3D Cameras in 2026: Stereoscopic Cameras You Can Buy, and How to View 3D

A 3D camera has two lenses, one for each eye's picture: the Kandao QooCam EGO. Image: Kandao.

3D cameras on sale in October 2026: price, stock and file format

Prices and stock are from each maker's US store, or its authorized US distributor's, on October 7, 2026, in US dollars before tax.

Last checked October 7, 2026: prices and stock.

Four more models, with price and stock: ViewPT Realia, Kandao Obsidian, Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive and the RETO3D film camera

Model	Kind	Price	In stock?
ViewPT Realia	VR180 camera	$1,899.95 (list $2,099.95) [12]	Sold out at the US distributor
Kandao Obsidian (R or S)	3D 360 camera	$4,199 [14]	In stock
Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive	Cinema camera	$30,375 [15]	By order: Blackmagic's page takes order registrations
RETO3D Classic	35mm film camera	$79.20 (regular $99) [16]	Sold out at RETO's store, which points to Amazon

Each camera saves one kind of file: the iPhone saves Apple's spatial format, the Beam Pro and the QooCam EGO save side-by-side, and the VR cameras save VR180 (3D video of the half of the scene in front of the camera) or 3D 360 video.

What each camera records (resolution and frame rate) and the file it saves, model by model

Model	Records	File it saves
iPhone 16, 17, 18 Pro	Spatial video at 1080p and 30 fps; spatial photos [4][5][6]	Spatial: MV-HEVC video [7], HEIC photos [8]
XREAL Beam Pro	Side-by-side video up to 1080p at 60 fps; 3D photos; two 50-megapixel cameras [9]	Side-by-side
Kandao QooCam EGO	3840 x 1080 video (1920 x 1080 per eye) up to 60 fps; 24-megapixel photos [11]	Side-by-side MP4; JPG or DNG photos [11]
ViewPT Realia	7680 x 3840 at 30 fps, or 6144 x 3072 at 50 fps [12]	VR180
Kandao VR Cam 8K	8K 3D VR180 [13]	VR180
Kandao Obsidian (R or S)	8K at 30 fps (R) or 6K at 60 fps (S) [14]	3D 360 video
Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive	8160 x 7200 per eye at 90 fps [15]	Apple Immersive Video, for Apple Vision Pro [15]
RETO3D Classic	Three frames per shot [16]	35mm film

What is the best 3D camera?

It depends on where you will watch. We have not shot with these cameras; the picks cite reviewers who have.

An iPhone

For beginners, and for Apple Vision Pro or Meta Quest owners, the pick is the iPhone you may already have: both headsets play its spatial video [34][35]. The limit is quality: 1080p at 30 fps, unchanged since the iPhone 15 Pro [23].

XREAL Beam Pro

The lowest price. The Beam Pro is made to pair with XREAL's AR glasses [9]. From MIXED's review and its test shots:

Kandao QooCam EGO

A pocket camera you can view 3D on right away; it is the camera pictured at the top of this page. The Stereoscopy Blog, which shows sample pictures from the cameras it lists, calls it "One of the only compact digital stereo 3D cameras being sold currently" [25]. What it praises and faults:

Acer SpatialLabs Eyes

More resolution in the same style as the EGO, if you can find it on sale. It records side-by-side video up to 3840 x 2160 per eye at 30 fps [18]. From The Stereoscopy Blog's review:

VR180 cameras, Canon dual fisheye lenses and film

For video that surrounds the viewer in a headset, choose a VR180 camera or a Canon dual fisheye lens. Expect to pay in the thousands and to have little use for the footage outside a headset.

For film, choose the RETO3D Classic when it is back in stock, or a used stereo camera. The next section covers these three kinds.

VR180 cameras, Canon 3D lenses and film stereo cameras

Beyond phones and pocket cameras, three more kinds take 3D pictures: VR180 cameras, dual lenses for Canon's mirrorless cameras, and film cameras.

Pictured: the Kandao VR Cam 8K (image: Kandao); Canon's RF5.2mm dual fisheye lens on an EOS R5 C camera (photo: 4300streetcar, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons); the RETO3D Classic (image: RETO).

Last checked October 7, 2026: the VR180 prices and stock; the two used prices, each a listing at the dealer 3Dstereo.com.

Background on each kind: VR180 after Google's Daydream, how Canon's dual lenses work, and how the film cameras shoot

VR180. The first consumer VR180 camera was the Lenovo Mirage Camera, in 2018 [40]. Google ended its Daydream VR platform in 2020, and support for other consumer cameras of that period, such as the Insta360 EVO and Vuze XR, ended soon after [40].

