Kandao Qoocam 8K first impressions by CreatorUp’s Hugh Hou

Here are first impressions of the Kandao Qoocam 8K (previewed here) by CreatorUp’s Hugh Hou.

Hugh and I were two of only four vloggers (the other two vloggers were Naoto Somese and Katsunori Takamatsu) invited to have a personal hands-on experience with the Qoocam 8K with Kandao’s CEO Dan Chen.  Meanwhile, you can check out my own first impressions in the main Qoocam 8K page.

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Mic Ty

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  • I watched both your clips this afternoon. Great reports, but I must say I am surprised so little has been made of the fact that the new camera does not have the 3D 180 option which the original Qoocam was all about.

    So many 3D 180 enthusiasts have been asking for a higher quality consumer 3D 180 camera than has been offered so far that they are likely to feel letdown by the new non-3D camera. Most buyers of the original Qoocam bought it for the ability to shoot 3D 180 and by now were expecting an upgrade. So the news that the upgrade is 360-only won’t be so thrilling to them.

    On the other hand, Kandao may have something up their sleeve. They may be working on a 3D 180 version of the Qoocam 8K, using all the same components of the 8K but in side-by-side configuration with the all-important display on the back. That’s exactly what Yi was planning when they designed the Horizon using components from their VR360 camera. Unfortunately they redirected their marketing towards the home security market before they could introduce it.

    So, for now, I’ll just sit back and wait for Kandao to introduce their Qoocam 8K 3D 180 camera.

    Hugh (on YT) remarked that two Qoocam 8K Pro’s could be genlocked together. But how is that a solution for us since we end up with two separate cameras that would cost nearly as much as a Zcam K1. What we want is a compact integrated 3D 180 camera with the performance and price range of the Qoocam 8K.

    • I didn’t know you could genlock them! I am tempted, because I am not convinced a VR180 version is coming, and I’m extremely interested in capturing 8K VR180. That being said, I don’t trust my ability to get two cameras mounted at exactly the right separation (are they narrow enough that they’d be at the right distance even if they were touching?), and I don’t know how I’d edit it if I did.

      But… if that could be worked out, the two would still be cheaper than the Zcam and would provide higher resolution. Plus, you’d get a recording of what was behind your main POV for free (well, for ~US$1200).

      • The reason why you may not have heard about the genlocking option is that this will only be offered in the PRO version of this camera (Hugh Hou mentions that version in his clip) and that PRO version may be priced substantially higher than the consumer model (could be as much as double the price) So in the end you would end up paying possibly over US$2000.00 for such a set-up. And you’re still ending up with a bulky rig instead of a compact “take everywhere” camera, and one that isn’t optimized for shooting 3D 180. It makes no sense to go through all that hassle and cost when a 3D 180 model would address all these issues and cost no more than the 360 model.

        Do as you wish (and let us know how you do) but personally I am only interested in a compact integrated camera that is optimized for 3D 180.

        • Thanks for the additional clarification. I am definitely not going to buy two Pros. Absolutely not. I would have *considered* buying two of these, but now at least I know I won’t do that!

  • Really glad qoocam went in this direction with consumer 8k before going 3D. This makes so much more sense to a lot of people who despise 3D content. When can we expect the review units to be in your hands?

    • The original Qoocam design was ill-conceived. It might have looked good on paper but ended up causing shortcomings as it resulted in a 360 camera that was far too long and a 3D 180 camera that was awkward to use. Clearly, the new model seeks to directly compete with the Insta360 One X and Go Pro Max.

      That said, Kandao has gained much experience in VR 180 with the original Qoocam so it would surprise me if they didn’t introduce a 3D 180 version of this camera in coming months. That may depend on the success of the new model.

      As to people who “despise” 3D, I haven’t met any. But they must live a very frustrating life having to see in 3D every waking moment ! 🙁

      • I definitely agree that the original QooCam has some issues, but the battery life is still the best out there, and it takes good photos despite being a bit awkward. Video is as good as could be expected for 4K, too, but it is not competitive. I did and do like the software and extra capabilities, though, and I agree that a new QooCam VR180 version would be much more interesting than the 360 version. An 8K VR180 at consumer prices would be a game-changer. My goal is to be able to record scenes and watch them years later as though I were there, and I think 8K might just be the point at which that happens… hopefully with mics like the Vuze XR, which captures great spatial audio, or the GoPro Max, which probably does.

  • Mic
    The best resolution my NLE can achieve is 4096×2160. How can 8k, 360 video be handled by these NLE programs? You shoot in 8K, but can only produce 4k as the 8k TV prices are out of sight and there is no NLE support. What kind of video quality can be expected from this product on a 4k TV screen or lesser for that matter? Is this just a functional 4k camera?

    • As to editing: Sounds like you need better editing software.

      As to TVs – not relevant, this is 360 video. Since you are only viewing a subset of the recording at any given time, you need MUCH higher video resolution even for a 1080p VR headset.

      For example, let’s assume a roughly 90 degree FOV (this is just an approximation since the math is nice, I believe usually VR headsets have slightly lower FOVs) – that means that the headset’s display only renders 1/4 of the 360 degrees. So from 8k video, you now only have about 2000 pixels wide – or 1080p

  • Hi,

    This camera seems to be very interesting! The most important thing, when compared to Z1, is that it has removable SD card and can be charged during the work. I have only two questions about usability that stops me from preordering this camera.

    1. I know about raw burs but, will it have DNG bracketing for HDR?
    2. Does software allow us to keep dng format after stitching? I want to stack DNG HDR in the lightroom later.

    Regards!