11 and 10 researched events on one shared scale. Argus 1931–present, Canon 1933–present.
The axis stretches where either maker has research and collapses where neither does, so a year sits opposite the same year on both. Event counts differ because research depth differs, not because one company did less.
International Radio Corporation built Kadette radios in molded cabinets in Ann Arbor. Charles Verschoor looked for a product that could keep the plant busy outside the radio season, and the company applied its plastics experience and mass-production ambitions to an inexpensive 35mm camera launched in May 1936.
The compact Model A paired a molded body and collapsible lens with a price far below imported miniature cameras. AF, B, A2B and A2F versions added focusing, a faster shutter-lens package, or exposure guidance, turning one successful idea into a family that helped normalize 35mm photography for American amateurs.
The C introduced rangefinder measurement, the C2 coupled it to the lens by an external gear, and the flash-synchronized C3 established the famous rectangular form. Its body-mounted shutter accepted a modest ecosystem of normal, wide and telephoto front assemblies from Argus and outside optical suppliers.
Argus "C" Series Cameras · Argus C-Series Part IV - Lenses and Use
The K, 828-film M, A3, photoelectric-metered CC, postwar Model 19, A4 and C20 moved beyond the main A and C families. They tested half-frame options, built-in exposure aids, metal construction and streamlined forms, leaving a varied record of how Argus searched for the next durable amateur-camera formula.
Argoflex cameras carried Argus into 120 and 620 roll film, from the plastic E to Harley Earl-styled metal models and simplified Forty and Seventy-Five variants. The recalled Argoflex II, revised EM and EF, and later boxlike models show experimentation with film transport, flash and waist-level viewing.
Government work began before American entry into the war. In August 1942 Argus stopped civilian output, stored camera machinery and unfinished stock, and devoted the expanded Ann Arbor plant to military optical and radio equipment. The work broadened skills, employment and the factory complex before peacetime production returned.
The Model 21 brought a removable back, projected framelines, automatic shutter cocking and flash features. C4, C4R, C44 and C44R cameras developed that metal-bodied platform through coupled rangefinding, rapid advance and a proprietary interchangeable-lens system, distinct from the older C-series interface.
Argus Metal Bodied Removable Back Cameras · Argus C44 and C44R Manual: Lens Specifications
Sylvania reached an agreement to acquire Argus Cameras in 1956 and operated the business from 1957. The purchase placed the Ann Arbor maker inside a larger electronics company while its established cameras, projectors and optical products continued under the Argus name during a rapidly changing import market.
History of Argus · Sylvania Electric Products Inc. 1956 Annual Report
Standard and Match-Matic C3 editions refreshed the established camera, while C33 and Autronic models coupled exposure settings more closely to accessory meters or automatic controls. The changes made picture taking quicker but also reveal how Argus tried to update a body concept rooted in the late 1930s.
Mansfield Industries bought Argus in March 1962, and the combined concern adopted the Argus, Inc. name that May. Camera production moved away from Ann Arbor over the following years as the badge appeared on imported equipment, changing Argus from a predominantly local manufacturer into a broader photographic-products brand.
Domestic camera production had ended by 1969, though later imported and digital products reused the Argus name. The surviving Ann Arbor buildings, factory films, employee publications, collector surveys and the Argus Museum now preserve the manufacturing story and separate it from later trademark use.
Goro Yoshida, Saburo Uchida, and Takeo Maeda established the Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory in Tokyo in November 1933 to develop a high-grade 35mm camera. The Kwanon was a prototype, not a regular commercial line. The Hansa Canon reached the market in February 1936 under a joint arrangement: Nippon Kogaku supplied the Nikkor lens, mount, viewfinder optics, and rangefinder mechanism, while Canon's predecessor made the body and shutter and assembled the camera.
The History of Canon, 1933-1961 · Canon Camera Museum: The Birth of Canon · Hansa Canon (Standard Model)
The business was incorporated as Precision Optical Industry Co., Ltd. on 10 August 1937. It developed the Serenar lens and began moving toward internal optical production. Wartime disruption damaged facilities and constrained materials, but the company received permission on 1 October 1945 to resume camera manufacture. Canon's current corporate founding date refers to the 1937 incorporation, not the laboratory's 1933 beginning.
