Heads Up: Canon EOS 20Da (Japan Only)

[randytamayo]

Canon Japan has this morning sprung a surprise on everyone with the announcement (in Japan only so far) of the EOS 20Da. This specialized version of the EOS 20D appears to be identical except for the removal of the 'hot mirror', the filter in most digital camera's which removes the InfraRed part of the spectrum. This camera would be especialy suited to astrophotography as well as InfraRed photography, in use as a 'normal camera' it would probably require an external IR cut filter on the lens. In addition the camera has a partially transmissive mirror which enables live focusing on the LCD monitor.

Anyone here read japanese?

[piedad]

Isn't there an issue with the infra-red capability which supposedly reveals the underwear of people if shot at certain lighting conditions?

[Maccess]

I hear that one of the first versions of Sony's Nightshot handycams is a collector's item precisely for that reason!

Later versions were recalibrated to be less sensitive to, err, sensitivities.

[S13]

From what I read from the link above, the main difference of the 20Da from the 20D is the Infrared Filter and the Noise Reduction circuit.

The new infrared filter improves the transmittance of hydrogen line emission (H-alpha) by 2.5x compared to the 20D. This means that you can now take pictures of cosmic objects such as red nebulae without the need for special filters, which isn't possible with existing Digital SLRs.

The 20Da uses a 2nd generation Noise Reduction circuit, which thoroughly reduces random noise and fixed pattern noise, leading to a lower noise output even in high ISO settings. "Long Exposure Noise Reduction" is added to the custom function settings improving image quality to a higher level when taking long exposure shots.

It also has a "Live View Mode" in which the output of the image sensor is displayed in the LCD screen so you can monitor the image and adjust focus even when the mirror is up.

IMHO, the only advantage of the 20Da over the 20D is that it's optimized for severe low light situations and long exposure shots. So if you're not into astrophotography and only take pictures in well lighted situations, then you're not missing anything.

Good news for astrophotographers, though. They now have another option aside from Fujifilm's S Pro Series.

[Edited on 2-15-2005 by S13]

[Maverick]

an officemate of mine pointed out that this would soon be available in HK... as to how much that I'm uncertain.

[randytamayo]

Yes, here is the news for that release.

Originally posted by Maverick
an officemate of mine pointed out that this would soon be available in HK... as to how much that I'm uncertain.