SLAM XCAM 8K VR180 3D Camera Available On Kickstarter 

Virtual Reality

by Heath McKnightToday

The Apple Vision Pro, Meta Quest, and other AR/VR glasses provide an immersive experience, but special cameras are needed to film the 180° content, often retailing for a high price. The SLAM XCAM 8K VR180 3D Camera recently launched on Kickstarter and says they will deliver an affordable AR/VR model that will film, edit, and share. Let’s take a closer look!

For immersive content to grow, the capture also needs to be in the hands of the consumers. While the new Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive is one of the first 8K 180° cameras, its price tag of $29,995 puts it out of reach for most content creators. Canon did announce the RF-S 3.9mm f/3.5 STM Dual Fisheye lens for the EOS R7, priced at $1,099. They also unveiled a more dedicated AR/VR Creator Kit and RF 5.2mm f/2.8 lens for the R5 and R5C cameras, plus discussed an 8K VR camera in development.

The team behind the SLAM XCAM has it priced similar to that of a smartphone, starting at $999 for the Basic model at ‘super early bird’ pricing.

SLAM XCAM 8K VR180 3D Camera – features 

The SLAM XCAM looks like a very large iPhone 16 Pro Max and features two lenses – one on the back, and a 6.67-inch AMOLED touchscreen with camera settings and metering. It is an all-in-one design that shoots, edits, and shares, including live streaming options (YouTube, Twitch, etc.). It films in VR180 3D up to 8K at 30 fps and 6K at 30 fps and 50 fps.

It includes dual ultra-large 1/1.5” CMOS sensors, 10-bit imaging, records up to 100 Mbps bitrate, H.265, a Qualcomm Snapdragon Gen 2 processor, 65mm dual-lens spacing, and is powered by Android. 

The team says it’s “platform friendly,” meaning it will work with any NLEs that support AR/VR content, such as DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro 11, and others that support that type of content. The developers don’t specify what editing software it includes and may rely on a third-party app found in the Android Store.

The full list of features includes:

• 8K at 30 fps, 6K at 30 fps and 50 fps.
• 3D and 180° VR.
• All-in-one design to film, edit, and share.
• Dual ultra-large 1/1.5” CMOS sensors.
• 65mm dual-lens spacing, similar to human eyes.
• 10-bit imaging.
• H.265 compression.
• 6.67-inch AMOLED display at 2K resolution and 120 Hz refresh. 
• Smart touch controls with camera settings (ISO, HDR, AWB, and AE). Also includes metering.
• Dual microphone.
• Automatic stitching of 3D images.
• Automatic equidistant projection for fisheye images, built-in.
• Android 13.
• Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor from Qualcomm.
• RTMP streaming support plus high bitrate streaming up to 100 Mbps. All streaming is built-in.
• USB 3.1 data transfer.
• UFS 3.0 and DDR5 support for fast read/write speeds.
• 5000 mAh battery.
• Durable aluminum alloy design (lens and body) plus designed to stay cool with heat dissipation and liquid cooling plate.
• PD3.0 turbo charge.

Price and availability 

Three different versions are available: XCAM Basic, Plus, and Plus+. As with many Kickstarter campaigns, there are special pricing tiers available. Each XCAM comes with a USB-C cable and a lens cover.

• XCAM Basic, 8 GB RAM, 128 GB ROM: Starts at $999 for super early bird (100 units), $1,099 for early bird (100 units), and $1,199 thereafter.
• XCAM Plus, 16 GB RAM, 256 GB ROM: $1,199 for super early bird (100 units), $1,299 for early bird (100 units), and $1,399 thereafter.
• XCAM Plus+, 24 GB RAM, 512 GB ROM: $1,399 for super early bird (100 units), $1,499 for early bird (100 units), and $1,599 thereafter.

After launching the Kickstarter campaign in January, they plan to start production by February and deliver by March. Their goal was $10,000, which they surpassed. As of this writing, they are at over $47,500 with about a month to go.

Check out their Kickstarter campaign page to learn more.

Please also watch the CineD Focus Check podcast episode with host Nino Leitner and his guest, filmmaker Christoph Tilley. They talk about the difficulties of immersive filmmaking.

At the end of every crowdfunding-related article, we remind you to be aware of the risks when backing a project on a crowdfunding platform. Also, please read the platform’s use and remember there can be significant delays when delivering the product. Some projects don’t get delivered at all.

What do you think of the XCAM 8K VR180 3D camera? Are you filming any AR/VR immersive projects? Let us know in the comments below!