MELVILLE, N.Y., August 2, 2017 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, is proud to congratulate the team behind the National Geographic’s live television special “Earth Live”. The two-hour broadcast featured a live-production first, by using Canon’s ME20F-SH Multi-Purpose Camera along with a variety of Canon lenses, including the CINE-SERVO 50-1000mm T5.0-8.9 EF to show television viewers live images of illusive nocturnal wildlife from around the world at night, in color, without using artificial lighting. Hosted by award-winning actress Jane Lynch and award-winning television personality Phil Keoghan, the unprecedented two-hour event gave viewers an unfiltered, real-time broadcast feed to see Earth’s wildlife in various natural habitats with the use of 51 cameras shooting simultaneously in 25 different locations across six continents. The show premiered on National Geographic, Nat Geo WILD and Nat Geo MUNDO on Sunday, July 9, and aired in 171 countries and 45 languages.
Working closely with National Geographic, executive producer Al Berman’s idea for “Earth Live” involved several locations that were in total darkness during the live production and those dark locations would either require lights that would disturb wildlife, or the use of infrared or thermal cameras, which didn’t suit Berman’s idea. It wasn’t until 2015 when Canon debuted the ME20F-SH Multi-Purpose Camera that Berman saw the opportunity to broadcast undisturbed nocturnal wildlife in color. The announcement of this revolutionary four million ISO, full-frame sensor camera that can shoot full-color video in extreme low-light conditions, immediately caught the attention of Berman, who approached Canon U.S.A. with his idea. The Company’s technical support team worked closely with Berman and his crew to provide and test equipment to help bring this concept to life.
The first commercially successful photographic process was announced in 1839, the result of over a decade of experimentation by Louis Daguerre and Nicéphore Niépce. Eastman Kodak engineer, Steven Sasson, invented the digital camera in 1975. The first commercially available DSLR camera was released by Kodak in 1991. It was a customized body with a digital sensor, mounted on a Nikon F3 camera.
In a bit more than two decades, the technology have overtaken analog film materials and dominate the photographic industry and practice. Take a look at my earlier post on the history of photography and how photos can be 'manipulated'.
My readers know, I have been a wildlife photographer using Canon equipment for over 25 years. Through the decades, I have used almost all of Canon's cropped and full frame, film and digital cameras, EF, EF-S and Super Telephoto lenses. For me, through the years, the most agonizing dilemma is shutter speed vs noise. Shutter speed can be increased by raising the ISO setting or using a faster lens, but it comes with its corresponding weight and exponential price increase. Noise can be decreased somewhat by using noise reduction software during post processing, The ideal situation is having the optimum shutter speed and ISO setting in the camera, in the first place.
For those who are interested in photography and the history of photography, visit the Eastman Kodak Museum in Rochester, New York, digitally. Below are a video tour of the Kodak Museum Technology Vault and an article from Canon explaining the science of photographic film and digital sensor, and how each affects the noise in photography.
