London, UK, 21 November 2017 - Canon Europe, world leader in imaging solutions, today announces the launch of the ME20F-SHN, a low light network camera with remarkable performance. As a sister product to the ME20F-SH, the ME20F-SHN which now features network capability, further enhances Canon’s Multiple Purpose camera line-up with a solid proposition in producing full colour and Full HD resolution images in limited light scenarios. Perfect for critical surveillance operations, the ME20F-SHN packs incredible low light performance, network capability and built-in video analytics into a lightweight and compact body.
Incredible low-light performance
Equipped with a 2.26MP Full Frame 35mm CMOS sensor and DIGIC DV 4 processor, the ME20F-SHN delivers sharp, low noise, Full HD colour video in extreme low light conditions. The sensor’s pixels and readout circuitry use Canon’s proprietary technologies to achieve both reduced noise and exceptionally high sensitivity. With a maximum ISO in excess of 4 million (+75db), which delivers amazing low-light sensitivity, the ME20F-SHN can capture subjects illuminated with less than 0.0005 lux. Even greater detail can be captured in low-light environments by removing the IR cut filter when shooting in infrared mode.
Much like Canon’s Cinema EOS range, this network camera offers Canon Log and Wide DR from the Custom Picture menu, which enables a wide dynamic range of up to 12 Stops (800%), delivering high-quality images across a range of lighting scenarios. The Custom Picture menu has been upgraded, with the addition of the Crisp Img function, which obtains sharp images in well-lit environments and low noise image under low light conditions. These features are invaluable for users needing to capture clear and accurate images.
Enhanced network capability for surveillance applications
Featuring Ethernet, 3G/HD-SDI and HDMI ports, the ME20F-SHN caters for a plethora of video outputs based on users’ application requirements. For local monitoring, the ME20F-SHN has 3G/HD-SDI and HDMI ports; while an Ethernet connection enables remote operation of camera settings, monitoring and recording via web browsers, mobile devices or other video management software. The microSD card slot supports record and playback directly from a microSD card. For unmanned and cost-efficient surveillance, the 6 built-in video analytics functions and Alarm I/O interface enables automated recording and output to external devices triggered by video motion detection and alarm input.
With the Area-specific Data Size Reduction (ADSR) function, the ME20F-SHN enables users to capture absolute detail in selected areas of interest while reducing bit-rates in the other areas of the image to save network bandwidth. For ease of integration into existing video surveillance systems, the ME20F-SHN supports a wide range of video management software through Canon WebView and ONVIF protocols.
Flexible installation capabilities
Operators can select the ideal lens for each shooting and equipment scenario, taking aspects such as angle of view and level of brightness into account. Featuring an EF mount with Cinema Lock, the ME20F-SHN is compatible with a broad range of lenses across the Canon line-up, including zooms, primes and selected Cine Servo lenses for greater control. With PoE+ support, the data transmission via Ethernet and power supply are provided with a single LAN cable, which facilitates simple and rapid installation of the camera. The compact body and lightweight design are invaluable for users needing both a fixed and portable camera.
ME20F-SHN key features :
Sharp, low noise colour video in extreme low light
Network capable remote configuration and monitoring
Supports a wide range of surveillance applications
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.
Allows CDX-36150 firmware to be updated through the camera menu. *3
Fixes communications with the Remote Controller RC-V100.
*1 Codex Digital Recorder module.
*2 When you initialize a Capture Drive with the main recording format set to [ProRes (Capture Drive)], the recordable space will be reduced to approximately half of the Capture Drive’s nominal capacity to ensure a highly reliable format thanks to the use of multi-stream processing.
*3 For the latest Firmware Version please check Codex Digital’s website.
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.*
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.
