Photo Plus - UK (2020-04)

The Canon Magazine 103

FULL TEST Canon EOS Ra

handling, they are much less important in

this field, and the camera’s strengths start

to shine through. There is a 20-25% price

premium for the EOS Ra version over the

standard camera, but that doesn’t seem a

lot for a specialized conversion of this kind.

FEATURES

BUILD & HANDLING

PERFORMANCE

VALUE

OVERALL

VERDICT

PROS: Extended spectral sensitivity,

30x magnification in Live View, super-fast

RF lenses, vari-angle screen

CONS: 30Mp is average today, cropped

4K video, single SD card slot

WE SAY: The fact is, this is one of only a

handful of off-the-shelf cameras specially

adapted for astrophotography, so it

doesn’t have a lot of competition. And

while we have misgivings about some

aspects of the regular EOS R’s design and

Can

on

Performance
First tests of the specialist EOS Ra
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ISO performance means we were
happy shooting even at ISO6400 for
usable images, while the vari-angle
screen really helps when the Ra is
pointing up at the stars.
Canon pro photographers like
Fergus Kennedy and passionate
astrophotographer Matteo La Torre
have been using the EOS Ra with
various RF lenses and telescopes
with great success, getting astro
pictures with wonderful clarity.

Shot on the EOS

Ra with an adaptor

and EF 300mm

f/2.8L IS II USM at

120 secs, f/2.8,

ISO1600

THE VERDICT

The Ra boldly goes where no mirrorless camera has gone before

he Canon EOS Ra is physically identical to the regular EOS R, so we

found the same combination of handling likes and dislikes. But this

camera is designed for a specialized field, and some of these

quirks hardly matter here. The lens Control ring is a plus point, being easier

to find in darkness than buttons and dials; the cropped 4K video is much

less important; and the and lack of in-body image stabilization doesn’t

matter in a camera that’s going to be used on a tripod. What makes the

EOS Ra unique compared to regular cameras is its sensor’s extended

infra-red sensitivity and increased 30x magnification for pinpoint focus.

T

With a 30x magnification it’s possible to focus and examine
images for detail and sharpness with much more accuracy

Canon