The Olympus-Pen in September 1959 was the first camera in Japan to offer the half-frame format which doubled the number of exposures on a roll of 35mm film. Canon had also started development of a compact and luxury-looking half-frame camera.

The resulting Canon Demi offered high-performance features in a pocket-size package. They included a direct viewfinder, a 28mm f/2.8 lens (5 elements in 3 groups), and a match-needle selenium exposure meter which used a behind-the-lens light value program for accurate metering. When the Demi was introduced, there were already twelve competing models in the market. The Demi, however, proved to be popular. “Demi” comes from the French word meaning “half.”

*The Demi 2 had front and back covers made of lightweight aluminum instead of brass.