The First Extreme Low-Light Footage From Canon’s ME20F-SH Ultra-High-Sensitivity Camera Looks Insane

It seems that Sony is not the only camera manufacturer boasting ultra-high ISO sensitivity in their recent camera models.  The prototype ME20F-SH camera from Canon that was announced back in July is capable of shooting images up to whopping ISO 4,560,000. Many of us are still wondering how this camera would perform in reality and fortunately enough Canon Japan released the first official footage that unveils the answer.

Just as a reminder the camera is 1080p only and does not record video internally, rather it sends the signal at up to 60 fps out from its 3G-SDI and HDMI ports that can be also programmed to include onscreen display information for camera operation. You can watch the video on Canon Japan’s website, and below are a few screen grabs.

Capturing video in low-light conditions often requires the use of infrared illumination, a technique that traditionally only captures footage in black and white. The ME20F-SH however, achieves impressive high-sensitivity performance enabling the capture of colour Full HD video with reduced noise, even in low-light conditions and without the need for infrared illumination. Despite the presence of digital noise, we can clearly see colours at extremely low ambient light levels and even in pitch black environments, which is a serious achievement by itself to say the least.

Canon_ME20F-SH

Canon ME20F-SH Highlights:

  • Full Frame 35mm with 2.26 MP CMOS sensor and a DIGIC DV4 processor
  • Canon EF Mount
  • Ultra-low-light performance at ISO 4 million.
  • High quality Full HD 1080p/1080i/720p output.
  • Canon Log
  • Flexible control with auto and custom settings.
  • Remote control of camera settings and built-in ND and IR cut filters possible.
  • Small and lightweight for ease of integration.

The multi-purpose ME20F-SH will ship in December retailing for $30,000.

[source: Canon Japan]

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