Canon’s new lens makes it easier and cheaper to shoot 3D VR content

Canon has formally revealed its most cost-effective spatial and smallest VR lens but, the $450 RF-S7.8mm F4 STM Twin. It is the identical dimension as an everyday digicam lens however is designed to let creators shoot 3D VR content material for headsets just like the Meta Quest 3 or Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional. In actual fact, it was first teased in June at WWDC 2024 alongside Apple’s newest Imaginative and prescient Professional OS.

There’s one catch, in that the lens is designed for APS-C (not full-frame cameras) and solely works with Canon’s 32.5-megapixel (MP) EOS R7 for now. That digicam prices $1,300 for the physique solely, so a full taking pictures answer is round $1,750.

The corporate has dabbled with stereoscopic VR lenses earlier than, most not too long ago with the RF5.2mm F2.8 L Twin Fisheye. Nevertheless, that product is greater and extra unwieldy, way more costly at $2,000 and solely helps handbook focus. Its important profit is the almost 180 diploma area of view that is near human imaginative and prescient and enhanced 3D because of the large 2.36-inch hole between the weather.

Compared, the brand new 7.8mm crop sensor lens has a a lot narrower 63-degree area of view. The truth that the the 2 parts are so shut collectively (.46 inches) additionally reduces the 3D impact, significantly whenever you’re farther from the topic (for one of the best outcomes, it’s essential to be round 6 to twenty inches away, which is not ideally suited for content material creators). Autofocus assist is an enormous profit, although, and it additionally comes with a button and management wheel that enables separate handbook focus for the left and proper sides.

Photographs and video captured with the EOS R7 and new lens should be processed utilizing Canon’s EOS VR Utility app or a plugin for Adobe’s Premiere Professional, each paid apps. After that, they are often seen on the Meta Quest 3, Imaginative and prescient Professional and different headsets in a wide range of codecs together with 180-degree 3D VR, 3D Theater and spatial video. The RF-S7.8mm F4 STM Twin lens is now on pre-order for $449 and can arrive someday in November.