Canon Developing New RF-S7.8mm F4 STM Dual Lens for EOS R7 Camera for Recording Spatial Video For Apple Vision Pro

[mxwphoto]

Based on what I have read of Apple's VR headset, the FOV seems to be under 100 degrees, so this VR lens Canon is putting out seems to be for video where one cannot look around in VR space, but to just accept what is presented as 3D stereoscopic video. It will certainly make youtuber video productions a lot easier as it is around 22mm lens equivalent view angle and they don't have to make the set a full 180 degrees.

 

[neuroanatomist]

Also, maybe I'm being daft, but is there anything specific to the R7 with this new lens?
The Apple version of spatial video is actually a little more intriguing to me than other VR approaches, but I have no intention of getting an R7...

Could I not just use an R5 in cropped mode to get the same effects?

In theory, yes. Just like in theory the 5.2mm FF dual fisheye can work on the bodies other than the R5. In practice, Canon is restricting the VR lenses to work only on the highest MP count bodies of each sensor size (R5 and R7).

 

[Zadak]

Not sure how you feel? I think canon partnering with apple is a huge bonus and advantage. They own pro-res. They are the largest tech company in the world. They are making the most exciting advances in computational photography and video. Looks like black magic also see the advantage too.

Lol, lmao even

 

[David - Sydney]

Sorry - i had to look it up, i was thinking of another aps-c variant.

as far as 7.8mm as far as I can tell it would be around 80 degree AoV

so in theory you may get distortion, but it wouldn't be a full effect that you get with a fisheye.

these two announcements at the same time for the same thing for slightly different reasons is hurting my lizard brain today

The FoV would just need to match the Apple vision pro so that would indicate why dual fisheye isn't required.

 

[David - Sydney]

Does it imply that R7M2 is coming soon? The slower rolling shutter of R7 makes it limited in video.

It will be interesting to see how rolling shutter impacts the sea sickness effect for these glasses when moving your head quickly

 

[David - Sydney]

Also, maybe I'm being daft, but is there anything specific to the R7 with this new lens?
The Apple version of spatial video is actually a little more intriguing to me than other VR approaches, but I have no intention of getting an R7...

Could I not just use an R5 in cropped mode to get the same effects?

These 2 lenses could mean a sales bump for the R7 which has the highest pixel density for Canon... just only in a APS-C sensor.
R5 in crop mode has a lower pixel density. That said, the R7 can't do 4k video per side (without upscaling) as the R5 can.
The other difference is cost of course.

 

[frankchn]

It is by far the most returned product percentage wise in Apple's history.

Do you have a source for this?

From Bloomberg's reporting:

Apple isn’t commenting on the Vision Pro’s return rate, but data from sources at retail stores suggests that it’s likely somewhere between average and above average compared with other products — depending on the location. Some smaller stores are seeing one or two returns per day, but larger locations have seen as many as over eight take-backs in a single day.

Obviously, these aren’t large numbers, and there are stores that have had days with just one or zero returns. This stems partly from the fact that the Vision Pro is a low-volume product — something Apple expected from the start. And none of this is a sign of a crisis.

Ming-chi Kuo (Apple supply chain analyst) also seems to think that the return rate is under 1%, with iPhone return rates being higher.

"According to my inspection of the repair/refurbishment production line, the current return rate for Vision Pro is less than 1%, with no anomalies," Kuo said in his Medium post on Wednesday. "It is worth noting that 20-30% of the returns are due to users not knowing how to set up Vision Pro."

Data collated by AppleInsider over the years suggests that this is about the same as the "Pro" line of iPhones returned to retail. In the first month, the rate of return on those is about 1.2%, with the non-Pro return rate at about 1.4%.

 

[frankchn]

Apple’s been “lost” since SJ died. TC is just smart enough to have known how to capitalize on/ milk SJ products for a very long time and not totally screw up Apple’s design or ease of use appeal.

Considering their performance since Steve Jobs' death in 2011, I think most companies would like to be as lost as Apple since then. Canon certainly would -- Canon's annual revenue shrank from $45B in 2011 to $29.7B in 2023, while Apple's grew from $108B in 2011 to nearly $400B today.

 

[Navism]

The new black magic stereo camera is 2x8k, at 90fps!

But black magic 12k can't use RF mount.
I check 12k is 80mp. I think Canon can do it if Apple requests but it may be C700 or C300 lineup.
C300 mkiv can be 8k sensor.

