Exactly How Many Canon EF Lens Models Were There? [COMPLETE LIST]

We know that around 140 million Canon EF lenses were produced between 1987 and 2019. At this time, the production of new Canon RF lenses for the EOS R mirrorless system began to ramp up, and EF lens models began to be discontinued one by one. In February 2021, Canon announced that they had produced 150 million EF+RF lenses, but they did not divulge the split between the two lens mounts. Given their new focus on the RF mount, we may never know an EF lens production number more exact than somewhere between 140 and 150 million.

As a Canon shooter for more than a decade at the beginning of my professional career, I was aware of these crazy numbers. What I wasn’t sure about was exactly how many different lens models there had been in the life of the EF lens mount from 1987 to 2020. On a rainy Sunday afternoon, I decided to figure it out.

Fact: EF stands for Electro-Focus

What Is the Final Model Count?

It turns out that the answer to this question is a little tricky. Between 1987 and 2020, Canon launched 211 different EF or EF-S lenses to the public. If anyone stopped me and asked me this question on the street, I’d say 211 lenses is the simple answer.

This number is made up of 20 EF-S lenses for APS-C cameras, and 191 EF lenses. I decided to combine the two together to get to 211 because that is what Canon does when they announce their own numbers. EF-S lenses are a subset of EF lenses, and the “140 million EF lenses sold” includes both EF and EF-S lenses as all of these lenses use the same EF mount.

I have also included all of Canon’s Cinema EOS lenses that were available with an EF mount. This includes 14 prime lenses with an EF mount, 2 zooms with an EF mount and 9 zoom lenses that were available with either an EF or a PL mount. Only the EF versions of the zooms were included in the final tally.

The decision to include the Cinema EOS lenses in the tally was one I stopped to think about. For many people, it will seem irrelevant because these lenses can be incredibly expensive (up to $70,000 for the cine zooms). That said, I do know of several stills photographers who use the EF-Mount cine primes which come in at the much more reasonable price of around $4000. Canon also chooses to include the Cinema EOS lenses in their overall EF lens sales figures.

I did not include the 6 different EF extenders (teleconverters) in this tally of 211 EF lenses. They do not have a focal length, so I do not count them as camera lenses. I don’t think anyone would argue with me on that point, but it’s not clear whether Canon includes them in their EF lens sales figures. They do appear in the promotional images distributed whenever Canon hit notable EF lens sales figures, so perhaps Canon and I disagree on this point.

I chose to ignore the 7 EF-M lenses for Canon’s seemingly defunct mirrorless EOS M cameras. Unlike EF-S lenses, which actually use the regular EF mount, EF-M lenses use a smaller, distinctly different lens mount. I do not consider these lenses to be a subset of EF lenses in the same way as EF-S lenses.

I’m also choosing to ignore the incredibly rare EF 300mm f/1.8 lens. We know this lens exists, but the current thinking is that only four were ever made, and crucially, they were not publicly available.

When I compiled the list of lenses and their release dates that you see further down the page, I also discovered that some lenses were only available in certain parts of the world. For example, in the early years of EF lens production, it was common to produce a lens using standard AF motors, and then produce a version of the same lens that used more expensive USM AF motors.

In most cases, only one of these versions would be sold in a specific global market. When deciding on the tally of 211 total EF lenses, I did choose to include all of these versions because they were all publicly available. And theoretically, you could purchase any of them if you travelled to that different market or ordered the lens online.

If you disagree with this or think I have missed something, please leave a comment!

Notable EF Lens Milestones

Canon led the way in many areas of photographic lens design. These are some of the notable, even iconic lenses from the vast EF lens catalogue.

• March 1987 – First EOS camera and first EF lenses (EF 35-105mm f/3.5-4.5, EF 35-70mm f/3.5-4.5, EF 50mm f/1.8)
• November 1987 – First lens with an Ultrasonic Motor (EF 300mm f/2.8 L USM)
• January 1993 – First DSLR lens with 10X zoom factor (EF 35-350mm f/3.5-5.6L USM)
• May 1993 – First Super UD Ultra Low Dispersion elements for chromatic aberration correction (EF 400mm f/5.6L USM)
• September 1995 – First lens with image stabilization (EF 75-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM)
• March 1997 – First L Series lens with image stabilization (EF 300mm f/4L IS USM)
• September 2001 – First lens with diffractive optics (EF 400mm f4 DO IS USM)
• August 2003 – First EF-S lenses for APS-C digital SLRs (EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6, F-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 USM)
• December 2008 – First lens with SWC Sub-wavelength Coating to minimize reflections (EF 24mm f1.4L II USM)
• October 2009 – First lens with Hybrid IS (EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM)
• August 2010 – First lens with fluorine anti smear coating for easy cleaning (EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM)
• July 2011 – First fisheye zoom lens (EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM)
• April 2011 – First EF cinema primes and zoom lenses
• February 2012 – First wide-angle lens with image stabilization (EF 24mm f/2.8 IS USM, EF 28mm f/2.8 IS USM)
• May 2013 – First Super-Telephoto lens with a built-in extender (EF 200-400mm f4L IS USM Extender 1.4x)
• February 2015 – Fist zoom lens with 11mm focal length (EF 11-24mm f4L USM)
• August 2015 – First lens with BR Blue Spectrum Refractive Optics to minimize chromatic aberration (EF 35mm f/1.4 L II)

Canon EF and EF-S Lens Release Dates in Order

Canon introduced the final new EF stills lenses in September 2018 and the final Cinema EOS lens with an EF mount in April 2020. What follows is a timeline of the EF lens releases.

Possible Date Discrepancies

As best as I can, I have tried to track down the exact dates on which these EF lenses were first unveiled to the world. For lenses launched while the internet was thriving, this was relatively easy as press releases can still be unearthed. Earlier lenses were more difficult.

While Canon does maintain a useful online museum of their lenses, the listed dates for most of their lenses are demonstrably incorrect. Or at least they do not reflect the launch date of the lens. Perhaps their dates reflect the shipping dates of these lenses to stores? It’s hard to say. Their list omits entire lenses, so perhaps it is simply inaccurate. Nonetheless, I have tried as best I can to construct the EF lens timeline and prioritize actual launch dates wherever that information was available.

Recommended Reading: If you have ever wondered what all of the additional alphanumeric characters mean in the Canon EF and EF-S lens names, things like USM, A, DO, DC, BR, CN-E I recommend reading our guide to Canon lens terminology and abbreviations for a thorough explanation.

Thoughts on this List

When I compiled this list of Canon EF lenses, I found it particularly interesting to go back to the beginning of the EF lens timeline and see the rate at which Canon was releasing lenses for the EF mount in its initial years. It was a rapid expansion! It’s also interesting to note how what we consider now to be standard zoom ranges, such as 16-35mm, 24-70mm and 70-200mm have evolved. At the birth of the EF lens lineup, you were far more likely to find lenses with ranges such as 20-35mm, 28-70mm and 70-210mm. There were even a few unusual focal ranges, such as a 50-200mm L Series lens that I would love to see again in the Canon lens lineup and an oddball 38-76mm! Not to mention the legendary 35-350mm L Series zoom.