Comparing Canon’s stereoscopic and VR lenses – which Dual lens is best for you?

From video games and virtual tourism to the burgeoning business of commercial training, VR content is an increasingly important creative tool for education and entertainment. “More and more consumers around the world are picking up VR, mostly led by the gaming industry,” says Canon Europe’s Mark Fensome . “But while we’re seeing more and more VR headsets in homes, they are turning up in industry, in retail, in education and in training environments, too.”

Beyond simply delivering information, VR content can help people learn through experience or become familiar with a location or layout before they see it in the real world. These capabilities are already being used in diverse ways – from training submariners to cope in underwater emergencies to helping autistic children navigate airports before a flight. Until now, however, VR has typically entailed considerable investment in the real world – in terms of both capture costs and workflow time.

Canon’s solution to VR and stereoscopic content capture is a simple one. With the EOS VR SYSTEM, it’s possible to simultaneously record two videos or images side-by-side on a single camera sensor and then use Canon EOS VR Utility software to efficiently convert and export your stereoscopic video and stills.

There’s no complex camera setup or synchronisation and stitching of multiple files;using one RF lens, one compatible EOS or Cinema EOS camera and one file, it’s possible to make immersive VR and stereoscopic content in from 4K up to 8K, depending on the camera used.

Canon Dual lenses are at the heart of the EOS VR SYSTEM. Each is equipped with two separate lenses that replicate the viewpoints of left and right eyes. Using a pair of offset lenses in this way creates the 3D effect that yields a more lifelike viewing experience of the VR and stereoscopic content for the audience.

Here, we introduce the range and explain how Canon’s Dual lenses enable you to immerse yourself in a new world of creativity.

• RF 5.2mm F2.8L DUAL FISHEYE
• A groundbreaking L-series lens that brings super-sharp, high-quality VR image capture to professional content creators. It is designed to work with compatible RF-mount full-frame cameras and captures an ultra-wide 190-degree field of view that can be outputted to 180 degrees, for an immersive stereoscopic viewing experience using a VR headset.
  
  
• RF-S 3.9mm F3.5 STM DUAL FISHEYE
• An innovative autofocus APS-C VR lens built for EOS R System cameras with APS-C sensors. It delivers a slightly smaller but still immersive stereoscopic 140-degree outputted field of view that requires the viewer to use a VR headset to look around to see the entire image, similar to when seeing images shot with the RF 5.2mm F2.8L DUAL FISHEYE.
  
  
• RF-S 7.8MM F4 STM
• An even more accessible way to get into 3D content creation for users with APS-C EOS R System cameras, particularly suited for close-up work. This autofocus stereoscopic lens provides a 60-degree outputted field of view that can be comfortably seen without the need to look around. Using a VR headset, the entire image can be viewed as if looking at a large 3D TV in a virtual environment. If the side-by-side content is loaded onto a smartphone or even printed, then it can be easily viewed in 3D via a suitable hand-held viewer.

"The Canon RF 5.2mm F2.8L DUAL FISHEYE delivers that full 180-degree outputted field of view," Mark notes, "and it has the superior build quality of an L-series lens that makes it a fitting partner with professional full-frame cameras such as the EOS R5 Mark II and our Cinema EOS cameras.

"You do need to take a little more time to set up your shots with this lens compared with the other Canon VR lenses," he adds, "just to make sure you don't capture camera supports and so on. If you use a tripod, for example, then it's best to mount the camera on a boom arm and check to make sure that you aren't getting the feet of the tripod in the shot."

The Canon RF 5.2mm F2.8L DUAL FISHEYE is an L-series lens, and comes with professional-grade build and weather protection, including fluorine coatings on the lens surface that helps to repel water and dirt. Each lens includes two UD elements to correct aberrations and is also finished with SWC coatings to reduce ghosting and flare.

The precision engineering extends to the synchronisation of the aperture across the two images via dual Electro Magnetic Diaphragm (EMD) units, ensuring a consistent, accurate exposure. The lens also has a rear-mounted gelatin filter holder for pre-cut ND gels, which can be used to help precisely control light levels when you're shooting in bright conditions.

