The latest member of Canon’s quickly growing EOS R mirrorless family is here, and it’s designed for stargazers. The Canon EOS Ra pairs the new RF mount with a sensor that’s designed specifically for astrophotography. The EOS Ra is Canon’s first full-frame mirrorless camera designed specifically for astrophotography — though as the company’s third full-frame mirrorless camera, that’s not too surprising.
The Canon EOS Ra houses a CMOS sensor with the same 30.3-megapixel resolution, but adds a special filter to enhance that sensor’s performance when capturing the night sky. The camera uses an infrared cutoff filter, which enhances the transmission of Hα rays. With four times greater transmission of that 656.3nm wavelength, the camera can better capture the vivid color of nebulae, Canon says.
Astrophotography typically requires manual focus, so Canon also added a 30x magnification to the camera screen, making it easier to see if those stars are sharp or not. That magnification is available both through the electronic viewfinder and the LCD screen.
Outside of the infrared cutoff filter and enhanced magnification, the rest of the Canon EOS Ra looks much like the original EOS R, including 4K video at 30 fps, time-lapses, and Dual Pixel autofocus. Like the other RF mount cameras, the EOS Ra can also be paired with EF and EF-S lenses using a mount adapter. A battery grip or AC wall outlet accessory is also available, for keeping the camera shooting longer for star trails and time-lapses.
“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,” Kazuto Ogawa, Canon USA’s president and chief operating officer said in a press release. “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.”
That added filter bumps up the price just a bit from the original EOS R — the Canon EOS Ra will go on sale mid-December for about $2,500, body-only. The EOS R is priced at $2,300.
