The big picture: Like a senior citizen late in life, the traditional photography industry is losing company to Father Time. Digital is king and has been for many years but it's still sad to see an old friend laid to rest.
Canon this week officially ended sales of its last remaining film camera, the single lens reflex (SLR) EOS-1V. It marks the first time in more than 80 years that Canon doesn't have a film-based camera for sale.
Canon introduced the EOS-1V in 2000. As PetaPixel highlights, the "V" in the model name is in reference to it being Canon's 5th generation professional SLR camera (the "V" also apparently stands for "Vision"). Interestingly enough, Canon ended production of the EOS-1V in 2010 but has continued to ship and sell it from excess inventory ever since.
Eight years' worth of excess inventory is a lot but then again, I can't imagine the market for a dated piece of equipment based on dated technology was all that demanding.
Existing owners aren't being left out in the cold, however, as Canon has vowed to accept repair orders until October 31, 2025. After October 31, 2020, however, Canon may refuse repairs if it no longer has the necessary parts in stock to fix the cameras.
The EOS branding, which stands for Electro-Optical System, persists in Canon's modern digital camera family.
Those still itching for a new 35mm SLR camera have a couple of quality options remaining, namely the FM10 and the F6 from Nikon. The second-hand market is always an option as well.