EOS 20D, optimised for astrophotography.

I came across this in today's Guardian and remember that a few people do this sort of thing so a quick cut and paste makes the info available to all. I must admit I saw some good amature stuff on the Sky At Night a couple of months ago but that was mostly all telescopes with black boxes, cameras and things attached but the images on the laptops looked first class.

From the Guardian

Digital cameras

Night vision

Canon has released a version of its popular digital SLR camera, the EOS 20D, which has been optimised for astrophotography - taking pictures of the night sky. In addition to the original camera's 8.2 megapixel CMO sensor and Digic II processor, the EOS 20Da features a modified low-pass filter that apparently delivers the sharper and higher contrast levels required to capture night-time images. Unlike other conventional cameras, it is also capable of delivering a live magnified preview of each image on its 1.8in LCD monitor. The camera, which can also be used for conventional photography, features an intelligent nine point auto focus system, full manual controls and five frames per second burst mode. It will retail for £1,829.99.

 

It's a surprising thing to have released since I wouldn't have expected that much call for it, but presumably canon think they can make money from it. The 20Da has been out in japan for some time.

 

How much extra is this over a standard 20D?

 

I got my 20D for about £720. In the UK they're £930 typically, although retail is obviously higher.