New EOS 60Da For astrophotography available for pre-order

April 3, 2012
Canon News
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This is breaking news: The new Canon EOS 60Da (the cam for astrophotography) can be pre-ordered at B&H starting from now (click here). Update: Adorama is also accepting pre-orders (click here). I wrote about this camera in a previous post.

Key specs:

Modified Infrared (IR) blocking filter to enable astrophotography.
18 Megapixel APS-C Canon CMOS sensor.
DIGIC 4 image processor for natural colour and advanced noise control.
ISO range 100-6400, expandable to 12,800 for excellent low-light performance.
Vari-angle 7.7cm (3.0”) 3:2 Clear View LCD with 1,040k dots.
Full HD 1080 movies with manual control and selectable frame rates.
9-point cross type AF system.
iFCL metering with 63-zone Dual-layer Metering Sensor.
Advanced creative features with Basic + and Creative Filters.
In-camera RAW processing, Image Resize and rating.
Integrated Speedlite Transmitter.
Integrated horizontal Electronic Level.
Eye-Fi and SDXC memory card compatible.

CPN (Canon Professional Network – click here) has an interesting introduction to all the features of the EOS 60Da.

Full specification list of the EOS 60Da:

IMAGE SENSOR
Type	22.3mm x 14.9mm CMOS
Effective Pixels	Approx. 18.00 megapixels
Total Pixels	Approx. 19.00 megapixels
Aspect Ratio	3:2
Low-Pass Filter	Built-in/Fixed with fluorine coating Infrared blocking filter optimised for Hydrogen-alpha (Hα) light (656 nm) transparency.
Sensor Cleaning	EOS integrated cleaning system
Colour Filter Type	Primary Colour

IMAGE PROCESSOR
Type	DIGIC 4

LENS
Lens Mount	EF/EF-S
Focal Length	Equivalent to 1.6x the focal length of the lens

FOCUSING
Type	TTL-CT-SIR with a CMOS sensor
AF System/ Points	9 cross-type AF points (f/2.8 at centre)
AF working range	EV -0.5 – 18 (at 23°C ISO100)
AF Modes	AI Focus One Shot AI Servo
AF Point Selection	Automatic selection, Manual selection
Selected AF point display	Superimposed in viewfinder and indicated on top LCD panel and Quick Control screen
Predictive AF	Yes, up to 8m¹
AF Lock	Locked when shutter button is pressed half way in One Shot AF mode or AF-ON button is pressed.
AF Assist Beam	Intermittent firing of built-in flash or emitted by optional dedicated Speedlite
Manual Focus	Selected on lens, default in Live View Mode

EXPOSURE CONTROL
Metering modes	TTL full aperture metering with 63 zone SPC (1) Evaluative metering (linked to all AF point) (2) Partial metering (approx. 6.5% of viewfinder at centre) (3) Spot metering (approx. 2.8% viewfinder at centre) (4) Centre weighted average metering
Metering Range	‘EV 0-20 (at 23°C with 50mm f/1.4 lens ISO100)
AE Lock	‘Auto: In One-shot AF mode with evaluative metering exposure is locked when focus is achieved. Manual: By AE lock button in creative zone modes.
Exposure Compensation	‘+/-5 EV in 1/3 or 1/2 stop increments (can be combined with AEB).
AEB	3 Shots +/-3 EV 1/3 or 1/2 stop increments
ISO Sensitivity*	Auto (100-3200), 100-6400 (in 1/3-stop or whole stop increments) ISO can be expanded to H: 12800

SHUTTER
Type	Electronically-controlled focal-plane shutter
Speed	30-1/8000 sec (1/2 or 1/3 stop increments), Bulb (Total shutter speed range. Available range varies by shooting mode)

WHITE BALANCE
Type	Auto white balance with the imaging sensor
Settings	‘AWB, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, White Fluorescent light, Flash, Custom, Colour Temperature Setting. White balance compensation: 1. Blue/Amber +/-9 2. Magenta/ Green +/-9.
Custom White Balance	Yes, 1 setting can be registered
WB Bracketing	+/-3 levels in single level increments 3 bracketed images per shutter release. Selectable Blue/Amber bias or Magenta/ Green bias.

