A startup is teasing a 3D VR camera that not only shoots in 8K but operates much like a smartphone, with built-in Android OS. The Slam XCam is a smart camera designed for creating and even livestreaming virtual reality content. The 8K 180° VR camera, which is expected to begin shipping in March, could very well miff Canon, which teased a prototype 8K VR camera last year that hasn’t yet launched.
Slam is calling the XCam a “world first” because of the camera’s mix of smart design, 8K, VR, 180° and 3D features. The Slam XCam is a boxy camera that looks a bit like an oversized smartphone, but with two large lenses on one side and a large touchscreen on the other.
The camera uses a pair of 1/1.5-inch CMOS sensors to capture video at up to 8K 30p or 6K 50p. The lenses are offset by 65mm, which the company says is similar to the spacing between human eyes, in order to offer a natural look to the footage.
On the opposite side, the SlamXCam has a 6.67-inch AMOLED screen with 2K resolution, providing access to shooting settings including exposure controls and HDR. The smartphone-like touchscreen also enables content creators to view a 3D preview of the footage.
The VR content is automatically stitched in-camera, aided by the Snapdragon 8 Gen2 processor. The camera’s Android operating system then enables creators to edit the footage directly from the camera, or even live stream. Along with editing apps, the operating system allows for cloud storage of footage using platforms like Google Drive. The camera supports footage up to 10-bit for smooth color gradations, or creators short on space can use the H.265 compression format.
The camera is wrapped in an aluminum alloy frame. That material, along with a liquid cooling plate, helps fight overheating issues, the company says, which are common in shooting such high resolutions.
Teased during CES 2025, the Slam XCam is already available for preorder on Kickstarter, where early backers can get up to 30% off the expected $1,399 list price, which converts to roughly £1,136 / AU$2,256. The Kickstarter page says that the camera ships worldwide.
Last year, Canon teased a prototype of an 8K VR camera, saying that it wanted to get the camera plus two prototype lenses “out as soon as possible.” The prototype looks a bit like the Canon PowerShot V10 vlogging camera. Unlike the Slam XCam, Canon’s prototype has a lens that can either be front or rear-facing, which means it’s not limited to 180° VR but can shoot 360° as well.
You can take a look at Canon's prototype in the video below, shot at The Photography & Video Show (on the PowerShot V10, coincidentally).
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