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    Canon will release the EOS Ra astrophotography camera

    By Updated:149 Comments2 Mins Read Canon EOS Rumors
    astroeosr 728x462 - Canon will release the EOS Ra astrophotography camera

    Back in June, we reported about the possibility of a dedicated astrophotography EOS R system camera coming from Canon in late 2019.  It turns out such a camera may, in fact, be coming in 2020.

    According to the source, they were told that a “Canon EOS Ra” has appeared on an internal Canon roadmap for 2020. The only time the “a” is used in Canon ILC camera models has been for the EOS 20Da and the EOS 60Da, which leads us to believe we will definitely be seeing a dedicated astrophotography camera.

    No specifications are known at this time, as only the model name has appeared on the internal document. There is however a chance that the model name is an internal codename for a different camera.

    Update: Canon themselves have mentioned the Canon EOS Ra in an EOS R leaflet on one of their official sites. You can download the leaflet here.

    The leaflet states:

    • The EOS Ra is a version of the EOS R designed for astrophotography. This camera has approximately four times the transmittance of hydrogen-alpha light (656 nm) as the EOS R. Photographs of subjects that reflect a lot of infrared light will therefore appear redder than they actually are. Also, as it may not be possible to obtain an appropriate color balance or uneven colors may result, shooting normal subjects with this camera is not recommended. ..
    • Camera operations are essentially the same as for the EOS R. Refer to the included EOS R Getting Started Guide (booklet). Additionally, you can download the EOS R Advanced User Guide (PDF file) from the Canon website.
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    149 comments

    4. We had some discussion about this a few weeks ago, as I recall, but the question lingers - in the current world of inexpensive dedicated astrophotography cameras, why introduce a product like this?
    7. We had some discussion about this a few weeks ago, as I recall, but the question lingers - in the current world of inexpensive dedicated astrophotography cameras, why introduce a product like this?
      Because.
    8. I think it's kind of a stretch to assume that this is an astrophotography camera. It could be, but it seems like Canon would have a lot of other priorities before releasing such a body.
    10. This would be their first dedicated astrophotography camera with a full frame, wouldn't it? If so, that's got to be exciting for the astrophotographers out there.
      Nikon has the d810a.
    12. I think it's kind of a stretch to assume that this is an astrophotography camera. It could be, but it seems like Canon would have a lot of other priorities before releasing such a body.

      Canon News suggests Canon could create an astrophotography variant without much effort.
    13. We had some discussion about this a few weeks ago, as I recall, but the question lingers - in the current world of inexpensive dedicated astrophotography cameras, why introduce a product like this?
      I'm not familiar with this list of inexpensive astro bodies. Sure you can get a used 60a but inexpensive is relevant, isn't it?
    15. Speaking only for myself, I hope it's more directed towards landscape AP than Deep Sky. I don't see the market being there for Deep Sky when they have an abundance of dedicated cameras to chose from that are much easier to deal with than a bulky camera designed to be held in the hand.

      I'd love to see something like Astro Tracer, auto staking options, and programmable exposure routines. Something like: take 20 30s frames at high ISO with Astro Tracer, close the sensor dust shield and repeat (for darks), then repeat again with a built-in way to get flat frames. Internally store darks and flats for reuse in the future if I'm using the same lens at a similar operating temperature.

      I guess I'm more interested in the computational photography possibilities than in the increased sensitivities to red and Ha. Those physical filters can be professionally removed if one insists on strapping a giant DSLR to thier telescope.The most valuable thing Canon can offer me is to make a lot of the tedious post processing go away.
    16. I do some astrophotography with my Canon EOS R. Apart from the lenses used, the most important thing is the HDR of the sensor. With my EF 35mm f1.4L II, any exposure slower than 15 seconds is too long (unless I'm using a clock drive), so I have to ramp up the ISO and then squeeze every bit of HDR I can in post.
    19. Canon News suggests Canon could create an astrophotography variant without much effort.

      indeed. about the only difficulty would be fixing the IR light leak that exists with the EOS R.

      the essence is just a hot mirror IR/UV change to the existing camera, and voila, it's an astro camera.

      of course they could add different things to the camera such as a longer timer,etc. but it's a pretty easy R&D based camera to come out with.

      Ironically if they do come out with an EOS Ra astro edition, it may be the best EOS R to actually convert to IR versus the original EOS R.

      I can't find the article but from talking to Kolari Vision, if one is wanting an IR/Astro camera - the EOS RP is the best full frame mirrorless camera out there for that application right now.

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