It’s party time for Canon as the brand has achieved a significant milestone with the production of 120 million interchangeable EF lenses. On 26 August 2016, Canon produced its 120-millionth EF-series interchangeable lens for EOS cameras—an EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM telephoto zoom lens. The 10-million-unit mark of EF lens production threshold was passed in 1995 and crossed the 50-million-unit mark in 2009. Five years later, in April 2014, Canon celebrated its achievement of having manufactured 100 million EF lenses. As stated by the folks at Canon, “The company’s interchangeable-lens digital cameras (digital SLR and compact system cameras), which utilize EF lenses, have maintained the No. 1 share of the global market for 13 consecutive years since 2003.”
In 1987, Canon started the production of interchangeable EF lenses for their EOS-series AF (Autofocus) single-lens reflex film cameras at the company’s Utsunomiya Plant. Following which, more manufacturing bases, including Canon Inc. (Taiwan), Canon Opto (Malaysia) and Oita Canon Inc.(Japan) were established. The company’s EF lens-series lineup currently comprises a total of 97 models, including EF Cinema Lenses for digital cinematography.
The brand claims that they have brought in some of the ‘World’s firsts’ technology in the market such as –
- Ultrasonic Motor (USM)
- Image Stabilizer (IS) technology
- Multilayered diffractive optical (DO) element
- Subwavelength Structure Coating (SWC) anti-reflection technology
Canon EF lenses equipped with world’s first technologies
| Model name | Main features and technologies | Launch date |
| EF300mm f/2.8L USM1 | World’s first2 use of a lens-based Ultrasonic Motor (USM) | Nov. 1987 |
| USM technology delivers fast autofocusing thanks to its high torque and responsiveness. By converting ultrasonic vibrations into rotational energy, the technology makes possible quiet, smooth AF drive performance. | ||
| EF75-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM3 | World’s first2 use of Image Stabilizer (IS) technology | Sep. 1995 |
| Users can see the results of IS technology through the viewfinder. Delivering high precision and stability for exceptional image stabilization results, this technology expands the possibilities for handheld photography. | ||
| EF400mm f/4 DO IS USM4 | World’s first2 use of a diffractive optical (DO) lens element | Dec. 2001 |
| Diffraction is an optical phenomenon in which light waves bend as they pass around the edges of an object. DO lens elements use this phenomenon to correct for a variety of aberrations by controlling the path that light travels. | ||
| EF24mm f/1.4L II USM | World’s first5 use of Subwavelength Structure Coating (SWC) | Dec. 2008 |
| SWC technology minimizes reflections by aligning countless wedge-shaped structures more minute than the wavelength of visible light on the surface of a camera lens. | ||
| EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM | World’s first2 use of Hybrid IS, which compensates for both angle camera shake and shift camera shake | Oct. 2009 |
| Employing a newly developed algorithm, Hybrid IS optimally adjusts for camera shake based on information gathered by two sensors located in the lens. By precisely driving the optical correction system, the technology simultaneously corrects for angle and shift camera shake. | ||
| EF8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM | World’s first2 fisheye lens to deliver both 180-degree diagonal angle of view and 180-degree circular fisheye | Jul. 2011 |
| The EF8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM enables the capture of images with dramatic deformations, exaggerated perspectives and extreme depths of field, making possible images that are significantly distorted, similar to what a fish might see were it to look skyward from under the water surface.
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| EF200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x | World’s first2 super-telephoto zoom lens to employ an internal extender | May 2013 |
| Featuring a built-in 1.4x extender, the EF200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x’s zoom range can be expanded with a simple one-touch operation even in locations where users are unable to switch lenses. | ||
| EF11-24mm f/4L USM | World’s first2 lens offering ultra-wide-angle 11 mm minimum focal length | Feb. 2015 |
| In addition to achieving the world’s widest angle of view starting at a minimum focal length of 11 mm, the EF11-24mm f/4L USM effectively corrects for aberrations commonly associated with ultra-wide-angle lenses, delivering superior image quality performance. |
- As of September 7, 2016, production for this lens has already been discontinued. Successor: EF300mm f/2.8L IS II USM (launched in August 2011).
- Among interchangeable SLR camera lenses.
- As of September 7, 2016, production for this lens has already been discontinued. Successor: EF70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM (launched in September 2005).
- As of September 7, 2016, production for this lens has already been discontinued. Successor: EF400 f/4 DO IS II USM (launched in November 2014).
- Among photography lenses.
