Canon has just announced their first, astrophotography dedicated full-frame mirrorless camera – the Canon EOS Ra.
Built for capturing the night sky, the new Canon EOS Ra is basically a modified Canon EOS R, retaining the full-frame mirrorless body design, but combining new features, such as four times greater transmittance of hydrogen-alpha (Hα) light of 656.3 nm compared to the original EOS R and 30x focus magnification for precise manual focus adjustment, a critical part of astrophotography.
For astrophotographers and enthusiasts, who love capturing the detailed grandeur of the night sky, the new Canon EOS Ra seems like an ideal choice of camera.
“Since the introduction of the EOS R full-frame mirrorless camera system last fall, Canon has remained committed to launching a line of impressive and innovative EOS R models and a strong variety of RF lenses and accessories to meet the needs of every skill level of photographer,” said Kazuto Ogawa, president and chief operating officer, Canon U.S.A., Inc.
“As a group of photographers who are passionate about capturing what we can’t see with our naked eyes, the new EOS Ra is designed for astrophotographers looking to capture vivid imagery of the night sky.”
The Canon EOS Ra full-frame mirrorless camera retains many advanced features of the EOS R, such as RF mount design, the same 30.3 megapixel CMOS sensor, the high-precision electronic viewfinder, high-sensitivity, low-noise performance and 4K time-lapse shooting, as well as the 4K video frame rates up to 30fps.
C-Log flat picture profile, and a 10bit output to external recorders such as the Atomos Ninja V via HDMI is also available.
Canon EOS Ra Features
- Optimized for Astrophotography
- IR-Cut Filter Passes H-Alpha Wavelength
- 30x Magnification for Focus in Live View
- 30.3MP Full-Frame CMOS Sensor
- DIGIC 8 Image Processor
- UHD (3840 x 2160) 4K at 23.976p/24.00p/25p/29.97p
- C-Log & 10-Bit HDMI Out
- Dual Pixel CMOS AF, 5655 AF Points
- 3.69m-Dot OLED Electronic Viewfinder
- 3.15″ 2.1m-Dot Swivel Touchscreen LCD
- Expanded ISO 50-102400, 8 fps Shooting
- Pre-order: $2,499 at B&H
Optional accessories include an AC adapter kit, which allows the camera to be powered through an AC wall outlet or a battery-powered inverter, a BG-E22 battery grip and three EF-EOS R mount adapters to accommodate the entire range of over seventy EF & EF-S lenses.
What makes the Canon EOS Ra suitable for astrophotography?
- Enhanced transmission of Hα rays (656.3 nm wavelength) through an infrared cutoff filter, helping to capture high-precision images of the deep-red wavelengths emitted by nebulae in vivid colour, without any special camera alterations.
- A 30x maximum magnification, allowing photographers to make extremely precise manual focus adjustments.
- Support for all Canon RF, EF and EF-S lenses (with the use of an optional EF-EOS R mount adapter), including more than 70 lenses from the EF series as well as RF series lenses, which deliver superb image quality. The variety of lenses, such as the large-diameter f/1.2 lenses, ultra-wide-angle lenses, and super-telephoto EF lenses, among others, are all well suited to help photographers to choose the best match for their specific astrophotography purposes.
Yes, it is more expensive than the EOS R, but the cool thing about the Canon EOS Ra is that you can still use it as a normal mirrorless camera for video – you get the famous Dual Pixel AF and also 4K video, which albeit limited to 30p, can still get you decent images. C-Log and 10bit out via the HDMI can get you even better footage when finessed in post.
Availability and Pricing
The Canon EOS Ra is due to ship sometime in mid-December 2019 at an estimated retail price of $2,499 for the body only. B&H pre-order links below:
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