Celebrating 35 years of the Canon EOS-1 Series

September 2024 marks 35 years since the introduction of the Canon EOS-1, the first flagship model in Canon's EOS series of interchangeable lens cameras.

EOS stands for Electro Optical System and is also the name of the goddess of the dawn in classical Greek mythology. Canon's EOS technology made its debut in March 1987 in the EOS 650, the world's first SLR camera with a fully electronic lens mount. The EOS-1, which followed in 1989, was Canon's first top-of-the-line professional model with this system, using electrical signals to control such functions as autofocusing and aperture adjustment.

Designed to satisfy the advanced demands of professional photographers, the EOS-1 featured cutting-edge technologies and class-leading levels of performance, as well as high durability, robustness and reliability. These qualities have been core to the Canon EOS-1 Series throughout its development, down to today's flagship model, the full-frame mirrorless Canon EOS R1.

Here, we celebrate the heritage and technological evolution of the Canon EOS-1 Series and also hear from four distinguished pro photographers working in different genres – Richard Walch (sports), Sanjay Jogia (wedding), Brent Stirton (photojournalism), and Ellie Rothnie (wildlife) – who share how their Canon EOS kit has shaped and enabled their careers over time.

“The Canon 1 Series traces its origins to the Canon F-1, released in 1971,” says Go Tokura, Executive Vice President and Chief Executive of Imaging Business Operations, Canon Inc. “The Canon F-1 was the first professional-grade system camera in which the camera, interchangeable lenses and accessories were planned and designed to work together and deliver exceptional performance.

“Carrying on the Canon F-1’s system concept, the EOS-1 was designed so that professional photographers could build the ultimate system with the camera, interchangeable lens and accessory lineup according to their needs.”

Canon supported this ambitious concept with technological innovation. “Each of the 1 Series models throughout our history has always incorporated the latest technologies to offer ‘ultimate performance and ultimate reliability,’ achieving a superior level of quality that sets them apart,” Mr Tokura says.

Richard Walch is a renowned action sports photographer and Canon Ambassador, whose career mirrors the evolution of the Canon EOS series. "My whole career is linked to the history of Canon," he says.

"I did an internship at the Dallas Morning News," he reveals. "I was in an elevator and the lead photographer came in. He had an EOS camera around his neck with a big telephoto lens, on his way out to an American football game. And I was just like, wow!"

One trend that can be identified within the evolution of the EOS range is increasing speed – faster continuous shooting, and faster autofocus acquisition.

"I dedicated my career to extreme sport photography, snowboarding as my number one occupation," says Richard. "That's where I built my career – an extremely fast sport back at the time. And I wanted to use a camera with the fastest autofocus.

"I turned pro when the EOS-1 N was launched in 1994," Richard continues. "This camera was the reason why I chose Canon in the first place. Since then, I have shot using the complete line of Canon film and digital cameras all the way to the EOS-1D X Mark III."

When asked what sets the EOS range apart, Richard shared his take. “Canon decided to put the autofocus motor into the lens, and they could customise each motor for each lens perfectly. Today that’s how everybody does it.  But back in the day Canon were the first ones to master that.”

Canon Ambassador Sanjay Jogia is a globally recognised, award winning wedding photographer, capturing both posed and candid images filled with elegance, emotion and personality. His business, Eye Jogia Photography, caters to the luxury wedding market, specialising in destination weddings and Indian weddings.

Canon's EOS series has always been popular among wedding photographers. These cameras offer exceptional images, fast autofocus, and robust build quality. Sanjay shot his first wedding on an EOS-5D Mark II before switching to the EOS-1 Series.

“I was always fascinated by the EOS-1 Series," he says, "its form factor, its ergonomics, the ability to customise, which always increased generation by generation.” 

Sanjay’s journey reflects the evolution of wedding photography and the enduring reliability of Canon EOS systems. According to Sanjay, Hindu weddings typically include “lots of activity, lots of movement and lots of people involved.” He commends the cameras for helping him to capture some of the best content in the fast-paced environment of a wedding where’s there so much happening all at once.

