Canon launches RF-S 7.8mm F4 STM Dual lens in India

Canon RF-S 7.8mm F4 STM Dual lens

Japanese optical and medical equipment maker Canon has announced the launch of the RF-S 7.8mm F4 STM DUAL–the third of its EOS VR System lens lineup–in India. The Canon RF-S7.8mm f/4 STM Dual lens comes at an MRP of Rs 46,995.

Currently supported by the EOS R7, the new lens provides a different mode of 3D visual expression from the recently released RF-S3.9mm f/3.5 STM Dual Fisheye.

The Canon RF-S 7.8mm F4 STM DUAL lens weighs around 131 gm and has a maximum diameter and length of approximately 69.2mm and 41.5mm respectively. It has a focal length of 7.8mm, a maximum aperture of f/4, a minimum focusing distance of 0.15m and 0.07x maximum magnification. It has 7 aperture blades and a filter size diameter of Ø58mm.

While Canon’s two recent dual fisheye lenses create 180° VR images that transport users into the virtual world within their images, the RF-S 7.8mm F4 STM DUAL captures a narrower field of view for realistic spatial 3D stills and videos, claims the company. When viewed on a compatible device like the Apple Vision Pro, subjects in an image appear to be right in front of you. As per Canon, this realistic effect is further enhanced through a combination of the detailed, high-quality rendering of the lens and the high-resolution image sensor of an EOS R system camera.

The 63° angle of view of each dual lens is the same as that of the 35mm lens on a full-frame camera, allowing easy framing of everyday scenes and objects even at a shooting distance as close as 15cm, claims Canon. Autofocus operates the same way as on conventional lenses, and users have the freedom to adjust camera settings for basic control over the image.

Shooting records a parallax image from each lens onto the camera’s image sensor, and from there, users can simply convert the data in the EOS VR Utility software or Adobe Premiere Pro via the EOS VR plugin. Later, users can make edits if necessary and output the image or footage to their desired format for viewing. Available output formats are the MV-HEVC Spatial Video format supported by the Apple Vision Pro, VR 180° and the 3D SBS , a split image movie without metadata that appears 3D with VR glasses.

The Canon RF-S 7.8mm F4 STM DUAL is compatible with the EOS R7, and the two together, weigh approximately 743g (with card and battery). When shooting video in bright daylight conditions, a conventional 58mm screw-in circular ND filter can be attached easily to maintain proper exposure while keeping the same frame rates and aperture, claims the company.