Less than 2 years ago, Canon hit the 40 million mark for EF lenses manufactured.  Already, Canon is celebrating the 50 million mark, which occurred during the production of the EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM lens.

Canon has announced it is celebrating a new milestone in the history of SLR photography, as production of the company’s EF lenses – which began in 1987 with the birth of Canon’s EOS SLR system – has now reached 50 million units.

This lens landmark was achieved during the manufacture of the EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM lens and means that Canon has produced over 10 million EF lenses in less than two years since the 40 million EF lens production landmark was reached.

Canon’s EF lens range dates back to 1987 when the first EF lenses rewrote the SLR rulebook with their large-diameter, fully electronic lens mount, and the incorporation of a drive motor within the lens. The 1987 EF lens range coincided with the arrival of the first camera in the EOS system, the EOS 650, and has seen many groundbreaking advances since. – Canon Europe [link]