The History of Canon, 1933-1961 · Canon Camera Museum: 1937-1945 · Canon Basic Information
Postwar cameras initially appeared with either Serenar or Nikkor standard lenses because materials and production were still unsettled. Canon expanded in-house Serenar manufacture, and Nippon Kogaku stopped supplying Nikkor lenses in 1948. Precision Optical Industry became Canon Camera Co., Inc. in 1947. Rangefinders supported export growth while Canon began to build capabilities in cine cameras, broadcast lenses, and business equipment.
The History of Canon, 1933-1961 · Canon Camera Museum: 1937-1945 · Canon Camera Museum: Overcoming Postwar Difficulties
The Canonflex of 1959 introduced the R-mount SLR line. The FL mount followed in 1964 with stopped-down TTL metering and retained the breech-lock concept. Canon developed large synthetic fluorite crystals and released the FL-F300mm f/5.6 in May 1969. The company also diversified into calculators and copying technology and changed its legal name to Canon Inc. on 1 March 1969 to reflect a business no longer limited to cameras.
Canon Camera Museum: 1955-1969 · The Evolution of the Canon Lens Mount · Fluorite Lenses: Corrective Capabilities Beyond Ordinary Optical Glass
Canon introduced the FD system and professional F-1 in 1971. FD retained the earlier breech-lock physical concept but added full-aperture metering and information exchange intended for automatic exposure. Fourteen FD lenses appeared together at launch, and the wider F-1 system was supported by more than 180 accessories. Canon simultaneously expanded plain-paper copying, laser printing research, overseas production, and semiconductor lithography.
Canon Camera Museum: 1970-1975 · The Evolution of the Canon Lens Mount · Canon F-1
The AE-1 of 1976 integrated a CPU into a mass-market 35mm SLR and was followed by the multi-mode A-1. New FD lenses appeared in 1979 with a faster fit-and-lock action while retaining interchangeability with earlier FD bodies. The T80 of 1985 provided a limited autofocus transition through dedicated AC lenses, but Canon concluded that a more extensive electronic system would require a new mount. Canon also began supplying laser-printer engines to Hewlett-Packard during this period.
Canon Camera Museum: 1976-1986 · The Evolution of the Canon Lens Mount · The History of Canon, 1976-1987
Canon launched the EOS 650 and EF lenses in March 1987. EF replaced mechanical lens-body couplings with electronic communication, located the autofocus motor in each lens, and was not natively compatible with FD. The EOS-1 of 1989 extended the system into professional use. EF manufacturing expanded through Japan, Taiwan, and Malaysia, while Canon developed digital cameras and early professional digital SLR products around the EOS architecture.
Canon Camera Museum: Leap Forward with the EOS, 1987-1991 · The Evolution of the Canon Lens Mount · Canon Taiwan to Boost Lens Production Capability · Canon EOS 650 / EOS 650 QD
The EOS D30, marketed in October 2000, paired the EF system with a Canon-developed 3.25-megapixel CMOS sensor and Canon signal processing. The EOS-1D and full-frame EOS-1Ds brought the digital system to professional work, while the lower-priced EOS 300D widened access. EF-S added APS-C-specific lenses within the EOS SLR family. Canon continued selling the EOS-1V film body until 2018, although an official sales-end notice does not establish its final production month.
Canon Camera Museum: 1997-2000 · Canon Camera Museum: A Vibrant Evolution in Digital Imaging, 2001-2004 · Canon EOS D30 · Notice of End of Sales and Extended Repair Support for the EOS-1V
The EOS M of 2012 introduced the separate EF-M mirrorless mount for APS-C cameras and dedicated EF-M lenses. Canon also developed Cinema EOS and continued to expand digital SLR and professional video systems. The corporate group broadened further into network cameras and medical systems. No clear Canon announcement found in this search assigns one formal end date to the entire EOS M system.
Canon Integrated Report 2026 · Canon Camera Museum: 2011-2015
Canon launched the full-frame EOS R system in 2018. The RF mount retains a 54mm internal diameter but shortens the flange distance to 20mm and uses a 12-contact electronic interface. Canon adapters support EF and EF-S lenses on RF bodies, but RF and EF-M remain separate native systems. Canon Inc. continues to operate across printing, imaging, medical, and industrial businesses, with lens and lithography production centered in a global manufacturing network.
Canon Launches the EOS R System · EOS R System White Paper · Canon Basic Information · Canon Manufacturing Facilities · Canon Integrated Report 2026 · Canon Reaches 110 Million EOS Cameras and 160 Million RF/EF Lenses