If your VR production requires the widest angle of view, then the Canon RF 5.2mm F2.8L DUAL FISHEYE is a good choice. The fast f/2.8 aperture means sharp images even in low light, and the L-series build ensures excellent image quality across the frame, supporting video at up to 8K on compatible cameras such as the Canon EOS R5 C, EOS R5 Mark II and EOS R5.

"Even though this VR lens captures an extremely wide field of view, you don't have to worry about what's going on directly above, below or the left and right of the camera ," Mark explains. "It makes the whole shooting experience easier, as you're able to set up lights and other equipment out of shot, and avoid capturing the camera operator and crew – which can be an issue when shooting 360 or 180 VR.

"It also makes it easier to shoot on the fly, run-and-gun style, as you're less likely to capture equipment or parts of your body in the frame – but you're still able to record an immersive field of view."

Like the RF 5.2mm F2.8L DUAL FISHEYE, this lens has a rear-mounted filter holder. This allows you to apply ND gels for controlling light levels during VR video recording, as pro videographers prefer to do, because changing the aperture and other settings alters the depth of field and look of the image. It is also equipped with a 30.5mm rear-mounted filter holder for screw-in filters, making it even easier to add filters.

In addition, the RF-S 3.9mm F3.5 STM DUAL FISHEYE has features its L-series counterpart doesn't offer, including an STM AF actuator driving the quiet, fluid autofocusing of the dual lenses, and a combined control/focus ring which can be reassigned with different functions.

If you're using an APS-C camera, then the Canon RF-S 3.9mm F3.5 STM DUAL FISHEYE is your all-purpose VR video lens. Its 140-degree outputted field of view makes it a practical choice for creating VR content , and features such as the selectable lens control/focus ring and filter holder give you a high degree of creative control.

Compared to the Canon Dual Fisheye lenses, the RF-S 7.8MM F4 STM delivers a longer 7.8mm focal length and a narrower 60-degree outputted field of view, which closely matches that of human eyes. Keeping unwanted objects out of the shot can be a challenge when framing up with fisheye lenses, but the tighter image captured by the RF-S 7.8MM F4 STM makes it easier to prevent your feet or tripod legs from making an unwanted appearance.

"The Canon RF 5.2mm F2.8L DUAL FISHEYE delivers that full 180-degree outputted field of view," Mark notes, "and it has the superior build quality of an L-series lens that makes it a fitting partner with professional full-frame cameras such as the EOS R5 Mark II and our Cinema EOS cameras.

"You do need to take a little more time to set up your shots with this lens compared with the other Canon VR lenses," he adds, "just to make sure you don't capture camera supports and so on. If you use a tripod, for example, then it's best to mount the camera on a boom arm and check to make sure that you aren't getting the feet of the tripod in the shot."

"The narrower field of view also allows you to keep your audience focused on what's in front of them," Mark says. "They won't get distracted by having the opportunity to look around them, so they won't miss the message that you're trying to convey with your content."

The dual lenses are positioned closer together on the RF-S 7.8MM F4 STM as well, which makes the stereoscopic effect more pronounced when shooting subjects that are close to the camera. The most dramatic 3D imaging can be achieved from 0.2m to 0.5m, making this stereoscopic lens more suited to close-up work than the fisheye lenses.

An STM autofocus actuator ensures that autofocus is smooth and user-friendly, and there's a configurable control/focus ring for easy and direct adjustment of the lens. The RF-S 7.8MM F4 STM is also very compact and lightweight compared to the Dual Fisheye lenses, adding to its versatility in different situations.

The Canon EOS VR SYSTEM provides a complete solution for virtual reality content creation, with compatible EOS R System and Cinema EOS cameras, lenses and EOS VR Utility software working together seamlessly to deliver immersive video.

Whether you want to bring close-ups to life with spatial video and 3D stills using the Canon RF-S 7.8MM F4 STM, create full 180° professional VR with the RF 5.2mm F2.8L DUAL FISHEYE lens or step into immersive 3D VR content creation with an APS-C camera and the RF-S 3.9mm F3.5 STM DUAL FISHEYE, Canon has the lens to add a new dimension to your story.