 

[Richard CN]

Considering their performance since Steve Jobs' death in 2011, I think most companies would like to be as lost as Apple since then. Canon certainly would -- Canon's annual revenue shrank from $45B in 2011 to $29.7B in 2023, while Apple's grew from $108B in 2011 to nearly $400B today.

how much of that is because of digital sales via the apple store?

I think apple is doing great - but like camera companies, phone companies are starting to get into "this phone will do me for the next 5+ years" instead of needing to upgrade each and every year. you can sort of see that in the industry by how many companies now extoll how many years of updates you get on the phone you are looking at.

 

[frankchn]

how much of that is because of digital sales via the apple store?

I think apple is doing great - but like camera companies, phone companies are starting to get into "this phone will do me for the next 5+ years" instead of needing to upgrade each and every year. you can sort of see that in the industry by how many companies now extoll how many years of updates you get on the phone you are looking at.

Total services revenue is 85.2B, so ~22% of sales. This includes the Google search deal, where Google pays $18B+/year to Apple in exchange for being the default search engine on iOS.

Apple is still a hardware company at heart -- iPhone is 50%+ of sales, and Mac/iPad/Wearables make up the remaining 20-25%.

 

[koenkooi]

In theory, yes. Just like in theory the 5.2mm FF dual fisheye can work on the bodies other than the R5. In practice, Canon is restricting the VR lenses to work only on the highest MP count bodies of each sensor size (R5 and R7).

Canon started ‘supporting’ the R6II for that lens a while ago.
The recommended body is the R5C, that can do 60fps in 8k.

 

[neuroanatomist]

Canon started ‘supporting’ the R6II for that lens a while ago.
The recommended body is the R5C, that can do 60fps in 8k.

Didn’t know that, thanks for the correction!

 

[EOS 4 Life]

Also, maybe I'm being daft, but is there anything specific to the R7 with this new lens?

Firmware.
Even if Canon gives the R7 the ability to record 7K external RAW, they could give every APS-C camera besides the R1 the ability to record 6K external RAW which would be sufficient.
They can all already record 4K just like the R7.
There is no good reason for Canon not to get both lenses working with all cameras,

 

[EOS 4 Life]

1. Apple’s been “lost” since SJ died. TC is just smart enough to have known how to capitalize on/ milk SJ products for a very long time and not totally screw up Apple’s design or ease of use appeal.

2. Agree w/ VR as a consumer product. Seems like its failure/niche here should be obvious to all but it’s not. I think it does have value in commercial use as a virtual trainer for tasks that are expensive, risky, or impractical to do so in real life.

3. That Apple is a walled garden so is every other platform. Very little interoperability between them. Even Canon is a walled garden. But Apple products are more than marketing. They are actuall good which is why they are popular and so many choose to be in its garden.

Stereoscopic images have use outside of VR.
I can see why Canon would make a few lenses and maybe release those Powershot VR cameras.
Black Magic made a specially designed stereoscopic cinema camera and a whole new Immersive DaVinci Resolve which is a bit perplexing.

 

[EOS 4 Life]

The irony here is that the software needed to extract the files is either Canon or Adobe Premiere. Apple didn’t bother to get Canon to release a Final Cut Pro plugin.

They are just two images saved into one frame.
It is not like they are encoded in a special way.
Even Canon techs tell us how to skip both the Canon and Adobe software.
Follow Hugh Hou on YouTube.
He does not use either.

 

[EOS 4 Life]

Canon started ‘supporting’ the R6II for that lens a while ago.
The recommended body is the R5C, that can do 60fps in 8k.

Being that it is manual focus, it should work on any full-frame camera unless you want support from Canon.
These new lenses are autofocus.

 

[EOS 4 Life]

That said, the R7 can't do 4k video per side (without upscaling)

It can theoretically record 7K externally but Canon has not mentioned enabling that.

 

[EOS 4 Life]

Considering their performance since Steve Jobs' death in 2011, I think most companies would like to be as lost as Apple since then. Canon certainly would -- Canon's annual revenue shrank from $45B in 2011 to $29.7B in 2023, while Apple's grew from $108B in 2011 to nearly $400B today.

To be fair, a lot of that has to do with JPY vs USD.

 

[EOS 4 Life]

I check 12k is 80mp. I think Canon can do it if Apple requests but it may be C700 or C300 lineup.

Nobody is buying a C700 for this.