Canon EOS 10s

1990

EOS 10s 60M Unit Commemorative Kit

The EOS 10s was billed as the “next generation of EOS” due to the newly-developed Multi-BASIS AF sensor which made use of three separate points. This made it less necessary to center your subject to focus, then recompose. In full auto mode, the sensor would actually detect if the subject was moving or still and would set the appropriate focusing mode.

New for the 10s was the Exposure Mode Dial

The 10s also introduced a rather “gimmicky” accessory – a bar-code reader. With this reader and the appropriate bar code book, the user could scan the codes of the photos he/she wanted to replicate. Then you could set the camera utilizing a small bar-code sensor on the front bottom near the lens release.

A not-so-gimmicky new feature, though, was a 5.5 fps motor drive which rivaled that of the EOS-1 HS equipped with the PB-E1 booster.

EOS 10s Viewfinder

Other new features included on the 10s were a new 8-zone Evaluative metering system to replace the previous 6-zone, and a built-in interval timer. We would also see the first inclusion of a built-in pop-up flash on a mid-tier camera. One first appeared on the entry-level EOS 750 in 1988.

In 1991, the 60 Million Unit Commemorative Kit version was released in Japan. This was a special metallic gray body with matching 35-135mm lens. It celebrated the company’s production of 60M 35mm full-size cameras since the company’s founding.

Technicals Specifications:

Original List Price (1991): $592.00 (body)
Street Price (1991): $374.00
Price in 2025 Dollars: $866.00*
Manufacturer: Canon
Model: EOS 10s
Year Introduced: 1991
Film Format: 35mm AF SLR
Lens: Canon EF mount
Shutter: vertical travel
Self-timer: yes
Shutter Speeds: 30 – 1/4000
Shutter Release: on top
Built-in Meter: TTL – 8-zone Evaluative, 8.5% Partial
Film Speed/ASA Range: 6-6400
Flash Sync: 1/125
Film Advance: automatic up to 5-fps
Frame Counter: LCD
Exposure Modes: manual, shutter-priority, aperture-priority, program, full auto, depth AE, plus 4 Picture modes
Multi-Exposure: yes
Finder: shutter speed, aperture, metering info, focus confirmation, flash ready-light, camera shake warning
Focusing Screens:
Mirror: quick-return
Battery: one 2CR5

*Based on current information at
in2013dollars.com

All text and photographs on this website (other than found-photography and otherwise noted) are © 2014-2021 Steven Broome. All rights reserved.