Canon just ended its long 82-year relationship with film as the company with the announcement it’s bidding a tearful, apologetic goodbye to its last film camera: the Canon EOS-1V.
Reports suggested the company stopped producing the EOS-1V back in 2010, but up to this point Canon has still been selling the camera and we’re guessing the firm had a large backlog of EOS-1Vs it needed to shift before calling it a day. It’s uncertain as to whether Canon has now run out of the SLR or whether it’s just decided to end sales for another reason.
“Although it is truly selfish, thank you for your kind understanding of the circumstances,” Canon wrote in a support post translated into English.
You’ll probably still be able to pick up a used EOS-1V online, but like all vintage gear, it’s going to be a lot more expensive than when it was available. Of course, the EOS line of cameras still exists in digital form as the EOS-D. EOS- D’s are compatible with EOS-1V lenses and borrow the same design of the EOS-1Vs, if you want something reminiscent of the retro camera.
Canon isn’t the first company to ditch film cameras. In fact, the company’s announcement comes just days after Leica declared it would be ceasing sales of the M7. Other major photography companies, like Nikon, are standing firm and plan to carry on selling film cameras, like the FN10 and the F6. However, it does feel like the days of film photography are numbered.
Canon has promised it will continue to repair the EOS-1V until 31 October 2025, but has also said that if the company runs out of parts beyond 31 October 2020, it could refuse to repair the camera altogether.
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