VR has become huge recently. At IBC 2022, DIYP got to take a look at the latest developments in this cutting edge technology. It’s not just used in the entertainment sphere either. Fully immersive VR has serious uses from the medical world to fighter pilot training. Basically, this technology can be used to speed up training and save lives.
Ram Sarup from Canon Europe showed us the RF 5.2mm f/2.8 dual fisheye lens for the Canon EOS R mirrorless system which lets you shoot 3D 180° VR video and photos.
“Canon is actually the first company to have such a unique lens system,” says Ram. The lens is designed to work with the EOS R5 and the EOS R5c. This is because both these models can shoot 8K video.
The lens itself looks a bit odd, but it all makes perfect sense! The lens itself actually captures a 190° angle which then gets projected onto the sensor. “It’s an incredibly simple solution,” says Ram, “to be able to capture 180° VR.”
So who would use this lens? “Well, we’ve had customers bring their own VR headsets and show us what they’ve been creating with this lens,” says Ram. “Some of the content they’re creating has just blown us away,” he adds. The content that they are creating ranges from retail to real estate, museums and art galleries to the entertainment industry, as well as education. In fact, Ram says he thinks this new technology could be ground breaking in the education arena.
The EOS VR utility is designed to be a very simple operating system. “You can go out, shoot with the lens, bring back the memory card and insert into your computer. You don’t need to do any stitching,” says Ram, “you can just export the footage and edit it just as you would with normal video.” You can also use the software to create 3D stills.
Of course it’s not just this unique fish eye lens that Canon is showcasing at IBC 2022. They also showed DIYP the EOS R5 and the EOS R5c.
Canon released it’s R5c video-centric full frame mirrorless camera earlier this year. It’s a hybrid camera so it does shoot stills, however, it leans heavily towards video shooters. It has an internal cooling system so that you can happily shoot 8K without worrying about overheating and a more streamlined UI aimed directly at video shooters, it is clearly a great choice for anyone looking for a full frame video camera.
Alternatively, the EOS R5 is a photography first camera, aimed primarily at shooting stills. It does have the capacity to shoot video, of course, but that’s not it’s primary aim.
The key here is 8K video. Because so much of the screen is cropped away when shooting with the fish eye lens, it really does benefit from the highest resolution possible to take advantage of the immersive experience. The resolution is the full view around, but you’re essentially just looking at a small portion of that at any one time.
Canon is clearly trail blazing ahead with regards to VR. It’s safe to say that we can expect to see more exciting developments from them in the future.
The RF 5.2mm f/2.8 dual fisheye lens is available to buy for $1999. The Canon EOS R5 is $3899, and the Canon EOS R5c is $4799.
More about IBC
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