Skip to main content

The Canon EOS R has a new big brother. Meet the made-for-stargazing Canon EOS Ra

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.

Recommended Videos

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.

Hillary K. Grigonis
Hillary never planned on becoming a photographer—and then she was handed a camera at her first writing job and she's been…
Phone cameras are so good, they’ve finally replaced my camera for work
Close up of the camera on the iPhone 16 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro.

For almost two decades, I’ve carried more than twenty pounds of electronics in my backpack for the slightest chance of needing to capture content for my professional life. My backpack usually contained my MacBook, a full-frame camera with a big lens, a tripod, and an assortment of video and audio gear that I always deemed essential.

As it turns out, over the past two years, many of these items were rendered obsolete, as many companies launched new products that were quickly able to replace technology that I previously considered irreplaceable.

Read more
This is what happens ‘when you get two uber-geeks in space at the same time’
NASA's Don Pettit on the space station.



During NASA’s first-ever Twitch livestream from the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday, current station inhabitant Don Pettit and recent returnee Matthew Dominick talked about what it’s like to live and work in a satellite 250 miles up.

Read more
The GoPro Hero 13 Creator Edition is $100 off, but not for long
A person holding the GoPro HERO13 Creator Edition in front of the ocean.

Outdoor enthusiasts who want to buy a new action camera should go for the brand that popularized the product and look for GoPro deals. Best Buy has an offer that's going to be hard to refuse, as it features the GoPro Hero 13 Creator Edition. From its original price of $600, it's down to just $500 as part of the retailer's Presidents' Day Sale. There are still a few days remaining before the $100 discount ends on February 17, but we highly recommend completing your purchase as soon as possible because stocks may run out before then.

Why you should buy the GoPro Hero 13 Creator Edition
The star of the GoPro Hero 13 Creator Edition is the GoPro Hero 13 Black, which is the latest version of the brand's popular line of action cameras. It's capable of recording video at up to 5.3K resolution, and you can grab photos of up to 24.7MP from your footage using the GoPro Quick app. The GoPro Hero 13 Black can also take videos that are slowed down by 13 times the normal speed, and it can last more than 5 hours on a single charge. The front and rear LCD screens will let you frame your shots perfectly, and the built-in buttons enable easy controls for lengthy sessions.

Read more