Photo Plus - UK (2020-04)

The Canon Magazine 101

Our signal to noise test measures clarity,

specifically the ratio of the image ‘data’

you want capture, versus the image noise

you don’t want, but will be visible when

shooting at higher ISOs. The higher

the score the better

Canon’s sensor and processing tweaks

for the EOS Ra have noticeably improved

dynamic range. It manages to record

around 1 stop of extra dynamic over the

standard EOS R range right across the

ISO sensitivity range

RAW* SIGNAL-TO-NOISE RATIO

RAW* DYNAMIC RANGE

50

10

12

14

30

6

20

4

10

2

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200

ISO100

ISO100

400

400

800

800

1600

1600

3200

3200

6400

6400

1280025600

1280025600

40

8

30

30

28

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It’s no surprise that the 30Mp EOS Ra

manages to resolve excellent fine detail,

plus the EOS Ra scores are identical to

the regular EOS R in this test

RAW* RESOLUTION (AT ISO200)

EOS R

EOS R

EOS Ra

EOS R

EOS ra

EOS ra

picture height x100Line widths per^35

EOS Ra vs EOS R

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variant, which is almost certainly

going to be used on a tripod or an

equatorial mount.

We have complained about the

heavy 4K video crop in the past,

but this will only affect

astrophotography if you need an

ultra-wide view of the sky. The 1.7x

crop means that your RF and EF

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Interestingly, Canon says you

can use the EOS Ra for regular

photography too, but warns that its

extended infra-red sensitivity can

lead to some colors looking strange

compared to what we see with the

naked eye.

Key features

Apart from its astrophotography

adaptations, the EOS Ra is

essentially the same as the EOS R.

It has a full-frame 30.3Mp CMOS

sensor and a phase-detection AF

system with 5655 focus positions

covering 88% of the frame

horizontally and 100% vertically.

The EOS Ra does not have

in-body image stabilisation (IBIS),

unlike rival full-frame mirrorless

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regular EOS R, but not for this

Shot on the EOS

Ra with RF 85mm

F1.2L USM lens at

f/1.8, 30 secs,

ISO1600

FULL TEST Canon EOS Ra

The AF system

is sensitive down to

an impressive -6EV,

more than enough for

very dark skies

The EOS Ra has impressive high ISO noise control and noise

only really becomes an issue at values of 3200 and higher

ISO3200

ISO25600