He tells a story of a how his Canon camera helped him to capture two beautiful moments in one, at a Hindu wedding he shot.

“The bride and groom are standing up. They're pouring some things into a fire. Then in the background, the mum is standing there crying. We made a really beautiful shot of the mum out of focus in the background. The secondary focus point was already pre-focused on her. So when [the couple] were done, I could just press a button, and the camera committed to that other focus point. I could get that shot of Mum crying before it was too late.”

Summing up, Sanjay remarks that the best thing about his Canon kit is that it gives photographers the opportunity to "focus on the creativity without worrying about your equipment.”

Canon's EOS cameras have been a critical part of the journey for many photojournalists. For this kind of work, you need a reliable camera, one that will be durable through real life events. Brent Stirton, a distinguished documentary photographer and Canon Ambassador, has relied on Canon EOS cameras for over 25 years to document some of the most significant global events. His work aims captures the raw essence of human experiences and environmental changes, through breathtaking and often raw imagery.

“I’ve been covering a lot of conventional photojournalism issues," he says. "I just think humans are very fatigued with human conflict. We spend a lot of time looking outside of our own culture, when in fact we should look within our own culture.”

Brent describes Canon's EOS range as "extraordinarily capable cameras" and particularly values their durability and reliability. When you’re shooting in areas where there is conflict, crisis or any unfavourable conditions, you need a camera that can handle anything.

“It must work in any kind of condition. And needs to be able to take a bit of a knock, you know? Really, that's always been my key reason for using Canon cameras. They're built like a tank.”

In addition, Brent values the contribution of Canon's autofocus technologies to help him get a sharp shot no matter how challenging the conditions. “Autofocus has been a blessing for a while," he declares, but being able to focus automatically on a subject's eye is a particular benefit to him.

“With facial recognition, deep learning and eye focus, the camera locks on and stays where you're looking. My throw-away rate is zero now, even with lenses at wide-open apertures like f/1.4 or f/1.2. I have more tools than ever before to ensure I can make the shot."

Wildlife photographer and Canon Ambassador Ellie Rothnie has grown her career travelling the globe. For her, the speed and responsiveness of Canon's EOS-1 Series cameras have been invaluable in capturing sharp, detailed images of fast-moving animals.

“You can customise your camera to suit how you shoot," she says, "and that means when you're out in the field and you need to act pretty quickly, you can just press one of your custom buttons to switch from a fast shutter speed to a slower one for a panning shot to follow the movement of an animal, for example, and off you go.”

This has always given Ellie that sense of confidence when shooting, she says. “You can be creative with it all because you just know that the camera is going to do what you want it to do.”

Wildlife photographers appreciate the advanced autofocus capabilities of Canon EOS cameras. Ellie states that with the erratic nature of wildlife, for her it’s the most important thing about these cameras.

“The autofocus capabilities of Canon EOS cameras have enabled me to capture those fleeting moments of elusive animals in the field. The AF is generally fast, it's responsive and it's accurate. With each new model, that's getting even better and better.”

Ellie recently had the opportunity to test the Canon EOS R1, and embraces it as the next step up in camera technologies. The silent shooting capability enabled by the mirrorless EOS R System technology, she says, “is so important, because you never want to disturb the wildlife or disrupt their behaviour.” In addition, the Eye Control AF feature (originally developed by Canon 30 years ago, then refined and re-introduced in the EOS R3, which Ellie used previously) will enable her to shift the autofocus point more quickly and efficiently than ever. Combining this with the camera’s animal eye tracking AF functionality and the breakthrough pre-continuous shooting feature – which captures 20 frames before the shutter is fully pressed, whether you are shooting in HEIF, JPEG or even RAW – Ellie says she’s never going to miss a shot.

From a practical perspective, Ellie adds that she has always valued the build quality and weather resistance of Canon’s pro series cameras. “As a wildlife photographer, you're putting your equipment through a lot of challenges, so it's really important that your equipment is robust and weather sealed. The EOS-1 Series cameras are so robust. You can pretty much put those cameras through anything and they just don't let you down.”

