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Canon Celebrates New Milestone

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Selangor (27 March 2014) — Canon Marketing (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd celebrated a camera-manufacturing milestone today as combined global production of the Company’s 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 largely used, Canon launched its first digital camera, the professional-model EOS DCS 3* digital SLR camera.

During that time, compact cameras were leading the digital shift within the camera industry. In 1996, Canon announced its market entry with the introduction of the PowerShot 600, the Company’s first compact digital camera. In 2000, amid the market’s rapid growth, Canon launched the PowerShot S100 or more commonly known as DIGITAL IXUS, featuring a ground-breaking compact and stylish body design that set the trend for compact digital cameras.

Subsequent models which were then released by the Company, reflected the diverse evolution of compact digital cameras. Not only were these new models more compact and lightweight, they were also lauded for their ability to achieve higher sensitivity, while incorporating more enhanced automatic functions, and realising greater network connectivity. This evolution fuelled robust growth as Canon’s 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 line-up of compact digital cameras that let users enjoy high value-added photography, such as the PowerShot G1 X Mark II which is designed to deliver the highest levels of imaging performance, and the new-concept-model PowerShot N100.

As for interchangeable-lens digital cameras, while the market in the mid-1990s had consisted primarily of professional models, there was a significant change in the usage of cameras at the start of the new millennium, which saw the segment’s rapid growth. In year 2000, Canon launched the EOS D30, which was developed as a “next-generation standard digital SLR camera” to satisfy the needs of a wide user base, from advanced photo enthusiasts to professional users. Canon again led the market in 2003 with the introduction of the entry-level-model EOS 300D, which set the stage for dramatic expansion of the market.

Since then, Canon has successively launched innovative products that capitalised on the Company’s strengths in CMOS sensors, image processors, and EF lenses such as the professional-model EOS-1 series and EOS 5D series, which are targeted at advanced-amateur users, as well as the compact-camera-system EOS M series. As a result, in 2005, production of Canon interchangeable-lens digital cameras reached 25 million units and, in February 2014, surpassed the 50 million unit mark. Among the new products worthy of note that contributed to the realisation of this milestone were the EOS 70D, featuring the innovative Dual Pixel CMOS AF autofocus technology, and the entry-level EOS 100D, which combines a ground-breaking compact, lightweight body design with advanced basic performance.

Canon will continue to refine its diverse imaging technologies based on its core optical technologies, striving to produce exceptional and reliable cameras, as well as lenses that cater to the varying needs of photographers—from first-time users to advanced amateurs and professionals—while contributing to expanding the culture of photographic and video imaging.

* The EOS DCS 3, jointly developed by Canon and Eastman Kodak, was also sold under the Kodak brand.

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