History

‘Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory' is the predecessor of Canon Inc. and was founded in Tokyo in 1937 by Takeshi Mitarai, Goro Toshida, Saburo Uchida and Takeo Maeda.

1930s - 60s
1933 - 1936 : ‘The Kwanon'Kwanon name., Japan's first 35 mm focal plane-shutter camera, was produced in prototype form.
1940: An indirect X-ray camera, also a first for Japan, is developed.
1947: The company is renamed Canon Camera Co., Inc.
1958: A field zoom lens for television broadcasting is introduced.
1959: The world's first camcorder with a zoom lens, ‘Relfex Zoom 8', is introduced.
1961: Canon creates an outstanding Rangefinder camera, the 7, with a 50mm lens with an f/0.95 of apperture. The camera is also decline with a f/1.4 50mm.
1964: ‘Canola 130', the first Japanese made 10-key calculator is introduced. It was a substantial improvement on the design of the British Bell-Punch company that introduced the first fully electronic calculator two years earlier with the Sumlock Anita Mark 8 unit.
1965: Canon introduce the PELLIX, an SLR camera with a semi-transparent mirror who provide the possibility to take pictures trough the mirror.
1969: The company's name is changed to Canon Inc.

1970s – 00s
1971: The F-1, a top-end SLR (Single Lens Reflex) camera, and FD lenses are introduced.
1976: AE-1 launched, the world's first camera with an embedded micro-computer.
1985: The world's first Inkjet printer using Bubble Jet technology is introduced.
1987: Introduction of EOS System (Electro optical system). EOS is also the name of a goddess of the dawn. The EOS 650 autofocus SLR camera is introduced and the Canon Foundation is established.
1988: Canon introduces 'Kyosei philosophy'.
1989: The EOS RT is unvealed. This is the world's first AF SLR with a fixed, semi-transparent pellicle mirror .
1992: The EOS 5, the first-ever camera with eye-controlled AF is launched.
1995: Introduces the first commercially available SLR lens with internal image stabilization, the EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM. The EOS-1N RS the world's fastest AF SLR camera with a continuous shooting speed of 10 fps at the time. Based on the EOS-1N, the EOS-1N RS has a fixed, semi-transparent pellicle mirror with a hard coat.
1996: The ELPH (America) IXUS (Europe), a pocket-sized camera with the Advanced Photo System, is introduced.
1997: Canon enters the digital video camcorder market.
2002: Mr Fujio Mitarai, President and CEO of Canon Inc., is named one of the world's top 25 managers by BusinessWeek.
2003: The world's first portable digital X-ray system is used to reconstruct the face of an Egyptian mummy believed to be Queen Nefertiti.
2004: The XEED SX50 LCD projector is introduced.
2005: Canon's first high-definition video camcorder is introduced.
2007: Canon Europe's 50th anniversary.