Canon just released a VR experience with kittens… called 'Meow-ditation'

Canon has released an immersive 180° VR meditation featuring cute rescue kittens playing among soft pastel-colored blankets and toys. Aptly named Meow-Ditation, the six-and-a-half-minute experience invites you to focus on breathing, relax your body and guide you through a meditation focused on creature comforts. 

Shot using a Canon EOS R5C and the Canon RF 5.2mm Dual Fisheye f/2.8 L lens, the interactive YouTube video enables you to move around the screen using a headset or mouse / cursor to explore the environment while listening to a calming voice. It directs you to listen to your body,  provokes a sense of calmness, and enjoys the playfulness and free-spirited nature of kittens. 

• Check out the best Canon cameras perfect for vlogging, photography or professional filmmaking

This is one of Canon's strangest and most unusual uses of VR but, one that demonstrates the endless possibilities when it comes to virtual reality technology. Made in collaboration with renowned cat photographer, Andrew Marttila, (@iamthecatphotographer) and VR experts Keeley Turner and Hugh Hou, the relaxing voice combined with a soothing voice is the “purrfect way to de-stress”. 

Obviously you get the full immersive experience if you watch using a VR headset. When viewing on a desktop or laptop you can move your cursor to move around the scene, and when viewing on a camera phone or tablet you can tilt the device to change the view. 

Canon’s RF 5.2mm Dual Fisheye Lens was made specifically for professional VR production with a stereoscopic VR lens that captures two high-resolution images on a single full-frame sensor – and was designed with the Canon EOS R5 and R5C in mind. 

Footage can be seamlessly aligned, synchronized and stitched with Canon’s VR utility, which supports 8K RAW footage. You can also import and covert Canon’s VR footage into Adobe Premier Pro using Canon's EOS VR plugin.

Previous applications of the Dual Fisheye lens include recording dance videos and breathtaking high-resolution nature experiences, but this is by far the most creative and calming use of the Canon’s most unusual-looking lens. It gives a whole new definition to meditation and whether or not you're a cat lover, it’s hard not to feel less stressed after watching the video. 

You can purchase the Canon VR Content Creator Kit, containing an EOS R5C and the Dual Fisheye Lens, directly from Canon. 

See the differences between the two bodies in our Canon EOS R5 vs R5C head to head. And check out the best VR headsets for the 180° or 360° experience.