Film, grain and digital noise
Photographic film is made up of an emulsion coated on a flexible base. The emulsion contains silver halide grains. These grains are sensitive to light. There are a couple of ways to alter the sensitivity of the film to light, and so alter its ISO rating. First, you can add chemical sensitisers to the emulsion. Second, you can increase the size of the silver halide grains. Mostly, a combination of both is used. Grain size is important, because of the way they are changed by exposure to light. They 'flip' from a non-latent state to a latent state. In their latent state they can be chemically converted (developed) to impure silver (which is black), creating the familiar black-and-white negative image. It takes a certain amount of light to flip the grain to a latent state. If we think of light not as a continuous stream, but as individual elements (photons), we can imagine that it takes, say, five direct hits by photons to flip the grain. If the photos are evenly spread over an area, larger grains are more likely to be hit more often than smaller grains. In photographic terms, this makes the larger grains more sensitive to light. The downside is that the larger grains become more visible in a photographic image. It is a classic compromise situation. Do you want a low-sensitivity film which can only be used in bright light, but which has very fine grains giving beautifully smooth gradations, or do you want a high-sensitivity film which can be used in low light, but which has large grains giving rough tonal texture? For most photographers, the answer is to use the lowest-sensitivity film suitable for the situation, and accept 'grainy' images when the alternative is no images at all. For some subjects, of course, you can use a slow film in low light with the camera on a tripod and long exposures. You can't change the size of the light-gathering pixels in a sensor once it is installed in your digital camera. Sensitivity has to be increased in another way. In fact, the sensitivity of the sensor doesn't change at all. Instead, the electrical signal generated by each pixel is amplified. To increase the effective sensitivity of the sensor, the amplification is increased. However, all electrical circuits emit a degree of 'white noise'. If you turn the speaker volume up really loud on your hi-fi, you can hear a familiar hiss even when there is nothing playing. Or if a television is not perfectly tuned to a station, the 'white noise' creates the 'snow' that appears on the screen. When a television is correctly tuned, the signal strength overpowers the background noise. Similarly, digital cameras produce a varying degree of background noise. In bright light, the pixels produce a strong signal and less amplification is needed. The signal overpowers the background noise. In technical terms, there is a strong signal-to-noise ratio. In low light, the signal is weak. If you increase the amplification by setting a higher ISO rating, you increase both the signal and the background noise, and the noise becomes significant. There is a weak signal-to-noise ratio. The noise shows through, degrading the smooth tones of the image. It is exactly the same dilemma you have with film. As the ISO rating increases, the image quality decreases. You have to compromise between sensitivity and quality. However, at least with a digital camera you can change the ISO rating much more easily than film users can change film, so the chances are you will achieve a better compromise. Image noise and pixel size
Increasing the signal-to-noise ratio reduces image noise. Larger sensors have larger pixels, which trap more incident light, resulting in higher signal levels and an improved signal-to-noise ratio. This is why the EOS 5D and EOS 1Ds Mark II cameras have such low noise levels – the larger full-frame sensors are able to trap more light in a given time period. To keep noise to a minimum, cameras with smaller sensors and smaller pixels use micro-lenses to focus the light into the pixels so as much light as possible is trapped and little is wasted by falling between the pixels. Long exposure noise reduction
Many EOS digital cameras feature a long exposure noise reduction function, which aims to remove some, or all, of the fixed pattern noise that is sometimes present in images taken with exposures longer than a few seconds. Temperature plays an important part in the conductivity of electrical circuits. As the temperature increases, the conductivity decreases, causing more background noise. When you take a picture using a long exposure, the sensor is active and it heats up, making it more susceptible to fixed pattern noise. The long exposure noise reduction performs a dark field subtraction – in other words, it calculates the fixed pattern noise and then removes it from the image you have just shot. In practice, it's not worth turning on unless you are planning on taking images with an exposure time of more than 2 to 3 minutes. Long exposure noise reduction is a menu item on the professional EOS-1D and 1Ds series cameras as well as on the EOS 5D, and EOS 80D cameras.
MELVILLE, N.Y., April 13, 2016 – Canon U.S.A. Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, today announced the latest addition to the Company’s line of multi-purpose modular cameras, the new ME200S-SH. Compact and versatile, the camera supports a broad range of uses, including cinema, television production, live sports, law enforcement, house of worship and special uses, such as weather monitoring, night shooting, event installs and point of view applications. This 8.2 megapixel Super 35mm compact box camera features both high sensitivity and a cinema look for high-quality image capture. Canon’s Dual Pixel CMOS autofocus (DAF) technology provides ME200S-SH camera users with a range of focusing options when using compatible Canon EF lenses and CINE-SERVO lenses.
