Canon reaches milestone with production of 80 million EF lenses

"Since the first ever EF lens was produced in 1987, we've been dedicated to providing the best possible performance to users of all levels," said Steven Marshall, product marketing director, consumer imaging, Canon Europe. "Using decades of expertise and the latest optical technologies, our EF lens range offers both outstanding image quality and creative flexibility, whether you shoot stills or video. This is an incredible milestone, and speaks volumes about the quality and popularity of our EF lens line-up."

Pioneers in technical advancement

Production of Canon's world-renowned EF lens series first began in March 1987 alongside the introduction of Canon's first EOS SLR camera system at the company's Utsunomiya plant. Over the past 25 years the range has continued to pioneer technical advancement in the industry through the introduction of a series of innovative technologies, including the world's first ultrasonic motor-powered lens and image stabiliser technology, as well as a multi-layered diffractive optical element, and sub-wavelength structure coating anti-reflection technology.

Designed to offer both photographers and video-graphers exceptional creative flexibility, the EF lens series now comprises over 76 different models. The range now also includes an expanding selection of 4K-resolution EF Cinema Lenses that provide class-leading professional video performance. In July 2012, Canon also announced a new line of EF-M lenses developed specifically for the company's EOS M compact system camera, which combine Canon's signature image quality with compact, lightweight designs.