Canon celebrates production of 250 million digital cameras

TOKYO, Japan, March 27, 2014—Canon Inc. today celebrated a camera-manufacturing milestone as combined production of the Company’s compact digital and interchangeable-lens digital cameras surpassed 250 million units on January 31, 2014

Canon EOS 70D Digital Camera

The EOS 70D, featuring
innovative autofocus technology

Canon Powershot G1 X Mark II Digital Camera

The PowerShot G1 X Mark II,
targeting the highest levels
of imaging performance

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 norm, Canon launched its first digital camera, the professional-model EOS DCS 3* digital SLR camera.

At the 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 IXY DIGITAL (PowerShot S100 or DIGITAL IXUS in markets outside of Japan), featuring a ground-breaking compact, stylish body design that set the trend for compact digital cameras.

Subsequent models released by the Company 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 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 lineup of compact digital cameras that let users enjoy high value-added photography, including the PowerShot G1 X Mark II, 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, with the start of the 2000s, the segment rapidly took off. In 2000, Canon launched the EOS D30, 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. In 2003, Canon again led the market with the introduction of the entry-level-model EOS Kiss Digital (EOS Digital Rebel or EOS 300D), which set the stage for dramatic expansion of the market.

Since that time, Canon has successively launched innovative products that capitalize 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 targeting 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 50 million units. Among the new products worthy of note that contributed to the realization of this milestone were the EOS 70D, featuring innovative Dual Pixel CMOS AF autofocus technology, and the entry-level EOS Kiss X7 (EOS Rebel SL1 or 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 and 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.

 

2013 Best Cameras. Find the Top Cameras Released in 2013

By  (http://cameras.about.com/)

2013 was another very good year for digital cameras, with plenty of innovations. As they have for several years, prices continue to drop, giving photographers more value for their dollars. Advanced fixed-lens cameras have been especially plentiful from manufacturers, offering a clear set of advantages over point-and-shoot models and cell phone cameras. Interchangeable lens camera, both DIL and DSLR models, also have been popular in 2013.

Having had a chance to fully test and review several cameras during the year, and having had a chance to informally test and consider dozens more models, here are some of the best cameras I’ve seen during 2013.

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The “Digipod” is simply a digital 35mm film cartridge, that once adjusted, will fit most still SLR cameras

Short Summary

As a 58 year old ex-professional photographer I have for years been looking at a number of old analogue or as I call them wet film (refers to the developing process) SLR camera bodies that I used as a young professional, all of which are precision mechanical instruments, they all hold great memories and have taken some great images.

Some are completely mechanical others have batteries to power meters, there are Nikons, Canons and a couple of Leicas’, in my eyes they are all works of art and I have taken some wonderful images with them, but they have not taken pictures for a number of years and that’s a sin.

So for the last five years been looking for a way to make a digital film pod to replace the 35mm film for these cameras, there has been a number of prototypes and a very steep learning curve for me.

I wanted the Digipod to be as versatile as possible in the space available, so there is no hard memory, everything is saved to a micro sd card, plus it has a mini USB for direct connection to a computer and a built in battery.

Others have tried, notably “Silicon” back in 2000, but they failed due to technical problems. Having researched their attempt, I came to the conclusion that it was an overcomplicated project which made it too expensive and the hardware was just too big, given that the smallest memory cards in 1999 were the thin smart media cards and a maximum of 128mb memory (about 24, pictures at that time) so it’s no surprise that they fell by the wayside!

See full description at IndieGoGO Project Digipod Page

Unleash your camera’s inner Hulk with a free hack to the firmware

By Les Shu  —   

Last year, two Canadian teenagers, Mathew Ho and Asad Muhammad, successfully sent a Lego mini figure up into space using a weather balloon as the vehicle. To document the event from liftoff to crash-land, they rigged a basic Canon point-and-shoot camera to continuously snap photos. While it sounds like a complicated science project, it’s actually something many have successfully accomplished (Ho and Muhammad just made theirs unique by sending the little Lego guy with it and, oh, they’re teens). And hacking the camera might actually be the easy part, thanks to an open-source firmware update.

While cameras are often already loaded with features, software-based hacks can add new shooting capabilities not mentioned in the instruction manual. If the inner MacGyver in you is up for some tinkering – and you happen to own a Canon camera, in particular – here are some hacks that will unlock your camera’s hidden potential and add extra value. (Set aside a weekend to study up on the guides before you attemp

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The Worlds First 35MM Do it Yourself SLR Camera Experience the essence of photography.

From Lomography Konstructor http://microsites.lomography.com/

Perfect for Do-It-Yourself lovers and those interested in learning, understanding and experiencing how analogue photography works, the Konstruktor is a fully-functional 35mm SLR camera which you can easily build at home.

Through the fantastically fun process of assembling this beautiful machine, you’ll learn the essence of photography and be able to shoot wonderfully sharp and vibrant analogue photos. It’s time to take the next step on your exciting photographic adventure and boost your creativity to the max. With the Konstruktor, you don’t just capture analogue beauty, you Konstruct it!

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