“Much like the ME20F-SH multi-purpose camera that Canon launched in 2015, the new ME200S-SH multi-purpose camera is so small and compact it can easily fit into tight spaces,” said Yuichi Ishizuka, president and COO, Canon U.S.A., Inc. “As indicated in the name, we anticipate users will implement this camera in an extensive variety of ways, from uniquely angled shots for HD sports broadcasting or traffic and weather reporting, to cinematic production or surveillance of public spaces, even applications we haven’t yet thought of. We are very excited to see how the capabilities of this camera inspire image creators.”
Canon’s new multi-purpose ME200S-SH camera’s compact, modular body design allows for easy custom configurations for diverse usage scenarios such as :
Live HD – 1920×1080 / 60p, 50p output, Dual Pixel CMOS AF and Remote (RC-V100) enable HD Live use for HD studios as well as sporting events. Thanks to its compact size, this camera can be placed in unique creative spaces such as the top of a basketball hoop. Genlock functionality is standard for this multi-purpose camera use.
Production – Remote manual control of focus, iris, auto exposure (AE) and ND filters is available with the optional Canon RC-V100 controller, benefitting a range of users from meteorologists looking to get distinctive images of severe weather conditions to concert venues looking to add creative low-light imagery or cinematic shallow depth of field to their offerings.
Security Surveillance – Infrared shooting and ISO 204,800 allow for surveillance of buildings, borders, airports, and harbors. Remote control capability and Auto Exposure allow the ME200S-SH camera to be easily incorporated into these constantly evolving and potentially unmanned environments.
The ME200S-SH camera includes both Canon Log and Wide DR Gamma providing users the high- dynamic range and the ability to choose their post-production strategy. Users can experience high-quality imagery whether they are doing a full post-production grade or making quick onsite corrections.
In addition, the ME200S-SH camera employs Canon’s EF Mount (Cinema Lock Type) providing shooters with the ability to use a diverse array of compatible Canon EF interchangeable lens, CINE-SERVO lenses, newly announced COMPACT-SERVO lens and a select Canon Broadcast HD lenses by utilizing a third party mount converter. The Cine Lock feature allows users to easily mount the lens without having to rotate it into the mount.
The ME200S-SH camera features 3G/HD-SDI and HDMI output terminals that enable users to output video via a single cable to a variety of peripheral equipment, including external recorders and monitors. A 12-pin lens jack is provided to enable communication with the drive unit of select CINE-SERVO and broadcast lenses. Equipped with a ?2.5mm stereo mini-jack and a round eight-pin jack for RS-422, the multi-purpose camera is capable of connecting with Canon’s optional RC-V100 Remote Controller. Furthermore, a ?3.5mm stereo mini-jack allows the camera to connect to a microphone or other external audio equipment.
Pricing and Availability
The ME200S-SH multi-purpose camera is scheduled to be available in August 2016 for a suggested list price of $5,999. In addition, optional accessories which include the RC-V100 Remote Control, RS-422 eight-pin remote cables and TB-1 Tripod Base are currently available for a suggested list price of $2999, $249 (10m cable) or $999 (100m cable) and $35 respectively.*
I have just returned from a rather successful wildlife photo trip to India. Witnessed two tiger kills from beginning to end on a Spotted and Sambar Deer plus Elephants and Monkeys mating, in addition to many new bird species for me. Trying to get back to writing my blog and catching up with the latest photography and NAB 2016 news. It will take me a week or two to get back to speed and precious little time to process the photos because by then, my next tour will be here already. I have a very busy Spring and Summer touring season ahead of me. You can see my works on MichaelDanielHo.com
MELVILLE, N.Y., April 13, 2016 – Canon U.S.A. Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, today introduced the ME20F-SH Cinema Kit, which bundles the ME20F-SH Camera with 10 accessories to enhance the user operation and provide significant savings compared to purchasing the accessories separately. The ME20F-SH camera’s CMOS sensor has pixels measuring 19 ?m square1, which is more than 5.5 times the surface area of the pixels on the CMOS sensor featured in select top-of-the-line interchangeable lens cameras2. Its large pixel size enables the ME20F-SH to deliver magnificent imagery in normal lighting conditions, while also possessing the high sensitivity to capture Full HD video in less than 0.0005 lux3 (at maximum 75 dB gain setting, equivalent to an ISO sensitivity of more than 4,000,000). Along with its modular body and compact size, the image quality delivered by the ME20F-SH camera allows users to capture clear images in even the most demanding of applications including cinematic production, reality television, and nature/wildlife documentaries.
