Digital photography completely changed the image-making industry. Photographers no longer needed to stock up on film, limit themselves to 36 exposures before changing rolls and then wait while images were developed in the darkroom, either by themselves or a processing house.
Instead, in went the memory card, click went the shutter and you instantly saw the image you'd just created.
Digital has definitely made things easier for photographers but there will still be some that look back on the days of film cameras with fondness. It’s this group who will be most saddened by the news that Canon to stop selling its last film camera. An announcement made by Canon Japan says sales of the iconic Canon EOS 1-v - the fastest burst rate film camera at its time of launch - will stop.
The EOS 1-V replaced the EOS 1 (pictured) and was Canon's last Pro-spec film camera.
If you are a Canon EOS 1-v user, there were some words of reassurance regarding maintenance; “We will also take repair measures until October 31, 2025, even after the repair correspondence period of our company's repair service contract for the purpose of improving service and support for customers who use this product,” stated the announcement, although it followed up by saying that after October 31, 2020, Canon could refuse the repair if parts are not available in its inventory.
Many newcomers to digital photography may not have even known Canon was still selling film cameras. The EOS 1-v could shoot ten frames per second when paired with the power drive booster and was released in 2000 as the successor to the EOS 1 (pictured above). The 1-v had a 45 zone phase detection AF system and was the last professional film camera made by Canon before production stopped in 2015.
The 1DX MarkII is Canon's current flagship DSLR.
The announcement to stop selling the 1-v brings to a close the film camera element of Canon’s history, which began in 1937 with the release of Kwanon's (as the brand was called then) first 35mm camera. While the film side of the business may have drawn to a close, Canon is still number one for digital cameras. In March 2018, Canon maintained its position as number one for market share - the 15th consecutive year (2003-2017) its claimed top spot.
. digitalrev.com2018-6-1 03:00
