TOKYO – Canon Inc. has put an end to more than 80 years of its film camera business.
The company recently announced on its website the end of sales of the EOS-1v, its last remaining film camera model, as inventories ran out. Canon ceased production of the high-end single-lens reflex camera in 2010.
The company’s predecessor, Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory, launched its first film model — the Hansa Canon, a 35-millimeter focal plane shutter camera — in 1936.
The EOS-1v, released in 2000, gained popularity mainly among camera enthusiasts. But demand shrank amid the growing use of digital cameras.
Among other major Japanese makers, Nikon Corp. continues to sell film cameras.