“We’ve been using the ME20F-SH camera to simulate military-grade night vision goggles and no other camera can simulate night vision goggles like this – it’s the only machine that could do what we needed,” said David Klein, ASC, cinematographer of The History Channel’s upcoming drama series SIX. “The camera takes sensitivity to a new level; its high end is not just noteworthy, it’s mind blowing. When we shoot with the ME20F-SH camera, nearly every light is turned off or knocked down to nothing, and the camera does the rest,” added Dominik Mainl, SIX’s First AC. “I know this camera is capable of over four million ISO, but we found a remarkable singular image around 600,000 ISO, where signal to noise ratio was suddenly irrelevant.”
Similar to Canon’s Cinema EOS System of professional digital cinematography cameras, the ME20F-SH camera includes Canon Log and Wide DR, which make possible a wide dynamic range, delivering high-image-quality video results across a range of illumination environments, from low- to brightly lit conditions. The ME20F-SH employs the same EF mount (Cinema Lock type) as Canon’s SLR cameras and Cinema EOS series of professional digital cameras, allowing users to make use of the Company’s extensive lineup of interchangeable EF lenses from fisheye to super-telephoto.
The ME20F-SH kit accessory list includes the Atomos Shogun Flame external recorder, Zacuto mini baseplate, a SanDisk SSD pack, Noga Arm, HDMI cable, additional battery, battery and cheese plate, D-Tap/D-Tap cable, XLR cable and a battery charger that can also be used as a power adapter. All of these accessories make the ME20F-SH Cinema Kit ready for film and TV production as well as documentary work across a number of genres.
“Since its introduction in 2015, the ME20F-SH camera has been an incredible tool for cinematic production,” noted Tim Smith, senior advisor, Film & TV Production, Canon U.S.A., Inc. “It produces phenomenal light sensitivity that enables incredibly clean images in standard lighting conditions, and remarkable color imagery up to ISO 4,000,000 even in extremely low light. This new Cinema Kit empowers filmmakers to have a turnkey solution to shoot with minimal lighting equipment or additional gear.”
The Canon ME20F-SH Cinema Kit is expected to be available in April 2016 at a suggested list price of $31,000.* For additional information about the camera and this new kit please visit : https://www.usa.canon.com/internet/portal/us/home/products/details/cameras/multi-purpose-cameras/me20f-sh. Follow Canon throughout the NAB show on Instagram at @CanonUSA and Twitter at @CanonUSApro and visit Canon’s C4325 Booth in the Center Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Nikon announced their top-of-the-line DSLR recently. The 4K video equipped D5 camera claimed it can shoot at ISO 3.28 million. Of course, this is to chase (at least on paper) the remarkable Canon ME20F-SH camera that can see in the dark and shoot at over ISO 4 million plus. By the way, if you want to see how good the Nikon D5 shoots in 4K video, click on this post.
See what shooting with the Nikon D5 at ISO 409600 and 3280000 look like in the photos below. Frankly, I am embarrassed to even show the images. Both photos are grainier than looking into a salt shaker. No one single number can make one piece of equipment superior to all the rest.
