Canon EOS Ra For Astrophotography Official Announcement

Canon EOS Rs rumor

Well, possibly the quietest Canon announcement ever.

Canon officially announced the Canon EOS Ra, a modified EOS R camera dedicated to astrophotography. The Canon EOS Ra will be available mid December at $2,499, preorders are open. [shoplist 59313]

Here is a B&H Explora article about the Canon EOS Ra.

Press release:

Capture The Beauty Of The Night Sky With Canon’s First Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera For Astrophotography

Introducing the EOS Ra Camera with Specialized Filtration that Delivers Four Times Greater Hydrogen-alpha Wavelength (656.3 nm) Transmittance Compared to the EOS R

MELVILLE, NY, November 5, 2019 – In the words of poet Quintus Ennius, “No one regards what is before his or her feet; we all gaze at the stars.” Helping to gaze and capture the beauty of the stars and beyond, Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, today announced the company’s first full-frame mirrorless camera for astrophotography, the EOS Ra. This new camera was built off the EOS R system combining new features, such as four times greater transmittance of hydrogen-alpha (Hα) light of 656.3 nm compared to the original EOS R. For astrophotographers and hobbyists who enjoy capturing the detailed splendor of the night sky, the new EOS Ra will be an ideal camera to shoot with.

“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.”

Targeting the needs of astrophotographers, the new EOS Ra full-frame mirrorless camera incorporates many advanced features of the EOS R, such as RF mount design, a 30.3MP CMOS sensor, high-precision electronic viewfinder, high-sensitivity, low-noise performance and 4K time-lapse shooting. 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.

Other features include:

  • 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 color, without any special camera alterations.
  • A 30x maximum magnification, allowing users 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.

Availability and Pricing

The Canon EOS Ra full-frame mirrorless camera is scheduled to be available in mid-December 2019 for an estimated retail price of $2,499.00 for the body only

Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS Review (an excellent performer, Photography Blog)

Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS review

A Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS review by the folks at Photography Blog. They gave the lens a 4/5 stars rating and a “recommended”. The Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS as announced a in August 2019.

From the conclusion of the Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS review:

[…] it could […] be argued that Canon doesn’t yet have the camera bodies to match up to exactly how good this lens is. We’ve been using the RF 24-70mm F2.8L IS USM with the Canon EOS RP, which is an entry-level model, but even the higher end Canon EOS R perhaps doesn’t quite appeal to professionals.

[…] the Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8L IS USM lens is an excellent performer – so if you do have the cash to spend on it you shouldn’t be disappointed. It’s capable of producing some very sharp images along with very pleasing bokeh. It’ll be interesting to see if Canon releases a very high resolution model to really take advantage of what the lens is capable of.

Read the review at Photography Blog

Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS: [shoplist 58389]

This Is The Canon EOS Ra For Astrophotography (leaked images) – UPDATE

Canon EOS Ra review

Canon EOS Ra at a glance:

  • 30.3 Megapixel Full-frame CMOS Sensor and DIGIC 8 Image Processor
  • Modified Filter for Enhanced Night Sky Recording
  • Dual Pixel CMOS AF with 5,655 Manually Selectable AF Positions
  • RF Mount Compatible with RF Lenses and EF/EF-S Lenses* (with Optional Mount Adapter EF-EOS R)
  • 4K 30p with Canon Log and 10-bit 4:2:2 HDMI Output
  • Built-in EVF with 3.69 Million Dots, Vari-angle Touchscreen LCD and Dot-matrix LCD Panel
  • Sophistication in a Lightweight, Compact Size
  • High Magnification Ratio of 30x in Live View
  • Impressive Durability
  • Silent Shutter
  • USB Charge Compatible

Update: The Canon EOS Ra leaked at Adorama. Retail price for the body only option is $2,499.

About Canon EOS Ra

Canon’s first full-frame mirrorless camera dedicated to deep sky and night sky photography

Capture the intricacies of a starry night sky with the new EOS Ra camera — Canon’s first full-frame mirrorless camera dedicated to deep sky and night sky photography. Building on the success of the EOS R, the EOS Ra offers 30x magnification in both the viewfinder and in Live View shooting for more accurate focus.

