 9-point AF system.

It also features burst depth of 11 in RAW and 30 in JPEG (9 for RAW and JPEG) with selectable continuous shooting speed, DIGIC II image processor with 0.15 second start up time, E-TTL Flash and USB 2.0 Hi Speed and video out connectivity. Read the full story

The Canon EOS 400D (also known as the Canon Rebel XTi) featuring 10 megapixel CMOS sensor with improved microlens array, fill factor and lower noise, EOS Integrated Cleaning System including: Anti-static coatings on sensor surfaces, Separate low pass filter with ultra-sonic vibration, Software based dust mapping / removal.

The EOS 400D also features Nine point Auto Focus sensor (same as EOS 30D) with F2.8 support, Continuous shooting burst up to 27 JPEG and 10 RAW images, and a Single large, bright, 2.5″ LCD monitor with 160° viewing angles (horizontal and vertical).

The New Canon Rebel XT (Canon EOS 350D) is an 8.0 Megapixel (APS-C CMOS sensor) DSLR with a 3 frames per second shooting rate (14 frame bursts). It has the same DIGIC II image processor of found in the high end professional ‘D-series’ of DSLRs.

The Canon Rebel XT (known as the EOS 350D Digital in Europe and the EOS Kiss Digital 2e in Japan) also features USB 2.0, simultaneous RAW and JPEG writing and a super fast 0.2 second start up. It comes in both silver and black.

The Canon Powershot SD890 IS (IXUS 970 IS in Europe) (announced 12 March, 2008) is a 10 megapixel point and shoot with 5x optical zoom (37mm – 185mm equiv.) and a 2.5 inch PureColor II LCD display.

The Powershot SD890 IS features face diction, enhanced lens shift optical image stabilization, DIGIC III image processor, 18 shooting modes, and high ISO up to ISO 3200.

The Canon Powershot SD890 IS is expected to hit stores in early April with an estimated price of $399.99.  Read the full story

The Canon Powershot SD790 IS (IXUS 90) (announced March 12, 2008) is a 10 megapixel point and shoot camera featuring a 3x zoom lens (35mm – 105mm) and a 3.0 inch PureColour II LCD display.

The Powershot SD790 IS also features face diction, enhanced lens shift optical image stabilization, DIGIC III image processor, and 18 shooting modes.  

The Canon Powershot has dimension of 91.6 x 56.8 x 20.9mm (excluding protrusions) and weighs 155g. It is expected to hit stores at the end of March with an estimated price of $349.99. Read the full story