The Canon EOS 50 (Elan II in America, EOS 55 in Japan) is an autofocus, autoexposure 35mm SLR camera introduced in September 1995, targeting the advanced amateur market. The camera features a plastic body construction with aluminum-covered lens mount and top deck, along with a rear command dial and support for custom functions. Three variants were produced: the basic EOS 50, the EOS 50E with enhanced 3-zone eye-controlled autofocus, and the Japan-exclusive EOS 55 which offered an all-black color option and panorama mode that masks the frame to a 13mm x 36mm strip. The EOS 50 was the first camera to implement Canon's E-TTL flash system, which uses a pre-flash for metering rather than measuring light reflected from the film during exposure. An optional BP-50 battery grip with dedicated portrait shutter release was available, and all variants could be equipped with a quartz date imprint back. Production ended in October 2000 with the introduction of the EOS 30.