Canon has made an stunning product announcement, revealing a twin, RF mount fisheye lens that is segment of an all-unique device called EOS VR. Its goal is nothing now not as much as to remodel digital actuality (VR) and augmented actuality (AR) manufacturing by making workflow extra functional than most fresh VR desire programs, whereas handing over the typical of a beefy-physique mirrorless camera.
The predominant product is the $1,999 RF5.2mm F2.8 L Dual Fisheye handbook lens designed specifically to mount on Canon’s 8K-capable EOS R5 camera. It be a highly odd taking a witness product, to remark the least, with two bulging fisheye lenses mounted aspect by aspect. They’re positioned approximately 60mm (24 inches) apart to match human interpupillary distance and provide contented parallax for VR and AR.
Canon
The lens works most efficient with Canon’s EOS R5, chosen for its 8K video potential. When taking pictures, it projects two circular photos onto the camera’s 45-megapixel sensor. It helps 190-diploma desire, taking into account supply of stereoscopic 180-diploma 3D photos or photos at as much as eight,192 x 4,096 (8K) resolution for AR or VR capabilities.
The lens has some odd aspects, bask in a ring that focuses each and each lenses straight away and an Allen screw adjustment that enables you to tweak the predominant focal level of 1 lens to precisely match the assorted. In every other case, you uncover aspects in general came all the very best plan thru in high-cease Canon L RF mount glass, bask in coatings to manipulate flare and ghosting, dirt and waterproof sealing and a valid F2.8 to F16 aperture range. Despite the odd appears, the lens is pretty compact and now not mighty larger than Canon’s 35mm F1.8 lens.
Canon
The lens is valid one segment of the equation, though. Canon is working on a firmware update for the R5 with unique aspects to abet the lens and EOS VR device. That capabilities MF peaking and handbook focal level narrate by Canon’s Dual Pixel autofocus device, alongside with a “Magic Window” UI that helps customers concept for supply to diversified forms of headsets.
To boot to, Canon made its hang EOS VR Utility and EOS VR Plugin apps, every on the market by subscription for $5 monthly (with a free trial duration). The VR Utility app flips the stereo photos left to valid and converts them from circular to an “equirectangular” sq. image that would possibly maybe even be viewed on a VR headset. It also offers quick editing instruments bask in trimming of clips and utility of a LUT, whereas letting you replace to preset resolutions and file forms (DPX, Professional Res, H264, and lots others.) sooner than export.
There is also the EOS VR sail-in for Adobe Premiere that “will convert the twin fisheye imagery to equirectangular, whereas allowing the potential to nick, color, and edit with the beefy take care of watch over of Premiere Professional,” Canon informed Engadget. It also potential that you just can export photos to the specified spec for diversified forms of supply.
On top of these apps, it is possible you’ll presumably exercise presumably the most fresh Digicam Connect app and Canon’s EOS Utility to manipulate desire. Each and each would possibly maybe be updated down the aspect road to supply “remote take care of watch over reside stumble on efficiency for monitoring capabilities whereas on-the-trudge,” Canon acknowledged in a press initiating.
The device would possibly maybe even be primitive for weddings, journalism, sports, coaching, events and further, whereas offering a good deal of advantages over most fresh VR cameras. To initiating with, it is designed to bring larger quality than standalone VR cameras with smaller lenses and sensors bask in the $5,000 Insta360 Professional 2. At the an identical time, you uncover the total R5’s instruments bask in log taking pictures, RAW desire, 10-bit video and further. And ought to you aren’t the utilization of the VR lens, the R5 would possibly maybe even be primitive for odd video manufacturing or photo shoots, unlike devoted VR cameras.
Canon
At the an identical, the manufacturing process is extra functional and more cost effective than with twin cameras primitive in increased-cease productions. These cameras must be rigged, synced, focused and positioned correctly, with the cease outcome being two files in quite lots of instances. Canon’s EOS VR device, in distinction, delivers an identical quality but offers focal level and setup bask in a odd camera, whereas leaving you with a single file to edit on the cease.
Your total device isn’t very always basically precisely low-price, brooding about you’ll want to pay $1,999 for the lens and $3,899 while you don’t resolve on already got an R5 camera, for a total of $5,898. However, brooding about how niche and odd the lens is, it prices now not as much as I expected. There is also the disaster of R5 overheating that limits 8K recording events to 20 minutes, with a 10-minute recovery duration. You presumably can abet that by shooting 8K to an exterior Ninja V+ RAW recorder, but that’ll add $1,500 to your price.
Aloof, it appears very promising for VR manufacturing, which has boomed in recognition all the plan thru the COVID-19 pandemic (though tranquil isn’t very always basically precisely mainstream). It be been in particular in-expect for industry coaching and collaboration, a potentially affluent vein for video producers. Heaps of these other folks, in particular in the occasion that they’ve already got a Canon EOS R5, would possibly maybe be prepared to leap into VR work if Canon’s unique device is as straightforward to exercise as it promises. The lens and EOS VR device are set to reach in unhurried December 2021.
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