VIEWFINDER
Type	Pentaprism
Coverage (Vertical/Horizontal)	Approx. 96%
Magnification	‘Approx. 0.95x¹
Eyepoint	Approx. 22mm (from eyepiece lens centre)
Dioptre Correction	-3 to +1 m-1 (dioptre)
Focusing Screen	Interchangeable (3 types, optional). Standard Focusing Screen Precision Matte Ef-A
Mirror	Quick-return half mirror (Transmission: reflection ratio of 40:60, no mirror cut-off with EF600mm f/4 or shorter)
Viewfinder Information	AF information: AF points, focus confirmation light. Exposure information: Shutter speed, aperture value, ISO speed (always displayed), AE lock, exposure level/compensation, spot metering circle, exposure warning, AEB. Flash information: Flash ready, high-speed sync, FE lock, flash exposure compensation, red-eye reduction light. Image information: White balance correction, Card information, monochrome shooting, maximum burst (2 digit display), Highlight tone priority (D+). Composition information: Electronic level (Horizontal only), Battery check
Depth of field preview	Yes, with Depth of Field preview button.
Eyepiece shutter	On strap

LCD MONITOR
Type	Vari angle 7.7cm (3.0″) 3:2 Clear View TFT, approx. 1040K dots
Coverage	Approx. 100%
Viewing Angle (horizontally/vertically)	Approx 160°
Coating	Dual Anti-reflection
Brightness Adjustment	Adjustable to one of seven levels
Display Options	‘(1) Quick Control Screen (2) Camera settings (3) Electronic Level

FLASH
Built-in Flash GN (ISO 100, meters)	13
Built-in Flash Coverage	up to 17mm focal length (35mm equivalent: 28mm)
Built-in Flash recycle time	Approx. 3 seconds
Modes	Auto, Manual flash, Integrated Speedlite Transmitter
Red-Eye Reduction	‘Yes
X-sync	1/250sec
Flash Exposure Compensation	+/- 3EV in 1/2 or 1/3 increments
Flash Exposure Bracketing	Yes, with compatible External Flash
Flash Exposure Lock	Yes
Second Curtain Synchronisation	Yes
HotShoe/ PC terminal	Yes/ No
External Flash Compatibility	E-TTL II with EX series Speedlites, wireless multi-flash support
External Flash Control	via camera menu screen

SHOOTING
Modes	Auto, No Flash, Creative Auto, Portrait, Landscape, Close-up, Sports, Night Portrait, Movie, Program AE , Shutter priority AE, Aperture priority AE, Manual, Custom
Picture Styles	Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Neutral, Faithful, Monochrome, User Defined (x3)
Colour Space	sRGB and Adobe RGB
Image Processing	Highlight Tone Priority Auto Lighting Optimizer (4 settings) Long exposure noise reduction High ISO speed noise reduction (4 settings) Auto Correction of Lens Peripheral illumination Basic+ (Shoot by ambience selection, Shoot by lighting or scene type) Creative filters (Grainy B/W, Soft focus, Toy camera, Minaiture effect) – during image Playback only RAW image processing – during image Playback only Resize to M or S1, S2, S3
Drive modes	Single, Continuous L, Continuous H, Self timer (2s+remote, 10s +remote)
Continuous Shooting	Max. Approx. 5.3fps. (speed maintained for minimum of approx 58 images (JPEG)¹ ³, 16 images (RAW)) ² ³

LIVE VIEW MODE
Type	Electronic viewfinder with image sensor
Coverage	Approx. 100% (horizontally and vertically)
Frame Rate	30 fps
Focusing	Manual Focus (Magnify the image 5x or 10x at any point on screen) Autofocus: Quick mode, Live mode, Live Face detection mode
Metering	Real-time evaluative metering with image sensor Active metering time can be changed
Display Options	Grid overlay (x2), Histogram, Multi aspect ratios

FILE TYPE
Still Image Type	JPEG: Fine, Normal (Exif 2.21 [Exif Print] compliant) / Design rule for Camera File system (2.0), RAW: RAW, M-RAW, S-RAW (14bit, Canon original RAW 2nd edition), Digital Print Order Format [DPOF] Version 1.1 compliant
RAW+JPEG simultaneous recording	Yes, any combination of RAW + JPEG, M-RAW + JPEG, S-RAW + JPEG possible.
Image Size	JPEG 3:2: (L) 5184×3456, (M) 3456×2304, (S1) 2592×1728, (S2) 1920×1280, (S3) 720×480 JPEG 4:3: (L) 4608×3456, (M) 3072×2304, (S1) 2304×1728, (S2) 1696×1280, (S3) 640×480 JPEG 16:9: (L) 5184×2912, (M) 3456×1944, (S1) 2592×1456 (S2) 1920×1080, (S3) 720×400 JPEG 1:1: (L) 3456×3456, (M) 2304×2304, (S1) 1728×1728, (S2) 1280×1280, (S3) 480×480 RAW: (RAW) 5184×3456, (M-RAW) 3888×2592, (S-RAW) 2592×1728
Movie Type	MOV (Video: H.264, Sound: Linear PCM, recording level can be manually adjusted by user)
Movie Size	1920 x 1080 (29.97, 25, 23.976 fps) 1280 x 720 (59.94, 50 fps) 640 x 480 (59.94, 50 fps)
Movie Length	Max duration 29min 59sec, Max file size 4GB
Folders	New folders can be manually created and selected
File Numbering	(1) Consecutive numbering (2) Auto reset (3) Manual reset

