1933

Phantom Prototype Camera, Kwanon

Goro Yoshida, Saburo Uchida, and Takeo Maeda develop a high-grade 35mm rangefinder camera. They establish the Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory in Azabu Ward, Tokyo.

1936

Hansa Canon

Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory releases the "Hansa Canon (Standard Model with the Nikkor 50mm f/3.5 lens)," the first commercial camera made by Canon.

Canon becomes the new trademark of Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory.

1937

Re-organization and Name Change

On August 10, 1937, the Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory is recognized as a joint-stock company and its name changed to Precision Optical Industry Co., Ltd. This date is now considered the official founding date of Canon.

1946

S II Camera

The Precision Optical Industry Co., Ltd. introduces the S II camera, which combines the viewfinder and rangefinder into a single window.

1947

Canon Camera Co., Inc.

The Precision Optical Industry Co., Inc., changes its name to Canon Camera Co., Inc.

1951

Move to Shimomaruko

Canon Camera Co., Inc. moves to Shimomaruko site, where it builds a new factory that remains today.

1956

Canon's First Movie Camera, 8-T

Canon releases the Cine 8-T, the first movie camera. They also begin development on a zoom lens, which appears later on the Canon Cinezoom 512 in 1964.

1959

The Canonflex

The Canonflex, the first Canon SLR camera is introduced.

1961

The Canonet

Canon introduces the Canonet camera, the first automatic lens shutter, 35mm camera for the masses. It's an instant hit, becoming very popular.

1964

Canon Cinezoom 512

Canon introduces the Canon Cinezoom 512 movie camera, featuring the first zoom lens.

1965

Scoopic 16

Canon introduces the Scoopic 16, the world's first 16mm movie camera intended for professional news reportage and more.

1970

Sound Scoopic 100

Canon introduces the Sound Scoopic 100, a response to a request by the NHK Technical Research Laboratory for a 16mm movie camera equipped with a simultaneous sound recording mechanism. Pre-release testing was done by NHK cameramen, by a South Pole research and observation team, and even taken to the summit of Mt. Everest without incident.

1971

Canon SLR turns pro

Canon introduces the F-1 camera, their first 35mm SLR camera for professional photographers. It becomes the official 35mm camera for the 1976 Summer Olympics and the 1980 Winter Olympics.

1971

16 new FD-series lenses

Sixteen new FD-series lenses were introduced to compliment the F-1, bringing high contrast with resolutions of more than 100 lines per millimeter.

1972

High Speed Motor Drive Camera

Canon introduces the High Speed Motor Drive Camera, capable of shooting 9 frames per second.

1973

Canon wins an Oscar®

Canon wins an Oscar® for "Development of the Canon Macro Zoom Lens for Motion Picture Photography."

1977

Canon wins an Oscar®

The K-35 series of lenses for cinematography wins an Oscar® from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

1983

T-Series

Canon introduces the T-Series camera, offering convenience features such as automatic film winding and greatly simplified controls. The T-Series culminates with the launch of the T90 in 1986.

1985

Canovision 8 VM-E1

Canon introduces the Canovision 8 VM-E1, the world's first integrated 8mm video camera.

1989

EOS-1

Canon introduces the EOS-1, the flagship of the professional EOS line. Developed at the same time as the EOS-series cameras, Canon also introduces the EF-series lenses - unique in their completely electronically controlled automatic mount that permits accurate, real-time communication between body and lens.

1991

L-1

Canon introduces the L-1, an 8mm video camcorder with interchangeable lenses. With the VL lens-mount standard, it becomes possible to use both the exclusive interchangeable lenses and the EF lenses designed for EOS cameras.

1996

Canon Wins an Emmy

Canon wins an Emmy award for "Implementation of Lens Technology to Achieve Compatibility with CCD Sensor."

1996

PowerShot 600

Canon introduces the PowerShot 600, the first digital camera independently developed by Canon.

1997

Optura

Canon introduces the Optura, its first digital video camera.

1998

EOS D2000

Canon introduces the EOS D2000, a digital SLR camera based on the EOS-1 body that captured large-for-the-time, 2MP images stored on a PCMCIA, type III drive.

1998

XL1

Canon introduces the XL1, a video camera that allows use of interchangeable lenses for professional videographers and advanced amateurs. It becomes the prime digital video camcorder of NASA and subsequently travels to outer space on the Space Shuttle.

2001

EOS-1D

Canon introduces the EOS-1D, a pro-level digital SLR for sports and news photographers. It is immediately adopted by photographers around the world.

2001

EF 400mm F/4 DO IS USM

Canon introduces the EF 400mm F/4 DO IS USM, the first telephoto lens ever to use newly developed, multi-layer diffractive optical (DO) elements. This allows the lens to be extremely compact while maintaining incredible image quality with minimal chromatic aberrations.

2002

EOS-1Ds

Canon introduces the EOS-1Ds, a full-featured 11.1 MP digital SLR with a CMOS sensor.

2004

XL2

Canon updates the XL1 professional video camera with the XL2.

2005

Canon Wins an Emmy®

Canon gets recognition for its engineering creativity in "Lens Technology Developments for Solid State Imager Cameras in High Definition Formats."

2005

EOS 5D

Canon introduces the EOS 5D, a 12.8 MP DSLR and the first full-frame camera with a standard body size.

2006

XL H1

Canon introduces the XL H1, the first interchangeable lens HD camcorder that recorded onto digital tape.

2008

EOS 5D Mark II

Canon introduces the follow-up to the EOS 5D, the EOS 5D Mark II, a 21.1 MP DSLR with a full-frame CMOS sensor. It was the first camera of its kind to offer 1080p video recording and demonstrates the relevance of full-frame DSLRs for production-level video.

2009

EOS 7D

Canon introduces the EOS 7D. It acquires significance in the independent filmmaking world as an affordable alternative to digital cinema cameras. The camera is used as a "B" camera on numerous movies and television shows.

2009

EOS-1D Mark IV

The first Canon APS-H format DSLR to feature HD video recording at 1080p resolution. Maximum ISO speed reaches 102,400 for the first time.

2010

XF105 and XF305

Canon introduces the XF105 and XF305, professional camcorders with high image quality and extreme portability for their class. Their compact size, Time Code and GenLock support help them gain popularity in reality TV, expedition-style documentary making, and on 3-D movie shoots.

2011

PL-mount Cine Zooms

Canon announces the FK14.5-60 wide-angle Cine zoom lens and the FK30-300 telephoto Cine zoom lens, the company's first 4-K ready PL-mount zoom lenses designed for cinema and TV production markets.

2011

EOS C300 and EOS C300 PL

Canon introduces the EOS C300 Cine camera line, centered around an entirely new Super 35 16:9 CMOS sensor that offers stunning low light performance and an incredible 12 stops of latitude - in a compact, modular body available in EF and PL mount options.

2011

EF Cinema Zoom and EF Cinema Prime Lenses

Canon introduces additional Cine zooms and Cine prime lenses in EF-mount configurations, expanding the creative options for cinematographers using Canon EF-mount cameras.

2012

EOS C500

Cannon announces the EOS C500 featuring a Super 35mm, 8.85-megapixel CMOS image sensor, DIGIC DV III Image Processor and an expansive range of recording and output options specifically for 4K, 2K and HD image acquisition.

2012

EOS-1D C

The EOS-1D C, Canon's first DSLR specifically designed for video, provides onboard 4K motion imaging or alternative HD motion imaging capture on CF cards in an ultra-compact form factor that enables unprecedented shooting freedom.