In my opinion, in wildlife photography, a weather sealed camera with a full frame, mid 20MP sensor that can shoot in native ISO 12800 with little noise, an advanced AF system with all cross-type 75 focus points and 12 AF points @ f/8, plus a burst rate of 12 fps is adequate. Anything more than that is expensive hype. After all, the most important criterion for a successful shoot is - luck, skill and equipment, in that order. You can see my equipment bag and works on MichaelDanielHo.com
Canon announced the Ultra High Sensitivity Camera - ME20F-SH on July 20, 2015. It has a super-sensitive full-HD 35mm full-frame CMOS sensor inside a small form factor body. The new camera can record color images in near-complete darkness, while its cubic chassis can be placed unobtrusively on set or in the wild. While the sensor is only 2.2 megapixels (effective) in resolution, each pixel measures 19 microns, making it more than 7.5 times larger than an equivalent 18.1 megapixel 35mm full-frame sensor. This large pixel size allows the sensor to gather much more light in all situations. This helps images taken in low-light situations maintain a low noise floor for cleaner and more vivid video.
Now B&H Photo has completed a comprehensive test of the camera. The excerpt below is from their review analysis :
We’ve seen a dramatic rise in the low-light capabilities of cameras in recent years, but nothing quite as impressive as the Canon ME20F-SH Professional Multi-Purpose Video Camera. Featuring a 2.26MP full-frame CMOS sensor, the camera captures up to 1080p color footage in extreme low-light environments at a maximum ISO of 4560000. You read that correctly—that’s an ISO of more than 4 million. With that kind of sensitivity, the ME20F-SH can quite literally see in the dark without the need for infrared lighting, delivering images that need to be seen to be believed. This opens up a whole new world of possibilities for wildlife and nature documentaries, astrophotography, deep sea and cave exploration, reality TV productions, and security/surveillance. The astonishing low-light sensitivity of the ME20F-SH is made possible by a 20 x 36mm full-frame CMOS sensor with a native 2.26MP resolution. This gives the sensor enough resolution to deliver 1080p video while at the same time yielding massive individual pixels that are 19 microns in size. Compare that to the 8.4 micron pixels of the Sony a7S II and you can begin to understand just how large they are. The ability of each pixel to absorb light, combined with a Canon DIGIV DV4 processor and proprietary noise-reduction technologies, results in a low-light sensitivity of 0.0005 lux at its maximum ISO (+75 dB gain). Interfaces and Connectivity To support its “multi-purpose” designation, the camera is compact, lightweight, and minimalist in design. It doesn’t record internally or have any built-in display, so all recording and video monitoring must be done externally. For interface with external monitor and recorders, the camera features two 3G/HD-SDI outputs and one HDMI output, which support 1080p, 1080i, and 720p video at 23.98, 25, 29.97, 50, and 59.94 frame rates. Additional connectivity is provided for remote control, Genlock, and power. For in-the-field operation, the camera pairs well with a combination monitor/recorder, such as the Atomos Shogun. The output signals are 10-bit, though it is important to note that the image processor only supports 8-bit color depth, so you’re getting 8-bits of effective color information wrapped in a 10-bit signal. The ME20F-SH is equipped with a rugged, Cinema-Lock EF lens mount similar to the one found on Canon’s C500 Cinema EOS camera, making the camera compatible with the wide range of Canon EF zoom and prime lenses, as well as Canon’s range of Cinema Primes. A 12-pin Hirose lens-control port provides support for select Canon servo lenses or 2/3" broadcast lenses (using a third-party lens adapter). Other features carried down from Canon’s Cinema EOS cameras include Canon Log and Wide DR gamma profiles to support up to 12 stops of dynamic range by minimizing the loss of shadow detail and overexposure in the highlights. The availability of these gamma settings also allows footage from the camera to be intercut seamlessly with the Canon Cinema EOS cameras, making the ME20F-SH a viable option as a specialized, ultra-low-light B camera. Now, when the script calls for a moon-lit scene, you may just be able to get away with actual moonlight as your key light, which is pretty mind-blowing when you think about it. So, just how good is the camera’s low-light performance? In the video below, we shot three nighttime scenes and manually increased the gain in half-stop increments from 0 dB (ISO 800) to 75 dB (ISO 4560000). All shots were made using the available lighting of the environment, which comes from buildings, street lights, and the moon. To give a sense of how dark it actually was, for the shots of the George Washington Bridge taken from Fort Tryon Park, I had to use a flashlight to set up the camera and adjust settings. Needless to say, it was dark—especially by Manhattan standards. Astonishing low-light images The results of the above video gives us a good sense of what this camera can do, which is deliver remarkably clean images at high ISOs. It should come as no surprise that as the ISO level increases, so too does the amount of