This is the world's first digital interchangeable lens that can capture stereoscopic 3D 180° VR imagery to a single image sensor. Now, creators can go from traditional stills or video shooting to stereoscopic 3D capture with a simple lens swap.
The dual high-performance L-series fisheye lenses combine imagery onto a single image sensor delivering impressive results to a single file. This helps simplify your workflow by eliminating the need to sync and stitch multiple video files. Creators can go from traditional stills or video shooting to stereoscopic 3D capture with a simple lens swap, and the pairing of this lens with the EOS R5 provides for high-resolution video recording at up to DCI 8K 30fps and DCI 4K 60 fps.
With firmware 1.5.0 or higher and one of Canon's VR software solutions, you can create immersive 3D that can be experienced when viewed on compatible head mount displays including the Oculus Quest 2 and more. Viewers will be able to take in the scene with a vivid, wide field of view by simply moving their heads. Creatives, industry professionals, and newcomers to VR can create an immersive experience, capturing dynamic scenes for entertainment, tourism, training and education, real estate, storytelling, or anywhere you want to bring your audience to.
Add a Whole New Dimension to Your Story
The RF5.2mm F2.8 L Dual Fisheye lens gives you the ability to create an immersive 3D experience. With stereoscopic 3D 180° VR footage, your audience can see life-like depth and can move their head to look around the viewing environment when viewed on compatible head mount displays such as the Oculus Quest 2 and more. The viewer can feel like they are a part of the story that you create.
The World's First Digital Interchangeable Lens Capable of Enabling Stereoscopic 3D 180° VR Shooting to a Single Imaging Sensor.
The RF5.2mm F2.8 L Dual Fisheye lens is Canon's optical solution to the many challenges that have troubled VR image makers for years. This lens features a beautifully engineered and optimized folded optical design, with separate Left and Right optical systems - helping you capture stereoscopic 3D imagery with a 190° field of view to a single full-frame image sensor.
VR with Ease
Pairing just this one lens to an EOS R5 camera provides the capability of delivering a single file - creating a powerful and convenient solution compared to traditional VR systems. This saves time and effort behind the camera, and in post-production by helping to solve issues such as multi-camera positioning, multi-lens syncing, image stitching, audio syncing, encoding and more compared to capturing a 3D scene with two separate fisheye lenses and recording that imagery with two separate cameras or image sensors.
A Convenient VR Workflow
Canon’s EOS VR Utility software can easily convert footage from dual fisheye to an equirectangular file that can be exported in various file formats and resolutions. For Adobe users, the EOS VR Plug-in allows for equirectangular conversion to be done within the Adobe Premiere Pro application. Now, conversion, editing, and colour grading can be done without leaving the Adobe ecosystem. Both paid subscription-based Canon software solutions (currently in development with availability and details to follow on or about early 2022) allow for convenient post-production.
A High Image Quality Dual Fisheye L-Series RF Lens
Taking full advantage of the large diameter, short back focus distance of the mirrorless Canon RF mount, the RF5.2mm F2.8 L Dual Fisheye Lens has two identical, L-series fisheye lenses. In addition to all the strong stereoscopic 3D 180° VR benefits, this lens also features the high image quality you’ve come to expect from Canon's RF L-series lenses.
- L-Series Lens Elements. 12 elements in 10 groups, highlighted by two UD (Ultra-low Dispersion glass) elements and prisms in both the Left and Right lenses gives impressive colour, clarity, and minimal chromatic aberration to the image.
- Impressive flare control in backlit conditions from use of Subwavelength Structure Coating (SWC) | Canon’s SWC technology decreases ghosting and reflections that may occur when shooting in more challenging lighting conditions such as during strong backlight, providing versatility and more uniform colour balance in the scene.
- Dual-synchronized Electromagnetic Diaphragm (EMD). | Each of the Left and Right fisheye lenses have their own optical system, including separate — but coordinated — aperture mechanisms that seamlessly and simultaneously control the exposure of both lenses so setting your aperture is the same process as with any other RF lenses.
