Tag Archives: fisheye

Canon’s INSANE new camera lens features two side-by-side fisheye lenses for recording 8K AR and VR footage

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“A powerful 3D lens for an already powerful 2D camera.”

I bet you’re just as baffled as I am looking at Canon’s new RF5.2mm F2.8 L Dual Fisheye Lens. It almost looks anthropomorphic, with the way the two eyes stare at you, but in fact, what’s really marvelous is where Canon seems to be going with their cameras. DSLRs and Mirrorless cameras are already some of the most powerful shooters out there, and rather than ditching that entire ecosystem of cameras to move to newer camera types – like drones and AR/VR cameras, Canon has just embraced good old-fashioned innovation instead, with a newfangled lens that is compatible with their existing EOS range of cameras. The lens, when paired with the company’s 1.5.0 firmware update, enables the humble yet capable 2D camera to shoot SBS 3D content. Pair the lens with the EOS R5 mirrorless camera and suddenly you can perform high-resolution video recording at up to 8K DCI 30p and 4K DCI 60p.

The bizarre yet beautiful lens unlocks an absolutely new dimension to photography. Just pop it onto the EOS R5 and the lenses use a complex internal optical arrangement to record SBS content on a single full-frame image sensor. When paired with the right firmware, the video content automatically gets split, synced, stitched, and turned into 3D VR videos that can directly be exported using Canon’s own software.

The two lenses offer 190° field of view, and are spaced a precise 60mm apart to resemble the pupillary distance in humans, making the VR content look believable and have just the right amount of parallax too. Focusing for both the lenses is controlled by a single ring, although minor tweaks to the focus of individual lenses can be done using hidden adjustment dials on the left and right-hand sides of the lens body.

It’s low-key marvelous what the RF5.2mm F2.8 L Dual Fisheye Lens does not just for Canon, but for photography in general. It shouldn’t be long before other companies like Nikon, Sony, and Fujifilm begin introducing lenses that allow you to record two channels of video content using a single sensor. Arguably, the sensor would have to be big enough to fit both the channels, and to make sure your videos are high-resolution enough, but what Canon’s unleashed on the camera and VR world is just the beginning. That being said, this lens was designed for a special subset of users (with deep pockets) and doesn’t come cheap. The dual fisheye VR lens sports a hefty price tag of US$1,999, and is set to go on sale in December this year. That’s excluding the fact that you also need a $3,899.00 EOS R5 camera to match.

Interesting Drone concept with 360° cameras looks like a magical floating orb from a sci-fi movie

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The reason the drone archetype exists is because it’s a tried and tested format. Four propellers on either corner (or six if you’re lucky) and a relatively aerodynamic design with legs for taking off and landing. Throw in a few cameras and sensors and you’ve got yourself a drone that’s easy to recognize. However, break this archetype and you’ve got yourself something quite unrecognizable – like the Jupiter drone concept by Anton Weaver.

Weaver’s drone has a monolithic orb-esque form that defies both gravity as well as the ‘rules’ of drone design. It uses a large single propeller, and what I imagine is an internal gyroscope to move around in the air, stay upright, and even twist and turn while in mid-air. The drone’s unusual design is further characterized by the presence of fisheye lens cameras that allow it to capture everything it sees, sort of like a levitating GoPro.

Weaver’s design focuses more on shock-value than actual physics or aerodynamics, which is precisely what makes the Jupiter drone concept fun to analyze from a design sense. The drone’s strange shape almost gives it the appearance of an all-seeing eyeball that levitates around everywhere, and according to Weaver’s visualizations, it’s the kind of drone you’d use to film the action around you – thanks to the presence of dual fisheye 4K cameras that can capture in 360°.

It comes with the battery mounted on the top (weighing a commendable 400g) and has sensors at the bottom that detect proximity, allowing it to nail the landing – because without any bumpers or feet, the Jupiter can only take-off and land on your palm. The fact that the outer shell protects the internal propeller so well makes it perfect for this, as well as acting as a general buffer as the drone flies around filming the world around you!

Designer: Anton Weaver

A seriously playful camera!

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Cameras. They can be vintage or cutting edge, bulky or sleek, but generally awe-inspiring… but you’d never use the word adorable to describe a camera now would you? Strangely enough, that’s the only word I can think of that best describes the Lomography Fisheye Baby. With its incredibly toyish proportions, and even colors, the Fisheye Baby is cute, and embodies everything that’s fun about photography.

The Fisheye Baby literally fits in your palm. Not figuratively, literally. It’s small enough to come out of a cereal box, but behind its playful exterior is Lomography’s expertise. The lens, for instance, is a 170° fisheye type, and the camera itself clicks some seriously good pictures (on 110 film) with absolutely delicious colors that your phone can never match. In fact, the Fisheye Baby even takes multiple exposure shots and has a PC flash connector. Available in limited edition, the Fisheye Baby may seem like a toy, and honestly, it is… but what better way is there to capture vivid and fun moments of your life??

Designer: Lomography

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Lomography Fisheye Baby 110: Tiniest Lomography Panoramic Camera Eva!

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While some people thought that film was dead, Lomography continues to revive film cameras for a new generation. Lomo cameras create images that are full of color and feeling, a bit like an analog version of Instagram.

fisheye baby lomography 110

The new Fisheye Baby 110 is pocket-sized and allows users to snap bubbly fisheye photos easily. The metal version of the camera has a PC socket that will allow the triggering of a flash. The lens has a 170° vertical angle of view, providing a wide view of your subject. Shutter speeds are 1/100 or bulb and the aperture is f/8, implying that low light photos might not turn out so great unless you’re using the flash.

The regular version sells for $39 while the metal version sells for $59 from Lomography.

fisheye baby lomography 110 pic

[via NOTCOT]


Rare Fisheye Nikkor Lens for Sale… Just $160,000

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SLR camera lenses can be pretty expensive, but this has got to be some sort of a record. A rare fisheye Nikkor 6mm f/2.8 lens, which is supposed to offer the world’s most extreme wide-angle, has gone on sale at Gray’s of Westminster in London, UK for the low, low price of $160,000 (USD), give or take a few dollars after currency conversion.

nikon nikkor fisheye 1970 lens

The lens was first introduced in 1970 and offers an angle of view of 220º, making it quite wide indeed. Production was started in March of 1972 and it was only available on special order. It was located overseas and it took Tony Hurst and Gray Levett over six months to find one. The lens is in mint condition and uses 12 glass elements in nine groups, and weighs in at a staggering 11.46 pounds! Its minimum focusing distance is 25cm.

nikon nikkor fisheye 1970 lens in box

You’ll have to spend at least £100,000 (~$160,000 USD) to buy this lens. At least it comes with with a lens cap as well as rugged carrying case for that price.

[via British Journal of Photography]