Canon's ISO 4M Multi-Purpose Camera Is Going To Cost You

Most digital cameras these days boast of ISO levels along the 25,600 and 51,200 range. But have you ever heard of one that reaches 4,000,000? If you're in the market for a multi-purpose camera, then you definitely will, because that is exactly what Canon's new ME-20F-SH, it's first ever such camera, promises. With a sensor that has 5.5 times the area of conventional high-end interchangeable lens cameras, this Canon shooter can not only see better in the dark, it can record in Full HD video too.

The 35 mm full-frame CMOS on the Canon ME-20F-SH has pixels arranged over a 19 μm square, noted to be 5.5 times more in terms of surface area compared to the other high-end interchangeable lens cameras. This gives the camera a high sensitivity even in situations with only 0.0005 lux of brightness. In other words, in very very dark areas. This gives it an equivalent ISO of 4,000,000, exponentially more than current highest figures.

While the camera itself might already be impressive given that feature, you can even extend it further using interchangeable lenses. The ME-20F-SH uses the same mount type as canon's SLR and EOS lines, making it easy to pick out the right lens for the right occasion.

Design-wise, the camera isn't probably going to win any words, looking more like an odd black box than a camera. It is, however, bursting with features, especially when you turn it around. The back is home to nearly a dozen ports, including 3G/HD-SDI and HDMI, 2.5 mm stereo mini-jack, and a round 8-pin RS-422 jack.

Now what will you be able to use this Canon multi-purpose camera for? Well, as the name says, for almost anything, especially extremely low light photography that requires quality beyond an infrared lighted scene, like nighttime surveillance, nature and wildlife documentaries, night sky footage, and reality television. That said, this won't be easy to come by. The Canon ME-20F-SH arrives December 2015 and will carry with it an incredible price tag of $30,000.