Canon today announced the company’s first full-frame mirrorless camera for astrophotography, the EOS Ra. Unlike other full frame astro cameras, EOS Ra is portable and has no need for external power and connection to a computer, resulting in exceptional image quality of visible reality but also of deep space photography with a wide range of optical devices. Canon EOS Ra full-frame mirrorless camera shares features with EOS R. The EOS Ra inherits the camera’s fast autofocus, the ability to focus in light conditions as low as -6EVi, a 35mm full frame CMOS sensor with approximately 30.3 million effective pixelsii and a DIGIC 8 image processor.


With Dual Pixel CMOS Auto Focus (AF), the EOS Ra features a range of AF and MF focus functions ensuring images are of unparalleled optical excellence – including shots captured in low-light conditions. Retaining the -6EV AF from the EOS R, low-light performance with RF lenses and existing EF lenses is possible. When astrophotographers use it with a telescope, focus assist functions like focus peaking and magnification up to 30x – that’s three times more than the EOS R – ensure focusing with any optical device is simple and quick. With 4K movie and 4K time-lapse capabilities the EOS Ra is also the first astro camera on the market with a 4K movie function.

Featuring a new infrared blocking filter (IR filter) allowing even higher hydrogen alpha (Hα) light to reach the imaging sensor, it enables four times as much of this hydrogen alpha light to be transmitted compared to the EOS R. Photographers can effortlessly capture both crisply and clearly, the distinct red colour of nebula – an interstellar cloud of dust made up mostly of hydrogen and helium – impossible to capture on a traditional camera where the UV/IR cut filters block the IR light that gives these nebulae their red colour.

With its mirrorless design and full frame sensor, the EOS Ra is an ideal camera choice for photographers looking to capture stunning images of deep space. With no mechanical mirror system, vibrations are minimised ensuring sharp images. The EOS Ra’s compact and lightweight design makes it easier to attach to a telescope – perfect for photographers shooting for long periods of time. The Vari-Angle touch screen makes the camera comfortable for photographers shooting in any position with the benefit of having up to 30x magnification to check focus.

The EOS Ra’s electronic viewfinder means photographers can really shoot what they see, with the ability to view their subjects clearly in the dark. The camera’s Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capabilities make connection to a smartphone and transferring of images and video simple. In addition to this, accurate GPS data from your smartphone can be added to images for extra clarity of their capture location. 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.