KanDao QooCam EGO 3D Camera – Viewer-Integrated 3D VR Camera, 24MP/8K Photos/4K 60FPS Videos Stereoscopic 3D Instant Display Camera, Compatible on VR Headsets/AR Glasses/Projectors, Charging Kit

Improved firmware, an easy if simple 3d point-and-shoot
(Background: I have been working with stereoscopic imagery for feature films vr etc for years.) This is a very basic but functional stereoscopic (3d) point-and-shoot consumer camera, and at the time of writing (late 2023) it’s practically the only sub-$1000 option for modern digital 3d photography aside from a recent (and somewhat hacky) solution for the latest iphone.Recent firmware updates add autofocus (which is great, it was badly needed) and some other nice quality of life features. I was pleased that the unit I received had the current firmware already installed and was clearly a recent manufacture.The camera itself is very small, easily fitting in the palm of my hand, in fact it is almost too small to be comfortable handling. The removable 3d viewer attachment adds considerable size however it’s not really needed (or desirable) for actual shooting time, being meant to review images in 3d. I find myself using the selfie stick just to make handling the camera easier, and it adds a little extra stabilization. There is some image stabilization but anyone wanting to shoot more serious video might want a gimbal. There is a standard tripod mount on the bottom of the camera.There is a good quality screen on back with touchpad functionality. Response is a bit slow but it’s not too bad. Startup time is still quite long, around 15-20 sec from a cold start, however there is now a kind of ‘standby’ state which reduced battery drain.Which leads to the most problematic aspect of the camera – the battery life. In theory it can last a few hours. But that’s a very short time if you consider using this for travel photography etc. Happily the batteries are small, reasonably priced and easily swappable. You’ll want 2 for sure, and ideally 4 if you plan on all-day activities like hiking/tourism etc.The image quality is… ok. Not amazing, not bad, just average with the added bonus of being stereoscopic. There is now reasonable autofocus, a set of focus distances for fixed focus, auto exposure with several stops of exposure compensation, and a basic timer. Stills are 4000×3000 (per stereo frame) but jpegs: supposedly a dneg option is in the works but who knows if that will actually happen. Video res is lower (vertical resolution reduced) but of course stereoscopic, with MP4/h.264 and stereo 16 bit AAC/48hz audio. The lens is f1.8 with a 66 degree FOV.This is definitely not an action camera – you will want it on ahead of time, and fast moving subjects are subject to blur. That said, I was able to get some very nice shots of my dogs playing, and some beautiful images of fall leaves and details of my home and garden. And the thing is, when the shots come out well, in 3d they are MAGICAL. You are transported there, in the moment, and a good shot can be breathtaking despite the rather simplistic consumer nature o0f the camera.Overall color/exposure is very “point and shoot” but that’s to be expected. The Iphone app is up to date and has some very limited color correction modes, as well as acting as a remote shooting app for tripods etc. It’s fine, nothing unexpected or groundbreaking but it’s a handy and useful addon. The connection to the phone is via a wifi hotspot or over a local network.The camera can export directly to social media including facebook and youtube, or connect to a pc via usb, or export images and video via the phone app..The stereo quality itself is good, like most stereo photographers will know you won’t want to be too close to the subject (less than 4 feet gets uncomfortable), happily there are options for both convergence correction, calibration, and parallel stereo. There are a couple of different image export modes but basically it’s SBS.The attachable stereo viewer is pretty cool, and provides a nice option for viewing stereoscopic results in the field. It’s not strictly necessary to shoot (I leave mine behind) but it’s a great way to see your stereo results directly from the camera, and it’s both good quality and functional. Overall the build quality of this camera is good, though it’s a pity there is no way to cover the lens – it becomes important to store the camera somewhere the lenses can’t be scratched. A velvet-like bag is included, and works well enough but a cover would have been nice.Overall, I found this camera to be pretty fun. Now that XR headsets are becoming common, it’s nice to be able to export and view 3d videos and photos to headsets like the Quest 3 and presumably the Apple vision pro when it comes out next year, and the 3d/stereoscopic support on youtube has resulted in a growing and respectably active library of 3d videos and social media so this might be an interesting camera for influencers interested in exploring 3d/stereoscopic video and streaming affordably.I am actually looking forward to shooting this little camera more – while it simply cannot compete with similarly priced 2d cameras in terms of image quality, that is significantly offset by the appeal of shooting in 3d, and with a little care the image quality is certainly good enough for documenting memories/events, sharing 3d video and the like. A skilled photographer will likely be frustrated with the camera’s simplicity and limits, but it’s quite capable of taking good photos and enjoyable video, with the extra appeal of being stereoscopic.And right now, this camera is pretty much the only game in town for the price. I found it a good purchase, and it’s worth pointing out that in the future stereo photos are likely to become a norm, so if you don’t need more than a point-and-shoot degree of quality and function, this is a good choice for a compact family camera.