OTHER FEATURES
Custom Functions	20 Custom Functions with 59 settings
Metadata Tag	User copyright information (can be set in camera) Image rating (0-5 stars)
LCD Panel / Illumination	Yes / Yes
Water/ Dust resistance	Yes¹
Sound Memo	–
Intelligent Orientation Sensor	Yes
Playback zoom	1.5x – 10x
Display Formats	(1) Single image with information (2 levels) (2) Single image (3) 4 image index (4) 9 image index (5) Magnified view
Slide Show	Image selection: All images, by Date, by Folder, Movies, Stills, Rating Playback time: 1/2/3/5/10 or 20 seconds Repeat: On/Off
Histogram	Brightness: Yes RGB: Yes
Highlight Alert	Yes
Image Erase/Protection	Erase: Single image, All images in folder, Checkmarked images, unprotected images Protection: Erase protection of one image at a time
Menu Categories	(1) Shooting menu (x4) (2) Playback menu (x2) (3) Setup menu (x3) (4) Custom Functions menu (5) My Menu
Menu Languages	25 Languages English, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Portuguese, Finnish, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish, Spanish, Greek, Russian, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Romanian, Ukrainian, Turkish, Arabic, Thai, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean and Japanese
Firmware Update	Update possible by the user.

INTERFACE
Computer	Hi-Speed USB
Other	Video output (PAL/ NTSC) (integrated with USB terminal), HDMI mini output (HDMI-CEC compatible), External microphone (3.5mm Stereo mini jack)

DIRECT PRINT
Canon Printers	Canon Compact Photo Printers and PIXMA Printers supporting PictBridge
PictBridge	Yes

STORAGE
Type	SD card, SDHC card or SDXC card

SUPPORTED OPERATING SYSTEM
PC Macintosh	Windows XP (SP2/SP3) / Vista inc SP1 (excl. Starter Edition) / 7 (excl. Starter Edition) OS X v10.6-10.7

SOFTWARE
Browsing Printing	ZoomBrowser EX / ImageBrowser
Image Processing	Digital Photo Professional
Other	PhotoStitch, EOS Utility (inc. Remote Capture), Picture Style Editor

POWER SOURCE
Batteries	Rechargeable Li-ion Battery LP-E6 (supplied), built in for date settings
Battery life	Approx. 1100 (at 23°C, AE 50%, FE 50%) ¹ Approx. 1000 (at 0°C, AE 50%, FE 50%)
Battery Indicator	6 levels + percentage
Power saving	Power turns off after 1, 2, 4, 8, 15 or 30mins.
Power Supply Battery Chargers	AC Adapter Kit ACK-E6, Battery charger LC-E6, Car Battery charger CBC-E6

PHYSICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Body Materials	Aluminium and polycarbonate resin with glass fibre
Operating Environment	0 – 40 °C, 85% or less humidity
Dimensions (WxHxD)	144.5 x 105.8 x 78.6mm
Weight (body only)	Approx. 755g (CIPA testing standard, including battery and memory card)

ACCESSORIES
Viewfinder	Eyecup Eb, E-series Dioptric Adjustment Lens Focusing Screens Ef (with Grid Ef-D, Super Precision Matte Ef-S), Angle Finder C
Case	Leather case EH21-L
Wireless File Transmitter	Compatible with Eye-Fi cards
Lenses	All EF and EF-S lenses
Flash	Canon Speedlites (220EX, 270EX, 270EX II, 320EX, 420EX, 430EX, 430EX II, 550EX, 580EX, 580EX II, 600EX, 600EX-RT, Macro-Ring-Lite, MR-14EX, Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX, Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2, Speedlite Transmitter ST-E3-RT)
Battery Grip	BG-E9
Remote Controller/ Switch	Remote Switch RS-60E3, Remote Controller RC-6/RC-1/RC-5 (Compatible with N3 type remote controls when used with supplied adapter RA-E3)
Other	Hand Strap E2

Predictive AF	¹ With EF300mm f/2.8L IS USM at 50kph
Magnification	¹ With 50mm lens at infinity, -1m-1 dpt
Continuous Shooting	¹ Large/Fine(Quality 8) resolution ² Based on Canon’s testing conditions, JPEG, ISO 100, Standard Picture Style. Varies depending on the subject, memory card brand and capacity, image recording quality, ISO speed, drive mode, Picture Style, Custom functions etc. ³ Maximum fps and buffer capacity may be reduced depending on the cameras settings and light level
Water/ Dust resistance	¹ Memory card and battery door only
Battery life	¹ Based on the CIPA Standard and using the batteries and memory card format supplied with the camera, except where indicated