- Manual Focusing. | Coordinated manual focusing of both lenses allows you to focus each lens using the manual focus ring. If needed, the ability to adjust a Left-Right focus difference adjustment dial to refine the focus of the right lens separately from the left lens is possible by using the included hexagon wrench.
190° field of view and a natural interpupillary distance of 60mm
This lens is designed specifically to deliver outstanding stereoscopic 3D imagery. Featuring dual 5.2mm fisheye lenses positioned with 60mm of spacing between Left and Right Lens centres, it provides an interpupillary distance closely resembling human vision with a natural parallax for a powerful, immersive experience that brings the viewer to feel they are within the scene where the video or stills image takes place. With an impressive 190° optical field of view, this provides the viewer the ability to change their viewing angle within the recorded scene, allowing them to look around with the use of a compatible head mount display.
Compact, lightweight and portable
Thanks to the RF mount and the folded optical design, the size and weight of this lens make it easy to use – even when shooting in tight spaces – and easy to carry in a camera bag. The RF5.2mm F2.8 L Dual Fisheye Lens weighs around 352 grams and is just slightly over 5 cm in depth from mount to the end of the front elements – creating an incredibly compact and lightweight solution.
Dust- and water-resistant sealing with fluorine coating
Built to L-series lens specifications, the RF5.2mm F2.8 L Dual Fisheye Lens features a highly durable RF mount design. With dust- and water-resistant sealing, you can be confident shooting almost anytime and anywhere, even in challenging weather conditions. In addition, a fluorine coating is used on the front to help prevent water, oil, and other surface residues like fingerprints from sticking to the lens, which facilitates quick and easy wiping, without the use of solvents.
Canon's EOS VR System
Canon's EOS VR System is comprised of this lens plus an EOS R5 camera with updated firmware (version 1.5.0 or later) optimized for stereoscopic 3D 180° VR shooting and a paid subscription-based software (Canon’s EOS VR Utility or EOS VR Plug-in for Adobe Premiere Pro – both currently in development*. This powerful and convenient combination provides much-desired flexibility and efficiency, helping save you precious time accessing your content so you can prepare it and share it more quickly.
*Availability and details to follow on or about early 2022).
Special VR Camera Firmware
To help improve the user experience when shooting with the RF5.2mm F2.8 L Dual Fisheye lens, special features have been added to the firmware to optimize VR shooting. This firmware provides metadata information for the software to convert the image from fisheye to equirectangular.
One of the features enabled with the use of this lens is a “Magic Window” on-screen overlay, accessed by tapping the [INFO] button that assists the creator in framing the central resting position which shows an approximate field of view in the composition. The user can magnify at 6x and 15x magnification then also use MF Peaking while magnified (a first for Canon EOS cameras) and additionally can swap between the Left and Right lenses with a simple tap of the [INFO] button while magnified. This is incredibly useful when manually focusing the lens.
The pairing of this lens and an EOS R5 camera allows for recordings at up to 8K DCI 30p equivalent resolution with 10-bit colour depth when Canon Log or Canon Log 3 is enabled, creating realistic imagery with tremendous detail and colour reproduction.
Canon Camera Connect and EOS Utility.
For shooting remotely, the ability to monitor with features such as the “Magic Window” overlay, Left/Right lens viewing swap, and fisheye to equirectangular preview will be available in a future update of the Canon Camera Connect app or when using EOS Utility software, making it easy to remotely view and record content.
EOS VR Utility* and EOS VR Plug-in*.
Canon’s subscription-based software solutions are an integral part of Canon’s EOS VR System – EOS VR Utility*, a standalone software application, or the EOS VR Plug-in* for Adobe Premiere Pro. With either solution, conversion of fisheye to equirectangular imagery is possible, as well as the processing and exporting at various resolutions and formats to help you capture, convert, and process high-quality VR images and movies.
*currently in development with availability and details to follow on or about early 2022