Modified Filter for Enhanced Night Sky Recording

Positioned in front of the CMOS imaging sensor, The EOS Ra’s infrared-cutting filter is modified to permit approximately 4x as much transmission of hydrogen alpha rays at the 656nm wavelength, vs. standard EOS R cameras. This allows for a higher transmission of deep red infrared rays emitted by nebulae, without requiring any other specialized optics or accessories.

Original post:

Ahead of the its announcement, product images of the Canon EOS Ra leaked over at Nokishita. The product leaflet already leaked weeks ago.

The Canon EOS Ra is an EOS R full frame mirrorless camera modified for astrophotography. While the camera operation mode is the same as the EOS R, the EOS Ra has approximately four times the transmittance of hydrogen-alpha light (656 nm) as the EOS R.

Canon eos Ra

Photographs of subjects that reflect a lot of infrared light will therefore appear redder than they actually are. This is good for astrophotography and less optimal for normal photography. With the EOS Ra it may not be possible to obtain an appropriate color balance and uneven colors may result when shooting normal subjects.

Announcement coming soon, stay tuned.

Canon EOS M200 Review (neat little budget camera, ePHOTOzine)

Canon EOS M200 review

ePHOTOzine posted their Canon EOS M200 review.

From the verdict:

The Canon EOS M200 is a neat little budget mirrorless camera, with a range of matching budget lenses that make it an easy to use compact system. If you want to access more advanced controls it can be time-consuming (several button presses and menus need to be scrolled through to find the switch between MF and AF), but it’s not really designed for advanced shooters, so this can be forgiven. 

[…]

For those looking for an easy-to-use, compact, “point-and-shoot” style mirrorless camera, the Canon EOS M200 could be an excellent option, particularly as it’s got the same colour reproduction as other Canon EOS cameras and a 24mp APS-C CMOS sensor. We liked shooting with the camera, even though, it’s not designed for the traditional photographer, it’s simplicity and ease of use makes for a somewhat fun camera to simply use, and not worry too much about. 

The Canon EOS M200 was announced a few weeks ago. More Canon EOS M200 review and sample photos listed here.

Canon EOS M200: [shoplist 58712]

Canon EOS M200 at a glance:

  • 24.1MP APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • DIGIC 8 Image Processor
  • 3.0″ 1.04m-Dot 180° Tilt Touchscreen
  • UHD 4K and HD 720p120 Video Recording
  • Dual Pixel CMOS AF
  • ISO 100-25600, 6.1 fps Shooting
  • Built-In Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
  • Self-Portrait Mode, 4K Time-Lapse Movie

Canon Patent For RF 24-80mm f/4 Lens For EOS R System

canon patent

Canon patent application 2019-191607, spotted by Canon News, discusses optical formulas for a Canon RF 24-80mm f/4 lens for the Canon EOS R system.

  • Focal length 24.72 48.09 82.45
  • F number 4.12 4.12 4.12
  • Half angle of view ( 41.19 24.22 14.70
  • Image height 21.64 21.64 21.64
  • Total lens length 119.50 134.52 149.55
  • BF 13.50 18.71 22.73

The Canon patent also discusses the optical formula for an RF 24-130mm f/4 lens.

  • Focal length 24.72 63.46 131.00
  • F-number 4.12 4.12 4.12
  • Half angle of view (degree) 41.19 18.83 9.38
  • Image height 21.64 21.64 21.64
  • Total lens length 137.50 168.92 200.33
  • BF 13.50 24.03 28.27

More Canon patent applications are listed here. Some particularly interesting patent applications we think might get into production are these:

Canon EOS RP Firmware Update Brings 24p Full HD

canon eos rp firmware

Canon released Canon EOS RP firmware update 1.4.0.

Canon EOS RP firmware 1.4.0 adds 24p in full HD mode. Something that a lot of people felt was dramatically missing on recent Canon cameras.

Firmware ver. 1.4.0 incorporates the following enhancement:

  1. The option to capture Full HD movies in the frame rate of 23.98p has been newly added.
  2. Support for the RF 85mm F1.2 L USM DS lens has been added.

Click here to download Canon EOS RP firmware 1.4.0 from Canon Europe.

Canon EOS RP: [shoplist 54789]