Canon has just announced a new professional-grade video camera that can effectively see in the dark.
The Canon ME20F-SH is a relatively compact, box-shaped, high-end EF-mount video camera that captures Full HD (1080p) footage. That might not sound too special, especially in a time of 4K.
But the MED20F-SH has a trick up its sleeve. With an “industry leading” maximum ISO of more than 4 million, the Canon ME20F-SH is most at home in extremely low-light environments.
Most extreme low-light solutions involve infrared illumination, which has the effect of switching the footage to black and white. The ME20F-SH captures full colour footage without such infrared illumination, and with a lot less noise than standard cameras.
As Engadget points out, the ME20F-SH’s full-frame 35mm CMOS sensor offers photosites that are 19 microns square – that’s five times bigger than those found in even the best high-end cameras. Combined with more specialist technology, it means that the Canon ME20F-SH can capture far more light than regular cameras.
The camera is intended to capture footage in situations where it wouldn’t normally be possible, particularly with a view to professional TV productions. Think nighttime wildlife shots, astronomy, and even deep sea exploration.
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Canon also mentions that the ME20F-SH could be useful for surveillance, and it’s not just the camera’s extreme low-light performance that enables this. Remote control operability means that filmmakers can set the camera up easily in semi-permanent locations.
You’re probably expecting the Canon ME20F-SH to be expensive, right? It’s going to cost a cool $30,000 (around £19,200) when it launches this December. So, yep.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
