Canon at a glance
Canon is a Japanese maker of cameras, lenses, printers and office equipment, founded in 1937. For many years it has been one of the largest camera makers in the world. Its EOS system, first with SLR cameras and the EF mount and now with mirrorless cameras and the RF mount, is widely used by sports, news, wildlife and wedding photographers.
History
1933 to 1934. The Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory was founded in Tokyo and built the Kwanon, a prototype for Japan’s first 35mm camera with a focal-plane shutter.
1937. The laboratory became the company Precision Optical Instruments, later renamed Canon.
1987. Canon introduced the EOS system (Electro-Optical System) with the EOS 650 and the fully electronic EF lens mount.
2018. The EOS R introduced the RF mount for full-frame mirrorless cameras.
2020s. Canon moved its focus from SLRs to the EOS R system. The EOS M system with the EF-M mount is no longer part of the range.
Systems and mounts
RF mount (EOS R). Full-frame and APS-C mirrorless cameras. APS-C models use RF-S lenses, and EF lenses work with an adapter. Canon has also allowed selected third-party lenses, starting with APS-C lenses from Sigma and Tamron.
EF and EF-S mount (EOS SLR). The SLR system from 1987. Many EF lenses are still in use on adapters.
Cinema EOS. Video cameras for film and television.
PowerShot. Compact cameras.
Current mirrorless cameras
EOS R cameras listed on canon-europe.com, checked on November 3, 2026:
Professional: EOS R1, EOS R3, EOS R5 Mark II, EOS R5 C.
Enthusiast: EOS R6 Mark III, EOS R6 Mark II, EOS R8 Mark II, EOS R8, EOS RP.
Entry level and video: EOS R50 V, EOS R100 and other APS-C models.
Model availability differs between regions, and older models often stay on sale for some time.
Photographers who used Canon
Photographers in Photopedia who have worked with Canon include Vincent Laforet, George Steinmetz, Walter Iooss, Peter Read Miller, Christopher Anderson and David Muench.
Sources: Canon Inc. (Wikipedia), Canon EOS R (Wikipedia), canon-europe.com (current range, November 2026).
Last updated: November 2026
Blackmagic Design is the Australian maker of cinema cameras and DaVinci Resolve. This overview covers its history since 2001, the current cameras and its software.