Canon's lenses. Both views land on one sensor, so they match in timing, alignment, color and focus [21]. Apple previewed the RF-S7.8mm at its developer conference in June 2024 [19][41]. When the first lens launched, Canon said its EOS VR Utility, subscription software, would convert the footage for headset players [21].

Film. The RETO3D Classic "simultaneously captures the same object with three slightly different angles", and the frames are stitched into a wiggling 3D animation [16]. Classic two-lens cameras such as the Stereo Realist, first sold in 1947 [39], are bought used.

Whichever kind you choose, the file it saves decides where you can watch.

After shooting: what each 3D format plays on

Side-by-side files play on the most kinds of screen; the other formats play on fewer, or must be converted first. Four file formats cover the cameras above:

• Side-by-side (SBS). The left and right pictures sit next to each other in one ordinary video or photo file [26].
• MPO. A "JPEG-based format for storing multiple images in a single file", here the left and right photos. Fujifilm's FinePix Real 3D cameras and the Nintendo 3DS use it [26][27].
• VR180. Stereoscopic 3D video of the 180 degrees in front of the camera, a format Google introduced in 2017 for headsets [28].
• Spatial. Apple's format: MV-HEVC video, which stores each eye's view in its own layer [7], and HEIC photos [8].

"Convert first" means to side-by-side, the layout the other formats convert to, or to anaglyph for the last column. Four tools do it: StereoPhoto Maker, spconv, spatial and i3DMovieMaker. We have not tested them; the descriptions are their makers'.

The four conversion tools: what each converts, what it runs on and what it costs

Tool	Converts	Runs on	Price
StereoPhoto Maker	MPO photos; Apple spatial photos [8]	Windows	Free
spconv	Apple spatial photos [36]	Windows	Free
spatial	Apple spatial video [37]	Apple silicon Macs, macOS 14 or later	Free
i3DMovieMaker	Apple spatial video and photos [38]	iPhone, iPad and Mac	Saving video needs an in-app purchase

• StereoPhoto Maker (version 6.41, dated July 11, 2026) opens MPO files and converts them into other stereo formats, anaglyph included [8].
• spconv (dated July 2, 2026) takes the two images out of a .heic file and "saves them as a single side-by-side (SBS) JPEG" [36].
• spatial is a command-line tool that "exports from MV-HEVC files to common stereoscopic formats", side-by-side included [37].
• i3DMovieMaker converts to full-width or half-width side-by-side or to anaglyph [38].

The evidence behind each "Yes" in the table: headsets, projectors, glasses-free displays, YouTube and Meta Quest

• Side-by-side in a headset. Kandao lists VR headsets and AR glasses for EGO footage, and supplies a converter to spatial video for Apple Vision Pro [11]. On Meta Quest, the Skybox player ($9.99) lists left-right 3D files [29].
• Side-by-side on a projector. BenQ's TK710 projector accepts "Side by side and Top & Bottom" [30].
• Side-by-side without glasses. The steps for the Owl3D Shift are in the next part of this section. Acer says its camera's files play on Acer SpatialLabs laptops and displays [17].
• MPO. Fujifilm's W3 has a glasses-free screen built in [27].
• VR180. YouTube accepts VR180 uploads [31], its Apple Vision Pro app has a tab for 3D, VR180 and 360-degree videos [32], and visionOS 26 plays 180-degree footage from Canon natively [33].
• Spatial on Meta Quest. It has played since software v62 in February 2024, uploaded through Meta's phone app [35].

For more on each column, see watching in VR, 3D TVs, 3D projectors and anaglyph 3D.

On the Owl3D Shift

Owl3D, the publisher of this guide, makes the Shift. It is a $499, 14-inch glasses-free 3D display used as a second monitor beside a computer. Its Stereo 3D Playback feature detects a side-by-side or top-bottom picture on its screen, still or video, in whatever viewer or player you use, and shows it in 3D at 1920 x 2160 per eye. This is playback, not conversion: each eye gets the picture that the matching lens of your camera took.

1. Open the photo or video on the Shift's screen.
2. Open the "Stereo 3D Playback" tab in the Owl3D app and press Start. The format setting is Auto, Side-by-side or Top-bottom, and there is a "Fullscreen only" option.

Full side-by-side, half side-by-side and top-bottom are all supported, so files from the QooCam EGO, XREAL Beam Pro and Acer SpatialLabs Eyes are already in a layout it accepts. MPO and Apple spatial files must be converted to side-by-side first with the tools above; the Owl3D app does not turn one 3D layout into another.

The Shift needs a computer running the Owl3D app. Side-by-side playback needs an NVIDIA GTX 1650 or Radeon RX 570 graphics card or better (fullscreen only on AMD and Intel graphics), and on a Mac, macOS 15.5 or later. It shows 3D to one viewer at a time, at a desk.

