MELVILLE, N.Y.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Canon U.S.A. Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, today
announced that its parent company, Canon Inc., has reached a camera
manufacturing milestone as combined production of the Companyâs compact
digital and interchangeable-lens digital cameras surpassed 250 million
units on January 31, 2014.
Canon, a company that has continuously produced cameras since its
founding in 1937, began producing and marketing digital cameras in the
mid-1990s. In 1995, when film cameras were still the preferred camera
type, Canon launched its first digital camera, the professional-model
EOS DCS 31 Digital SLR camera.
Compact cameras were leading the digital shift within the camera
industry when, in 1996, Canon announced its market entry with the
introduction of the PowerShot 600 digital camera, the Companyâs first
compact digital camera. In 2000, amid the marketâs rapid growth, Canon
launched the PowerShot S100 Digital ELPH camera featuring a
groundbreaking compact, stylish body design that set the trend for Canon
compact digital cameras.
Subsequent models released by Canon reflected the diverse evolution of
compact digital cameras with models becoming increasingly compact and
lightweight, achieving higher sensitivity, incorporating more enhanced
automatic functions, and realizing greater network connectivity. This
evolution fueled robust growth as Canonâs cumulative production of
compact digital cameras surpassed the 100 million unit mark in 2008, and
broke through the 200 million unit threshold in December 2013. Aiming to
further extend its production volume, in 2014 Canon launched a new
lineup of feature-packed, compact digital cameras including the
PowerShot G1 X Mark II digital camera and the PowerShot N100 digital
camera.
As for interchangeable-lens digital cameras, while the market in the
mid-1990s had consisted primarily of professional models, the consumer
digital SLR camera segment began to grow as Canon launched the EOS D30
Digital SLR in 2000. Developed as a ânext-generation standard digital
SLR cameraâ the EOS D30 DSLR was built to satisfy the needs of a wide
user base, from advanced photo enthusiasts to professional users. In
2003, Canon again led the market with the introduction of the
entry-level model EOS Digital Rebel, which set the stage for a dramatic
expansion of the consumer market.
Since that time, Canon has successively launched innovative products
that capitalize on the Companyâs strengths in CMOS sensors, image
processors and EF lenses, such as the professional-model EOS-1 camera
series and game-changing EOS 5D camera series, including the EOS 5D Mark
II Digital SLR which sparked the DSLR revolution in moviemaking. As a
result, in 2005, production of Canon interchangeable-lens digital
cameras reached 25 million units and, in February 2014, surpassed 50
million units. Among the new products contributing to the realization of
this milestone were the EOS 70D digital SLR camera, featuring innovative
Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology, and the entry-level EOS Rebel SL1 digital
SLR camera, the worldâs smallest and lightest digital SLR2 camera
equipped with an APS-C size sensor.
Canon will continue to refine its diverse imaging technologies based on
its core optical technologies, striving to produce exceptional and
reliable cameras and lenses that cater to the varying needs of
photographersâfrom first-time users to advanced amateurs and
professionalsâwhile contributing to expanding the culture of
photographic and video imaging.
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. With
approximately $36 billion in global revenue, its parent company, Canon
Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), ranks third overall in U.S. patents registered in 2013â
and is one of Fortune Magazine’s Worldâs Most Admired Companies in 2014.
In 2013, Canon U.S.A. has received the PCMag.com Readersâ Choice Award
for Service and Reliability in the digital camera and printer categories
for the tenth consecutive year, and for camcorders for the past three
years. Canon U.S.A. is committed to the highest level of customer
satisfaction and loyalty, providing 100 percent U.S.-based consumer
service and support for all of the products it distributes. 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.
â Based on weekly patent counts issued by United States Patent and
Trademark Office.
1 The EOS DCS 3, jointly developed by Canon and
Eastman Kodak, was also sold under the Kodak brand.
2 Among digital SLR cameras equipped with an APS-C
size equivalent sensor. As of March 1, 2014, based on a survey by Canon.
Article source: http://petapixel.com/2012/09/09/sony-rx1-leaks-a-full-frame-fixed-lens-compact-camera-for-2800/
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