Stereo Lenses

A survey of stereoscopic cameras, past and present. The 3D camera market has seen waves of interest over the years, with a recent resurgence driven by VR headsets and spatial computing.

Currently Available as of Late 2025/Early 2026

XREAL Beam

  • Baseline: ~50mm
  • Resolution: 8MP per eye
  • Format: SBS JPEG/MP4
  • Notes: It’s a whole Android phone with a camera, minus the phone part.

QooCam EGO (Kandao)

  • Baseline: ~65mm
  • Resolution: 12MP per eye
  • Format: SBS JPEG,DNG/MP4
  • Notes: Consumer-friendly, includes viewer attachment. Good for everyday 3D capture.

Acer SpatialLabs Eyes

  • Baseline: ~63mm
  • Resolution: 8MP per eye
  • Format: SBS JPEG/MP4
  • Notes: Seems to be out of stock, not sure if you can actually buy it.

Recent iPhones (Spatial Mode)

  • Baseline: ~12mm
  • Resolution: varies
  • Format: HEIC with spatial metadata
  • Notes: Very narrow baseline limits depth effect. Best for close subjects.

Historical / Discontinued

Fujifilm FinePix Real 3D W3

  • Baseline: 75mm
  • Resolution: 10MP per eye
  • Format: MPO, AVI
  • Notes: Discontinued but still available used. Good baseline. Lenticular screen that sort of lets you view the images in 3Dish.

Fujifilm FinePix Real 3D W1

  • Baseline: 77mm
  • Resolution: 10MP per eye
  • Format: MPO, AVI
  • Notes: The original Fuji 3D camera. Slightly wider baseline than W3.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-3D1

  • Baseline: 30mm
  • Resolution: 12MP per eye
  • Format: MPO/AVCHD,MP4
  • Notes: Compact baseline, good for macro. Discontinued.

Choosing a Camera

Key factors to consider:

  • Baseline: Determines depth effect. 65-75mm is natural; narrower for close-ups, wider for landscapes.
  • Resolution: Higher is better for cropping and large displays.
  • Sync: Simultaneous capture is essential for moving subjects.
  • Format: Consider your viewing device. Vision Pro prefers MV-HEVC; SBS works everywhere.
  • Portability: Some cameras are pocketable, others require bags.

The Gap in the Market

There’s currently no high-end mirrorless or DSLR-quality stereo camera in production. For serious quality, you’ll need to build your own rig (see Building a Stereoscopic Camera).