It’s been a year since Canon finally jumped into the full-frame mirrorless party with the launch of the 30-megapixel EOS R, which was followed a few months later by the 26-megapixel RP. Well, fast forward 12 months and internet rumour sites report that a new full-frame mirrorless may be about to appear, although this model will be more useful when the dark skies fall.
That’s right, if the rumour mill is correct, the new full-frame mirrorless model will be designed for astrophotography and will supposedly be called the EOS RA – A for Astrophotography we’re assuming.
Cameras built for astrophotography typically have more sensitive sensors, enabling them to produce low light images with drastically reduced digital noise to produce cleaner files. With that said, it’s likely the RA will feature internal changes and will keep the same body and button layout as the original EOS R.
This is not the first time a brand has put out a camera that’s dedicated to astrophotography. Nikon previously launched a version of its popular D810 DSLR that had been tweaked for astrophotography (the D810A) and Canon themselves have pedigree for reaching for the stars as the brand released the EOS 60Da way back in 2010, which was a modified version of the 18-megapixel APS-C DSLR.
The news that Canon are rumoured to be launching such a niche version of the EOS R will be of great interest to low light photographers who want to capture landscapes that include the night sky and dedicated astrophotography fans keen to shoot celestial sights, such as the Milky Way.
No release information has been leaked, but 2020 looks set to be a busy year for Canon, who are also expected to launch the Canon 1DX in time for the summer Olympics, which will be held in Tokyo, Japan.