Canon has bolstered its RF-S lens lineup for its APS-C cameras with a decidedly unusual new lens. The Canon RF-S 7.8mm F4 STM DUAL “spatial video lens” is designed to be a lightweight and affordable dual-lens device for 3D/VR video, and perhaps stereoscopic photography. It’s much cheaper than the firm’s existing dual fisheye optics, but it’ll only work on the Canon EOS R7 at launch (via a firmware update).
The optic employs two closely-spaced lenses which project circular images with a 63° angle of view – roughly equivalent to 35mm in full-frame terms. But the interpupillary distance is really small, at about 12mm, which means the stereo effect is very limited. Canon tells us the lens will work best at subject distances ranging from its 15cm minimum, up to about 50cm.
Despite this, Canon’s press release suggests the lens will enable users to “create more lifelike capture of cultural performances, high-end product reveals or walk-through videos for real estate and hotels”. So that’s strangely mixed messaging.
Canon also says it will be updating its EOS VR Utility app to allow creation of spatial video for the £3,500 Apple Vision Pro headset. Thankfully users should also be able to view the lens’s output using more practical and affordable means, including smartphones via VR glasses, or cardboard headsets.
While it’s always good to see manufacturers coming up with new ideas, this one has us perplexed, especially given the glaring gaps in Canon’s RF-S lens line-up. It’s difficult to see who’s going to buy it. Surely there’s any number of RF-S lenses the firm could have made instead? (Such as some nice small primes, or premium optics for the EOS R7.)
Anyway, if you do happen to be interested, the Canon RF-S 7.8mm F4 STM DUAL is set to be available in November for £519.99.
Full specifications:
| Price | £519.99 |
| Filter Diameter | 58mm |
| Lens Elements | 9 (per lens) |
| Groups | 7 |
| Diaphragm blades | 7 |
| Aperture | f/4 – f/16 |
| Minimum focus | 15cm |
| Length | 41.5mm |
| Diameter | 69.2mm |
| Weight | 130g |
| Lens Mount | Canon RF-S (APS-C) |
| Included accessories | Front and rear caps |
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From Canon:
Exploring new ways of immersive storytelling with the RF-S 7.8mm F4 STM DUAL spatial video lens
London, UK, 30th October 2024 – Canon today unveils its groundbreaking RF-S 7.8mm F4 STM DUAL lens, designed to make realistic, high-quality 3D still and video creation more accessible than ever before. When paired with an APS-C camera body, this lens offers a compact and attainable entry point to the world of spatial video – whilst retaining the high optical performance of the EOS R System.
It delivers a natural 63 degree field of view, closely mirroring human vision, to create immersive experiences with an extra dimension, providing emotional depth and vivid realism. Currently compatible with the EOS R7 (with potential for gradual expansion of compatibility in the future), the RF-S 7.8mm F4 STM DUAL lens allows creators to capture spatial video to be experienced not only on higher-end VR headsets, but also on smartphones via VR glasses, cardboard headsets, and even handheld viewing devices for printed images.
Perfectly practical weighing only 130g, coupled with a user-friendly STM AF system, it opens up 3D shooting possibilities for stills and video to a wide variety of users, enabling anyone to create more lifelike capture of cultural performances, high-end product reveals or walk-through videos for real estate and hotels in spatial stills and videos. Adding to a seamless and efficient workflow, the EOS VR Utility app will be updated to create spatial video for Apple Vision Pro headsets, enabling content captured on Canon EOS VR System products to be exported in MV-HEVC codec when using an Apple Mac computer.