Ellie's work not only showcases the beauty of wildlife but also highlights the importance of conservation. Photography has enabled her to connect with nature, and she recounts one unforgettable memory in her journey:

“With a wide-angle lens, I was lying under a vehicle, photographing a herd of elephants walking right past me. What was so beautiful was that they were communicating with their rumble to each other, and that rumbling was resonating through the earth and hitting me in the chest. It was unbelievable, just that whole experience.”

The EOS-1, Canon's top-of-the-line 35mm film SLR camera, brought EOS technology to meet the needs of professional photographers in 1989. Since then, the EOS-1 Series has evolved, continually pushing the boundaries of photography technology. Here are some milestones:

• 1994: The EOS-1N, featuring an increased number of focusing points and increased predictive focusing when tracking moving subjects.
• 2000: The EOS-1V, equipped with the E-TTL flash metering system plus 45-point high-density Area AF, which contributed to high-speed predictive AF of up to 9 frames per second.
• 2001: The EOS-1D, Canon's first flagship-model professional digital SLR camera. It had a 4.1MP APS-H sized CCD sensor.
• 2002: The EOS-1Ds, the first EOS DSLR with a full-frame 35mm-equivalent CMOS sensor. It produced high-quality 11.4MP images and was capable of saving 12-bit RAW.
• 2004: The EOS-1D Mark II, designed for professional sports and wildlife photographers. It had 8.2MP effective resolution, 8.5fps continuous shooting, wireless capability, and a second card slot.
• 2007: The EOS-1D Mark III, with 10fps burst shooting capabilities, 63-zone exposure metering, Ethernet compatibility, a new autofocus sensor with 19 cross-type AF points, and a larger 3-inch LCD screen with the all-new Live View feature.
• 2007: The EOS-1Ds Mark III, with a 21MP full frame sensor, dual DIGIC III image processors driving 5fps continuous shooting, and the new Live View feature.
• 2009: The EOS-1D Mark IV, which includes a new autofocus module with 45 AF points, 39 of them cross-type, plus HD video recording at 1080p resolution.
• 2012: The EOS-1D X, with 20.1MP full frame CMOS sensor, burst shooting with autofocus at 16fps (viewfinder) or 20fps (Live View), and 4K RAW video recording.
• 2012: The EOS-1D C was also released, a cinema orientated camera offering 4K video with a 10-bit 4:2:2 colour space and Canon Log capabilities internally.
• 2016: The EOS-1D X Mark II, with improved low light performance and AI Servo AF III autofocus, plus support for CFast memory cards. With CFast 2.0 cards and the camera's new buffer, you could take up to 170 RAW images or an unlimited number of JPEGS in a burst.
• 2020: The EOS-1D X Mark III offered a 20.1MP CMOS sensor with Canon's Dual Pixel CMOS AF system, HEIF 10-bit image recording, 5.5K RAW video, and a nearly unlimited buffer.
• 2024: The EOS R1, the top-of-the-line model in Canon's mirrorless EOS R System range, which began in 2018 with the original EOS R. The EOS R1 has a 24.2MP full frame BSI stacked CMOS sensor, Dual Pixel Intelligent AF with Cross Type AF, up to 40fps continuous shooting, and a new DIGIC Accelerator processor alongside the DIGIC X processor for extraordinary performance.

“Canon identified what a professional grade camera system should be more than 50 years ago,” Mr Tokura declares, “and in this half century of history, we have listened to the feedback of many professionals and incorporated innovative technologies of each era as we refined the system in pursuit of that ideal. This unwavering conviction and legacy of expertise has earned us the trust of professionals to this day, and this 1 Series history now advances to the next era with the EOS R1.”

The aim of the Canon EOS-1 Series has consistently been to offer “ultimate performance and ultimate reliability”. Photographers around the world will be excited to see where the evolution of the series empowers them to go as the journey continues.