Canon Unveils ME20F-SH Camera, Captures Video And Stills In Complete Darkness At 4M ISO

Canon has a new camera that will be available just in time for the holidays, but at $30,000, the model is going to be on only a few wish lists. The ME20F-SH is capable of creating the equivalent of a 4,000,000 ISO setting, which means it can capture color video in extremely-low light settings. In fact, according to Canon, it can provide “high-quality video capture even where subjects might not be seen by the naked eye.”

Canon ME20F SH Camera 1


Canon is targeting the camera at users who want to get full-color HD video in low-light situations. Typical cameras that take operate in dark environments use infrared, which results in black and white video. The ME20F-SH, on the other hand, has a CMOS sensor with pixels measuring 19 micrometers. According to Canon, that’s more than 5.5 times the surface area of pixels on high-end cameras with interchangeable lenses. Canon is touting the ME20F-SH as being capable of shooting color HD video on moonless nights.

Canon ME20F SH Camera front

The camera is meant to be placed rather than held, so it has a box shape that doesn’t lend itself to being gripped. Canon included support for a remote control so the camera can be used for security applications or placed in a hard-to-reach place. The camera also supports external microphones via 3.5mm mini-jack.

Canon ME20F SH Camera back

The ME20F-SH comes without a lens and supports Canon’s EF lenses via its Cinema Lock type EF mount, so you can pick the lens that best fits your lighting or subject. Obviously, it’s not a camera that even most pros will be able to afford, but for certain businesses, being able to get color HD video in low-light settings will be huge.
Joshua Gulick

Joshua Gulick

Josh cut his teeth (and hands) on his first PC upgrade in 2000 and was instantly hooked on all things tech. He took a degree in English and tech writing with him to Computer Power User Magazine and spent years reviewing high-end workstations and gaming systems, processors, motherboards, memory and video cards. His enthusiasm for PC hardware also made him a natural fit for covering the burgeoning modding community, and he wrote CPU’s “Mad Reader Mod” cover stories from the series’ inception until becoming the publication editor for Smart Computing Magazine.  A few years ago, he returned to his first love, reviewing smoking-hot PCs and components, for HotHardware. When he’s not agonizing over benchmark scores, Josh is either running (very slowly) or spending time with family.