Canon and Mo-Sys OpenLensIO Collaboration

Mo-Sys has implemented Canon’s latest CV Protocol that allows the camera to feed OpenLensIO metadata directly into the Mo-Sys StarTracker Camera Tracking system via a single cable connection - a world first in end-to-end camera and lens to tracking system integration.
This seamless integration sets a new standard for convenience and efficiency in virtual productions.

Development Background

On June 6, 2024, Canon unveiled the Canon Virtual Production System, a breakthrough solution designed to streamline virtual production (VP) workflows.

With this system, optical data including zoom, focus, aperture, and distortion are calculated and transferred from the lens to the camera in real time, thanks to the RF mount's high-speed communication. These data are then packaged and output as CV Metadata through a single Ethernet connection. This eliminates the need for prior lens calibration and dramatically reduces personnel requirements, setup time, and operation complexity required in virtual production workflows. 
The system was developed to support the development of the industry amid rising demand for content shot using virtual production. CV Metadata is based on the SMPTE RIS-OSVP group's draft with original Canon extensions. CV Metadata is output and transmitted using the CV Protocol, composed in the highly readable JSON format.

As an active participant in the SMPTE RIS-OSVP group, Canon contributed technical recommendations as a leading lens manufacturer during the formulation of the OpenTrackIO protocol in 2024-2025. Notably, Canon's definition of optical parameters in the metadata was adopted into the specification, enhancing both accuracy and future scalability for virtual production.

At the suggestion of Mo-Sys Engineering, Canon added the OpenLensIO model, compliant with the OpenTrackIO standard, as an option for distortion data output, alongside the OpenCV format. This was announced as a firmware update for the Canon Virtual Production System on September 9, 2025.

“Canon Virtual Production System is the first time that a manufacturer has delivered a camera and lens combination that is truly VP-ready,” said Michael Geissler, CEO of Mo-Sys Engineering. “Canon’s support of OpenTrackIO protocols, proposed by Mo-Sys, has set a new standard for VP workflows and, where Canon now leads, other lens manufacturers are sure to follow.”

First unveiled on the Mo-Sys booth at IBC, the package delivers lens metadata via the camera body, reducing the need for additional hardware, such as physical lens encoders, to be mounted on the camera system. To achieve this, Canon lens engineers collaborated directly with Mo-Sys R&D leads, comparing mathematical modelling against real-world measurements in an open dialogue between the two teams. 

“In Virtual Production, camera tracking is only half the challenge. The other half is the lens itself,” explained James Uren, Technical Director at Mo-Sys Engineering. “Every lens is different, and calibrating each one used to be a manual, time-consuming process. By leveraging the optical parameters that lens manufacturers with a deep understanding in virtual production can provide, we can dramatically reduce calibration time, while delivering precise real-time data for focus pulls, zooming, and framing.”

"Canon Virtual Production System is designed not only to reduce the complexity of virtual productions, but also to expand the range of creative possibilities. Features such as freely and easily swapping lenses or precise bokeh rendering on CG backgrounds are just two capabilities that were previously out of reach in virtual production. With the addition of support for OpenTrackIO, we look forward to seeing more VP technicians use and benefit from it." added Canon.

OpenTrackIO was developed as an open-sourced initiative by the SMPTE Rapid Industry Solutions On-Set Virtual Production Group (RIS-OSVP), led by key Mo-Sys technical R&D engineers. During the development of OpenTrackIO, Canon was actively involved as a lens manufacturer, and several of its proposals for metadata optical parameters were adopted into the protocol. Canon is the first lens and camera manufacturer to support OpenTrackIO, and this latest collaboration positions it at the forefront, paving the way for even greater adoption of Virtual Production technology and techniques across the film and broadcast industries.

This groundbreaking lens/camera package will next be showcased on the Canon booth at Broadcast India Show in Mumbai, 14th to 16th October, with Mo-Sys VP specialists on-site to support and provide further insights on the enhanced workflows enabled by this package.