Canon's Flagship F-1 Series

The company unveiled the long awaited professional camera, Canon F-1. Many types of accessories which enabled seamless and instant compatibility with the top-of-the-line 35mm camera were also prepared to realize systematic photography. The camera system was widely accepted and dominated the market. New FD series lenses were also introduced one after another during this period, ushering in a new era for SLR cameras. A great progress was also made in the 8mm cinecameras.

"F-1" Responding to the Needs of Professional Photographers

The history of Canon’s 35mm SLR cameras began with the "Canonflex." Although a lot of technology had been incorporated into the SLR camera, around the fall of 1964, there had been growing calls both inside and outside of the company for Canon to embark on production of a very advanced SLR camera to meet the requirements of professional photographers.

After five years of development efforts, the "F-1," which has left the most glorious footprints in the history of the camera, was unveiled in March 1971. In an effort to develop the "F-1," Canon was said to have invested significant human, financial and technological resources. The time and energy put into developing the "F-1" was equivalent to that required for developing 10 or more conventional cameras.
*The "F-1" System - a very impressing sight*
Normally, a new camera was initially marketed as a set comprised of the body and a few major accessories, followed by additional accessories introduced gradually into the market as necessary. Being intended for immediate professional use, the "F-1" was released with a full compliment of system accessories including some introduced for previous models. More than 180 accessories including lenses and filters were available for the "F-1."

The concept behind the development of the "F-1" was a camera exclusively designed for professional photographers. In addition to the multitude of accessories and functions, it proved to be durable, highly reliable and performed well even under the harsh conditions professional photographers are often forced to confront. It was durable enough to take 100,000 exposures, allow instant application of all system accessories without adjustment, and perform in temperatures from -30 degrees to +60 degrees Celsius. There is an anecdote that a salesperson stood on top of the camera to prove its durability. Thanks to its reliability, the "F-1" was designated as an official 35mm camera for the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada, and the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, U.S.A.

Based on technology developed for the "F-1" camera, in 1972 the company succeeded in producing the "High Speed Motor Drive Camera" having the shooting speed of nine frames per second. Because of its outstanding performance at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games in West Germany that year, the camera gained a high reputation among the domestic and overseas press.

The "FTb" camera, a high-quality mass-market model was launched simultaneously with the "F-1." It had the same basic functions as the "F-1," and used the same new FD-series lenses, which allowed maximum-aperture TTL metering, and cordless flash sync with a hot shoe. Thanks to the outstanding technical approach and performance, production of the "FTb" reached one million within three years of its launch, making it a mainstay product for Canon.*Commemoration of the millionth "FTb" at the Fukushima Plant*