Content is king and that’s why Apple needs Canon and Blackmagic Design cameras to capture high quality spatial and immersive video to wow potential buyers of Vision Pro headsets. We’ve been able to shoot Vision Pro spatial video for some time on the iPhone but soon professionals and expert amateurs will be able to capture better quality images, specifically for Apple’s premium device.
At WWDC Apple announced that Vision Pro will soon be selling in Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Canada, France, Germany, and the U.K. More markets means more content.
At a RRP of A$5,999, the Vision Pro needs to blow you away. Fortunately there will be more ways to gather stunning content thanks to Canon and Blackmagic Design. One for the enthusiasts and the other for pros only.
CANON RF-S7.8mm F4 STM DUAL lens for EOS R7
The lens shown by Apple in its keynote is the Canon RF-S7.8mm F4 STM DUAL lens for its popular APS-C R7 camera. It’s under development specifically for Apple Vision Pro spatial content. The new DUAL lens will be available between September and December this year.
The RF-S7.8mm F4 STM DUAL lens features a field angle that is similar to a person’s field of view and it’s equipped with a high-speed autofocus mechanism.
If you can’t wait for the Apple specific lens then try the one below.
CANON RF-S 3.9mm F3.5 STM DUAL FISHEYE
The lens above is the (soon-to-be-released) RF-S 3.9mm F3.5 STM DUAL FISHEYE. It’s an APS-C (VR) lens and joins the RF 5.2mm F2.8L DUAL FISHEYE in the EOS mirrorless lineup.
The lens will only be compatible with the EOS R7 camera at launch. The recording angle is 144-degrees but it results in a natural, forward-facing view of the world. It’s also the first 3D lens with Autofocus (AF) from Canon, with a One Shot Autofocus (AF). This helps a lot. You’ll also find a rear mounted filter holder for both screw-on and gelatin filters.
The RF-S 3.9mm F3.5 STM DUAL FISHEYE is priced at A$1,999 RRP and should be available late June.
I’ve shot immersive 180 degree videos with Canon’s super-fast dual fisheye lens and although impressive, I really didn’t have anywhere to show them off. Although I tried my best in the Sky News segment below.
The Canon RF 5.2mm f/2.8L Dual Fisheye lens was the world’s first lens for digital interchangeable lens cameras enabling 180° VR shooting to a single sensor. Using a Canon R5 you could record 8K 30p. Resolution is extremely important when it comes to video on VR/AR headsets. The higher the better.
Apple Vision Pro’s ultra-high-resolution display system uses micro-OLED technology to squeeze 23 million pixels into two displays. Each one is the size of a postage stamp, delivering more pixels than a 4K TV to each eye.
That’s where Blackmagic Design’s URSA Cine Immersive camera system is set to reach new standards in immersive video quality on the Apple Vision Pro.
BLACKMAGIC URSA CINE IMMERSIVE
“We are thrilled to announce the first-ever commercial camera system and post-production software that supports Apple Immersive Video, giving professional filmmakers the tools to create remarkable stories with this powerful new format pioneered by Apple,” said Grant Petty, Blackmagic Design CEO.
“Built on the new URSA Cine platform, URSA Cine Immersive features a fixed, custom, stereoscopic 3D lens system with dual 8K image sensors that can capture 16 stops of dynamic range.”
Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive uses a fixed, custom lens system pre-installed on the body, which is designed specifically for Apple Immersive Video. The sensor delivers a jaw-dropping 8160 x 7200 resolution per eye with pixel level synchronisation.
The custom lens system is designed specifically for URSA Cine’s large format image sensor with extremely accurate positional data that’s read and stored at time of manufacturing. This immersive lens data — which is mapped, calibrated and stored per eye — then travels through post production in the Blackmagic RAW file itself.
Cinematographers can shoot 90fps stereoscopic 3D immersive cinema content to a single file.
The camera comes with 8TB of high performance network storage built in. It records directly to the included Blackmagic Media Module, and can be synced to Blackmagic Cloud and DaVinci Resolve media bins in real time. This gives over 2 hours of Blackmagic RAW in 8K stereoscopic 3D immersive.
DaVinci Resolve with Apple Immersive video support for Apple Vision Pro will be released later this year. Blackmagic customers will be able to edit Apple Immersive Video shot on the URSA Cine Immersive camera. A new immersive video viewer will let editors pan, tilt and roll clips for viewing on 2D monitors or on Apple Vision Pro for an even more immersive editing experience.
Transitions rendered by Apple Vision Pro will also be able to be bypassed using FCP XML metadata, giving editors clean master files. Export presets will enable quick output into a package which can be viewed directly on Apple Vision Pro.
Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive Features
- Dual custom lens system for shooting Apple Immersive Video for Apple Vision Pro.
- 8K stereoscopic 3D immersive image capture.
- 8160 x 7200 resolution per eye with pixel level synchronisation.
- Massive 16 stops of dynamic range.
- Lightweight, robust camera body with industry standard connections.
- Generation 5 Colour Science with new film curve.
- Dual 90 fps capture to a single Blackmagic RAW file.
- Includes high performance Blackmagic Media Module 8TB for recording.
- High speed Wi-Fi, 10G Ethernet or mobile data for network connections.
- Optional Blackmagic URSA Cine EVF.
- Includes DaVinci Resolve Studio for post production.
DaVinci Resolve Immersive Features
- Support for monitoring on Apple Vision Pro from the DaVinci Resolve timeline.
- Ability to edit Blackmagic RAW Immersive video shot on Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive.
- Immersive video viewer for pan, tilt and roll.
- Automatic recognition of Apple Immersive Video (left and right eye) for dual file stereo immersive content.
- Option to bypass transitions rendered by Apple Vision Pro.
- Export and deliver native files for viewing on Apple Vision Pro.
Availability and Price
Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive and the update to DaVinci Resolve will be available later this year.