First look at Canon’s newest VR tools

Canon is leading the field in virtual reality (VR) cameras and systems. With their stereoscopic dual fisheye lens and hybrid mirrorless camera bodies, you can produce high-grade 8K RAW VR videos at a relatively low cost.

It’s all very impressive, but Canon isn’t stopping there. They are pushing the boundaries and offering customers more exciting VR180 cameras and systems for lower prices without skimping on quality. DIYP talked to Mark from Canon to find out more.

Dual fisheye with EOS R6II

The first major development is that the 5.2mm dual fisheye lens now works with the Canon EOS R6II body. That’s a major development because previously, the only camera bodies the lens worked with were the R5 and R5c, both costing around $4000. The R6II, however, costs just over half of that at $2499.

The biggest difference is that the R6 II doesn’t record 8K RAW. However, the footage is technically 4K but is sampled from 6K, and the quality is still very good, even when viewed through a headset. This move should open up the possibilities of shooting VR to even more Canon users. (If you want to learn more about shooting VR 180 video with the Canon system, check out our series here).

Livestreaming VR180

The next development is the ability to livestream VR180. Again, at the moment, it’s only available in 4K, and it’s still very early, this is merely a prototype. But that’s what being on the cutting edge really means. This has great potential for streaming sports and live music and is really very exciting. The speed at which this technology is moving, I give it six months, and we will be seeing this system being used.

New folding 180/360 camera

Thirdly, DIYP got to see the latest VR180 camera: the folding 360/180 camera that lets you choose between two points of view. It turns seamlessly from a monoscopic 360-degree view camera to a stereoscopic 180-degree view. This is a small compact camera, but it can still shoot at 8K 30fps which is quite incredible.

Clearly, exciting times are ahead in Canon’s VR development. Watch this space!