image noise. What is remarkable is just how high you can go with only minimal image noise present. And even when noise becomes more prominent, the fact that you can still make out details and color is impressive. For cinema productions, I’d feel comfortable shooting at as high as ISO 51,200 (+36 dB), but documentarians can definitely push that further, depending on their noise tolerance, perhaps as high as ISO 204,000 (+48 dB). Another thing I noticed while cycling through the ISO steps was that some ISOs appear much cleaner than other ISOs around them. It appears that the ME20F-SH, like many Canon DSLRs I’ve used, have certain “native” ISOs, with the other ISO steps the result of either a digital exposure push from a lower ISO, or a digital exposure pull from a higher ISO. The native ISOs are, naturally, cleaner than the exposure pushes, with the exposure pulls the cleanest of all. This isn’t uncommon, but just be aware that the camera definitely has some ISO sweet spots that you may want to aim for. Shooting in daylight While optimized for low-light sensitivity, the camera functions well for daytime shots, too. To help you shoot at its base ISO of 800, the camera is equipped with two built-in neutral density filters, a three-stop (ND 1/8) and a 6-stop (ND 1/64). Additionally, the camera features a removable IR cut filter. During the daytime, this filter blocks unwanted infrared light to prevent IR pollution and maintain accurate color reproduction. When working in extreme low-light environments, you can retract the IR cut filter, too, for enhanced sensitivity and clarity, letting you identify objects more accurately within a scene. This is a mode that could prove particularly useful for security work. As impressive as the ME20F-SH is, it really is more of a specialized tool for select shots and applications. Due to the minimalist design, operating it in the field definitely takes some rigging. Fortunately, with 1/4"-20 and 3/8"-16 threads on top of and under the camera, it’s easy to add the accessories you need. In addition to an external monitor/recorder, you’ll want to add a base plate with rod support so you can add handles and a shoulder pad for any handheld work. Additionally, the rods allow you to add a rod-mounted V-Mount or Anton Bauer battery plate, as the camera doesn’t have a battery slot/compartment, but rather 11-17V DC 4-pin XLR and terminal block two-pin power inputs. A P-Tap to four-pin XLR power cable running from the battery plate or the battery itself to the camera does the trick. The sound and the settings "What is remarkable is just how high you can go with only minimal image noise present." The ME20F-SH doesn’t have a built-in microphone, so if you want to capture audio while shooting with the camera, then you’ll need to record either off-board and sync to a slate in post, or plug an external microphone into the camera’s 3.5mm stereo mini input. The intended applications of the camera make the lack of an onboard microphone not overly important. But, if you do need to capture audio when shooting with the camera, then this is something to be aware of. For settings adjustment and menu navigation, the camera features rear buttons and a joystick; but remember that you need an external monitor to see and adjust your settings. When monitoring, your settings are displayed at the bottom of the image, with the joystick letting you toggle and manually adjust settings, such as shutter speed, aperture, and white balance. When you’re ready to record, you can turn the displays off for a clean image. If you want to keep your displays active while also recording a clean image, then you’ll have to use the HDMI or 3G-SDI monitoring output to send a signal to your monitor, and the secondary always-clean 3G-SDI output to send to a recorder. When operating in the field, you’ll often be using a single monitor/record unit, so you’ll have to turn off your displays before recording. Auto functions and versatility In addition to manual controls, the ME20F-SH offers auto iris and gain functions for exposure control, as well as One-Shot AF and auto white balance. This lets you capture footage on the fly without having to worry about fumbling with the rear buttons or having to worry about turning your settings on and off. It is also ideal for when the camera is in more permanent installations, such as when used for security/surveillance purposes. For studio use, the camera can also be controlled remotely using the optional RC-V100 Remote Controller via the 2.5mm mini output, or a compatible third-party control unit via RS-422 using 8-pin remote connector. The Canon ME20F-SH presents itself as a unique tool for a wide range of applications. Part cinema camera, part surveillance tool, part studio camera, the camera is ready to serve anyone who wants to capture images in extremely dark conditions without having to sacrifice color or resort to infrared lighting and sacrifice nature color reproduction. While it isn’t necessarily meant to be an “A” camera for most productions, I’m sure wildlife and nature documentarians, cave and deep-sea videographers, and astrophotographers in particular, will be champing at the bit to try out the camera. With its ability to capture previously impossible shots, the ME20F-SH could help reinvent the very look and feel of ultra-low-light videography. Exciting times are ahead.