Other models are in glasses-free 3D monitors.

From Owl3DOwl3D ShiftA 14-inch glasses-free 3D display that sits beside your computer.

What does a 3D camera do? How a stereoscopic camera works

A stereoscopic camera, or stereo camera, is "a type of camera with two or more lenses with a separate image sensor or film frame for each lens" [39]. Each lens sees the scene from a slightly different position, as your eyes do. Show each picture to the matching eye, through a headset, 3D glasses or a glasses-free screen, and the scene has depth.

Consumer models come as phones, pocket stereo cameras, VR180 and 3D 360 cameras, dual lenses for mirrorless cameras, and film cameras.

Lens spacing sets how strong the depth looks: human eyes are about 6.35 cm apart, and a wider spacing gives a stronger 3D effect [39].

Lens spacing in millimetres, camera by camera, and how an iPhone makes its second view

The QooCam EGO's lenses are 65 mm apart [11], the Acer SpatialLabs Eyes' 63 mm [18], Canon's dual fisheye lenses' 60 mm [20][21] and the XREAL Beam Pro's 50 mm [24]. Phones and compact lenses sit much closer: about 19.5 mm on the iPhone 15 Pro, by MIXED's figure [24], and 11.8 mm on Canon's RF-S7.8mm [19].

An iPhone records one eye with its Wide camera, then crops and scales up the Ultra Wide camera's image to make the other [7].

Other things "3D camera" means

The name is also used for depth cameras, which measure the distance to each point in a scene [43]. A time-of-flight (ToF) camera does that by timing a pulse of light, and is used in robotics and some phones [44]. They do not take pictures to view in 3D, and this guide does not cover them.

Frequently asked questions

Does the iPhone have a 3D camera?

Some iPhones do; Apple calls it spatial capture. Apple's list of models that capture spatial photos and videos runs from the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, through the four iPhone 16 models and the iPhone 17, 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max, to the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max [45].

Of the six models Apple sells in October 2026, the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 17 and iPhone 16 are on it. The iPhone Duo, iPhone Air and iPhone 17e are not [46], and their spec pages list no spatial capture [47][48][49]. The Duo has Main and Ultra Wide cameras; UploadVR reported in September 2026 that Apple had not explained why it is left out [50].

Separately, the iPhone 18 Pro has a LiDAR Scanner, and Face ID uses TrueDepth technology in the front camera [6]. Those sense depth, the other meaning of "3D camera".

Is there a 3D camera app or 3D camera software?

Yes. The Stereoscopy Blog uses i3DSteroid on an iPhone and 3D Steroid Pro on Android, and rates them quick, inexpensive and capable of good results. They take the two views one after the other, so movement in the scene spoils the 3D [25]. iPhones on Apple's list need no app; see spatial photos.

Software can also make 3D from pictures taken with an ordinary camera; the depth is then estimated by AI from a flat picture, not recorded by a second lens. Owl3D has two routes:

• Instant, on the Shift. Its Live 3D Screen feature converts any ordinary photo or video on its screen to 3D in real time, as it plays, with no file to prepare. It needs a Windows PC with an NVIDIA RTX 30-series graphics card or newer, or a Mac with Apple Silicon (M1 Pro or better recommended; a MacBook Air works but can stutter unless it is kept cool).
• Highest quality, as a file. Owl3D's desktop app for Windows and Mac converts 2D photos and video on your own computer and saves side-by-side, half side-by-side or top-bottom files. It is not instant; it gives the best 3D Owl3D makes. It has a free tier.

Is a 360 camera a 3D camera?

Not automatically. "360" says how much of the scene is covered; "3D" says each eye gets its own view. YouTube treats "360 3D" as its own upload type, next to rectangular 3D and VR180 [31].

A pocket 360 camera can be 2D only: the store page for Kandao's $509 QooCam 3 Ultra describes 8K 360 video and does not mention 3D [51]. Kandao's 3D 360 cameras are professional models, the $4,199 Obsidian [14] and the eight-lens Obsidian Pro, which records 12K 3D panoramic video, from $24,499 [52]. Check a 360 camera's specifications for the words 3D or stereoscopic.

What was the View-Master Personal Stereo Camera?

A 35mm stereo camera that Sawyer's introduced in 1952 and stopped making in 1955, so that owners could shoot their own View-Master reels, cutting the film and mounting it in blank reels. It took 69 stereo pairs on a 36-exposure roll. Blank reel mounts are no longer manufactured [53]. The dealer 3Dstereo.com listed a used camera at $148 on October 7, 2026 [42].