Learning More About Canon Digital Cameras

Canon has been a top digital camera manufacturer for many years, led by its well-known PowerShot and EOS lines. In 2020, Canon captured more than 45 percent of the global digital camera market. Here's a brief look at Canon, its history, and its current offerings.

Canon's History

Canon was founded in 1937 in Tokyo, Japan. Canon has several companies around the world, led by Canon USA in Huntington, New York.

Canon's first digital compact camera was the RC-701, which was discontinued in 1986. Since its entry into the digital camera arena, Canon has manufactured hundreds of digital camera models, including the PowerShot line of cameras popular with beginners.

Canon has been the industry leader with a few SLR (single-lens reflex) product innovations, including:

• The first SLR camera with a built-in computer processing unit (CPU) chip: the AE-1 model in 1976.
• The first auto-focus SLR with electronic control for the entire system: the Canon EOS 650 model in 1987.
• The first digital SLR to offer high-definition digital video recording: the 5D Mark II in 2008.

Today's Canon Offerings

Canon currently sells DSLR, mirrorless, and point-and-shoot cameras, along with instant camera printers. Many now offer Wi-Fi capability for easy uploading and sharing without the hassle of swapping SD cards and hooking up cables.

DSLR

Canon's DSLR camera line consists of Rebel models, typically ranging from about $450 to more than $1,000. At the top end of Canon's DSLR models are the prosumer-level cameras, which are hybrids that bridge consumer and professional devices. These range between $2,500 to $8,000.

Point-and-Shoot

Canon's high-quality PowerShot point-and-shoot models range from $300 to $500 at the lower end and up to $1,000 for the most advanced models. These cameras are known to produce outstanding image quality quickly and reliably.

Mirrorless

Mirrorless cameras are compact, interchangeable-lens cameras with digital display systems. They combine point-and-shoot functionality with professional quality. Canon's lower-end mirrorless cameras range from $500 to $1,000, with the higher-end models reaching $5,000.

Instant Camera Printers

Ivy Cliq, Canon's line of instant cameras with portable printers, is reminiscent of Polaroid cameras. The user takes a photo, then prints it instantly. They're popular with tweens and teens and range from $50 to $100.

Related Products

Canon also offers compact photo printers, photo inkjet printers, large-format inkjet printers, digital camcorders, photo scanners, film scanners, and negative scanners. Some of Canon's high-end photo printers can produce prints as large as 13 by 19 inches.

Canon also offers many accessories for its digital cameras, including lenses, batteries, AC adapters, battery chargers, flash units, memory cards, remote shutters, camera bags, and more.