Canon announced the Ultra High Sensitivity Camera - ME20F-SH on July 20, 2015. It has a super-sensitive full-HD 35mm full-frame CMOS sensor inside a small form factor body. The new camera can record color images in near-complete darkness, while its cubic chassis can be placed unobtrusively on set or in the wild. While the sensor is only 2.2 megapixels (effective) in resolution, each pixel measures 19 microns, making it more than 7.5 times larger than an equivalent 18.1 megapixel 35mm full-frame sensor. This large pixel size allows the sensor to gather much more light in all situations. This helps images taken in low-light situations maintain a low noise floor for cleaner and more vivid video.
The rugged body is almost square in configuration and features multiple mounting points for discreet placement. The camera can capture images at up to ISO 4,000,000. Its low-light capability makes the camera ideal for wildlife documentaries, security and law enforcement purposes.
Using Canon’s EF mount, the camera is fully compatible with Canon’s EF line of lenses, including the CN-E lenses with electronic communication. Using the built-in crop mode, the camera is also compatible with EF-S lenses and Canon’s Cine Servo zoom lenses, which can be controlled through the camera, as well. The camera does not record video internally; rather, it sends 1080p video at up to 60 fps out from its 3G-SDI and HDMI terminals. One SDI terminal and the HDMI terminal can be programmed to include OSD (onscreen display) information for camera operation. The camera settings can be adjusted using the on-camera controls or via a remote control connected with the 2.5mm jack or the RS-422 terminal.
You can see a HD video of the camera in action from Canon Japan. This is an amazing video to watch. The camera retails for about $19,999 in the United States and some dealers are taking pre-orders now. I am very interested in this camera for my wildlife photography photo shoots but need to investigate it further once it is available.
Canon announced the Ultra High Sensitivity Camera - ME20F-SH on July 20, 2015. It has a super-sensitive full-HD 35mm full-frame CMOS sensor inside a small form factor body. The new camera can record color images in near-complete darkness, while its cubic chassis can be placed unobtrusively on set or in the wild. While the sensor is only 2.2 megapixels (effective) in resolution, each pixel measures 19 microns, making it more than 7.5 times larger than an equivalent 18.1 megapixel 35mm full-frame sensor. This large pixel size allows the sensor to gather much more light in all situations. This helps images taken in low-light situations maintain a low noise floor for cleaner and more vivid video.
The rugged body is almost square in configuration and features multiple mounting points for discreet placement. The camera can capture images at up to ISO 4,000,000. Its low-light capability makes the camera ideal for wildlife documentaries, security and law enforcement purposes.
The Canon comes with the EF mount and is fully compatible with the entire EF line of lenses, including the CN-E lenses with electronic communication. EF-S and Cine Servo zoom lenses are also compatible when used in the cropped mode. The camera sends 1080p video at up to 60 fps out from its 3G-SDI and HDMI terminals. One SDI terminal and the HDMI terminal can be programmed to include onscreen display information for camera operation. The camera settings can be adjusted using the on-camera controls or via a remote control connected with the 2.5mm jack or the RS-422 terminal.
