Testing the Canon EOS Ra: Why It’s Worth it for Astrophotographers

Trevor Jones of AstroBackyard recently got his hands on a niche camera that will be extremely interesting to astrophotographers… and just about nobody else: the Canon EOS Ra. In the video above, he takes it out for a test shoot to show off the two features that set this camera apart when it comes to serious night sky shooting.

The full-frame mirrorless EOS Ra was released quietly and didn’t cause much of a stir when it was, for the simple reason that it’s a very niche product. There are only two differences between the regular Canon EOS R and the EOS Ra: increased sensitivity to the 656nm hydrogen-alpha wavelength, and a 30x live view focus assist mode. For most of us, neither of these will be useful (in fact, the increased 656nm sensitivity could ruin some photos) but for astrophotography, these features help justify the extra $800 it’ll cost you to get the EOS Ra over its non-astro sibling.

As Jones demonstrates in the video above, the 30x live view mode makes pin-point astrophotography focus a breeze, and once he attaches the camera to a star tracker, he’s able to shoot a beautiful image of the Heart and Soul nebula in more vivid color thanks to the camera’s 4x sensitivity to that hydrogen-alpha wavelength.

Check out the full BTS video above to see the Canon EOS Ra in action, and if you want to see more from this astrophotographer’s camera, we highly suggest subscribing to AstroBackyard on YouTube.