freaking worthless software
if the QooCam studio had basic audio track editor, it’d just be pull file off of card into QooCam Studio, chop/splice videos, CHOP/SPLICE AUDIO?, export, upload… there’s just absolutely zero audio editing in the Studio Software on windows. i am confusion. plenty of FOSS audio editors just copy paste one into the Studio app…i’ll give the camera 3 stars for being a point and shoot 3D camera but i’m docking all those stars just for the post headache. this is ridiculous. why even make an app if all we need is the metadata injector?i’ve got this fancy binaural microphone i want to use… i need more details about file properties if i have to go it alone. would have been so nice to be able to drag audio files over as well as the video files from the camera. i don’t mind reformatting audio, that’s easy. i worry about degenerating the video running it through a bunch of different encoders tho.Well okay that was fun lets talk about a camera that can’t even drain a whole battery before it gets too hot and won’t record anymore. Nice. Perfect. Just great. 1

Esta es la primera reseña que pongo en Amazon. Lo hago por justo agradecimiento a la empresa KanDao, fabricante y vendedora de la cámara Qoocam Ego. Compré esta cámara con el kit que incluía palo selfie, cargador, segunda batería y tarjeta micro SD 64GB. Hubo una equivocación y me llegó una cámara usada y que no funcionaba. Me puse en contacto con KanDao y la respuesta fue inmediata: me pidieron disculpas por la equivocación, y me enviaron urgentemente un nuevo kit y, para compensar, me regalaron una segunda cámara en otro color. Este hecho es inaudito, en los tiempos que corren. KanDao demuestra que es una empresa 100% fiable.Y no solo eso, después de estar varios días probándola, la cámara resulta ser muy solvente. Llevaba años que esperaba hacerme con una cámara 3D para poder grabar mis vídeos familiares y visualizarlos con mis gafas Oculus Rift. Los vídeos 3D no tienen nada que ver con los vídeos ordinarios en 2D, te introducen más en la escena, y sientes como si estuvieras allí. Me hubiera gustado tener esta cámara cuando mi hija era una bebé.La QooCam Ego es la única cámara del segmento doméstico que te permite hacer grabaciones 3D en vídeo y foto, y además lo hace bastante bien. Es una cámara pequeñita, de tan solo 160gr que cabe en cualquier bolsillo, y que monta dos objetivos separados 65mm, casi la distancia interpupilar humana promedio que es de 63mm. Este pequeño aumento de la distancia propicia más efecto 3D en objetos distantes. Los sensores tienen un tamaño de 1/2” y muy buena luminosidad (F1.8) que generan dos imágenes de vídeo de 1920x1080px (total de casi 4K: 3840x1080px), con hasta 60fps (60fps es clave para que los vídeos 3D resulten agradables de ver, pues tenemos las lentes muy cerca de los ojos), que permiten una grabación 3D de alta calidad. El formato de vídeo es mp4, y el de foto es JPEG o DNG (formato RAW que ha sido incorporado recientemente con el último firmware 2.8), con 12Mpx (4000x3000px por sensor, total: 8000x3000px). Las fotos y vídeos pueden visualizarse al instante en el visor magnético 3D que incorpora. El vídeo también lo podemos descargar en las Meta Quest 2 y 3 directamente, para ello debemos cambiar el nombre del vídeo, terminando el nombre en _3D.mp4.Incorpora una pantalla táctil pequeñita (2,54”), pero de una calidad muy buena (1440x1600px con una densidad de pixel de 847ppp). Al colocarle el visor 3D que incluye podemos ver al instante el vídeo o foto grabados en 3D, sin necesidad de nada más, de una forma muy nítida y luminosa. Incluso podemos grabar con el visor incorporado y saber exactamente cómo va a quedar la escena 3D. Algunos profesionales la utilizan junto con la cámara Canon R5 y la lente RF VR180 para hacerse una idea de cómo quedará la grabación.Monta una batería extraíble de 1340mAh, que con la pantalla apagada permite una grabación de 1 hora aproximadamente, por lo que es conveniente hacerse con una segunda batería. También se podría utilizar un powerbank que podemos conectar a su conector USB-C.Tiene un menú bastante completo, y entre otras cosas, permite compartir directamente en redes sociales, y utilizar la cámara como una webcam.Los últimos firmware han dotado a la cámara de autofocus y RAW. KanDao saca FW con mucha asiduidad, lo que demuestra el interés de la empresa por optimizar al máximo la cámara.En resumen, estoy muy contento con KanDao y su cámara 3D. La Qoocam Ego se siente robusta, graba y se ve muy bien, es divertida y me introduce en el mundo 3D doméstico. Mi próximo paso será hacerme con una cámara 3D que soporte VR180. Espero que KanDao saque en breve una cámara que soporte esa tecnología, y no dudaré en comprarla.

3D Video is not for the faint hearted especially if you want to edit and publish on YouTube. Having said that this camera and its viewer do at least let you check what you have captured in 3D. To view the output adequately you really need a pair of Smart Glasses or some form of holder for your smartphone e.g. Google Cardboard.The output is good at this price range but the buttons are a little stiff to operate. Sadly exposure control is extremely limited to just modifying EV settings and autofocus is pretty slow.If you want to dip your toe into 3D this is a good, relatively low cost entry point.