You can see a HD video of the camera in action from Canon Japan. This is an amazing video to watch. The camera retails for about $30,000 in the United States and some dealers will be taking pre-orders soon.
Canon announced the Ultra High Sensitivity Camera - ME20F-SH on July 20, 2015. It has a super-sensitive full-HD 35mm full-frame CMOS sensor inside a small form factor body. The new camera can record color images in near-complete darkness, while its cubic chassis can be placed unobtrusively on set or in the wild. While the sensor is only 2.2 megapixels (effective) in resolution, each pixel measures 19 microns, making it more than 7.5 times larger than an equivalent 18.1 megapixel 35mm full-frame sensor. This large pixel size allows the sensor to gather much more light in all situations. This helps images taken in low-light situations maintain a low noise floor for cleaner and more vivid video.
The rugged body is almost square in configuration and features multiple mounting points for discreet placement. The camera can capture images at up to ISO 4,000,000. Its low-light capability makes the camera ideal for wildlife documentaries, security and law enforcement purposes.
The Canon comes with the EF mount and is fully compatible with the entire EF line of lenses, including the CN-E lenses with electronic communication. EF-S and Cine Servo zoom lenses are also compatible when used in the cropped mode. The camera sends 1080p video at up to 60 fps out from its 3G-SDI and HDMI terminals. One SDI terminal and the HDMI terminal can be programmed to include onscreen display information for camera operation. The camera settings can be adjusted using the on-camera controls or via a remote control connected with the 2.5mm jack or the RS-422 terminal.
You can see a HD video of the camera in action from Canon Japan. This is an amazing video to watch. The camera retails for about $30,000 in the United States and some dealers will be taking pre-orders soon.
MELVILLE N.Y., July 30, 2015 – Canon U.S.A. Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, today has introduced the Company’s first multi-purpose camera, the new ME20F-SH, which delivers exceptionally high sensitivity to capture Full HD video with a minimum subject illumination of less than 0.0005 lux1 (at maximum 75 dB gain setting, equivalent to an ISO sensitivity of over 4,000,000). Nighttime surveillance and security, cinematic production, reality television, and nature/wildlife documentaries are just some of the ME20F-SH’s many possible usage applications.
With the ability to capture color video in extreme low-light conditions and its simplistic and versatile design, the ME-20F-SH Multi-purpose Camera can be easily incorporated into existing infrastructures and systems to provide high-quality video capture even where subjects might not be seen with the naked eye.
Canon’s new multi-purpose camera employs an enhanced version of the 35mm full-frame CMOS sensor for Full HD video use that was originally developed by the Company in 2013. Its compact, modular body design allows easy custom configurations for diverse usage scenarios. While capturing video in extreme low-light conditions often requires the use of infrared illumination (a technique that only yields video in black and white), the ME20F-SH camera achieves impressive high-sensitivity performance enabling the capture of color Full HD video with reduced noise in low-light conditions without the need for infrared illumination.
Ultra-High-Sensitivity CMOS Sensor Enables Color Video Capture in Extreme Low-Light Conditions
The ME20F-SH camera’s CMOS sensor has pixels measuring 19 ?m square3, which is more than 5.5 times the surface area of the pixels on the CMOS sensor featured in select top-of-the-line interchangeable lens cameras4. Furthermore, the sensor’s pixels and readout circuitry make use of Canon proprietary technologies to achieve both reduced noise and exceptionally high sensitivity on subjects with a minimum illumination of less than 0.0005 lux. This multi-purpose camera allows users to discern subjects under even some of the dimmest lighting conditions, such as environments lit by artificial illumination or under a moonless night sky. Furthermore, similar to Canon’s Cinema EOS System of professional digital cinematography cameras, the ME20F-SH camera includes Canon Log and Wide DR, which make possible a wide dynamic range, delivering high-image-quality video results across a range of illumination environments, from low- to brightly lit conditions.
