Acer has announced a new 3D camera with 4K video resolution per eye called SpatialLabs Eyes. Here are the key specifications and samples. I’ve been shooting 3D for about 30 years and have used many 3D cameras including other alternatives at this price range. This is not a review but here are my impressions based on the samples provided by Acer, which I viewed on my Meta Quest 3. First, here’s the announcement video:
Acer SpatialLabs Eyes Specifications
| Model | ASEC-1 |
|---|---|
| Aperture | f/2.0 |
| Focal Length | 3.0 mm (equivalent to 21mm) |
| FOV | 80°(H) 52°(V) |
| Lens Separation | 63mm |
| Sensor Size & Type | 1/2.8" (D = 6.388mm) CMOS |
| Pixels | 8 megapixels |
| Photo Resolution | 7680 x 2160 (SBS or SBS + L + R), 3840 x 2160 (SBS or SBS + L + R) |
| Video Resolution | 7680 x 2160@30 SBS, 3840 x 2160@60 SBS, 3840 x 2160@30 SBS (+HDR) |
| Stereo Webcam Resolution | 3840 x 2160@60 SBS, 3840 x 2160@30 SBS (+HDR) |
| Photo Format | JPEG |
| Video Format | MP4 |
| Audio Format | AAC |
| Video Bitrate | 60Mbps |
| Video Coding | H.264 |
| Touch Screen Size | 2.41'' |
| Touch Screen Resolution | 640x480 |
| PPI | 332 |
| Exposure compensation | -2EV to +2EV |
| Metering Mode | Multi (center AF), Spot (touch focus point link) |
| White Balance | Auto, Manual (2300K~10000K) |
| ISO | Auto, Manual (100 - 1600) |
| Auto Focus | Center weight |
| Touch focus | Yes |
| Min. Shutter Speed | 1 sec |
| Max. Shutter Speed | 1/2000 sec |
| Best distance from subject for comfy 3D depth | 50cm~INF (with pixel shift post-processing in applications) |
| Stabilization | Built-in 6-axis gyroscopic stabilization, Supports IMU stabilization, Video mode: EIS |
| Weight | 220g |
| Dimensions | 104 x 65.4 x 23.2 mm |
| Interface | USB Type-C |
| Memory Card | Micro SD card, U1 speed above (U3 recommend) |
| Audio In | Built-in stereo mic |
| Battery Capacity | 1500 mAh (min: 1480mAh, typical: 1515mAh) |
| Charge Mode | Charge via USB Type-C |
| Battery Consumption | Photo: Up to180 pictures, Video: Up to 37 mins |
| Accessories | Drawstring pouch x 1, USB Type-C x 1, Selfie mirror x 1 |
| Price at launch | $549 (USD) €549 |
SpatialLabs eyes has a standard 63mm interpupillary distance which should mean that the depth appears realistic (neither exaggerated nor diminished). The sensor size of 1/2.8 inch is a bit smaller than the average compact camera sensor size but the resolution of 4K per eye (3840 x 2160 at 30fps) is high for 3D cameras of this price range. It is interesting that it also offers a 60fps mode although the horizontal resolution is halved (I assume the software will stretch the image proportionately). I also like the HDR video option for high contrast scenes.
SpatialLabs also features autofocus or touch focus and electronic image stabilization. It also has software for realtime 3D streaming and calling.
Acer hasn’t talked about the display of the SpatialLabs. However, there are SpatialLabs monitors and laptops with glasses-free 3D, so I’m expecting that the SpatialLabs Eyes will have glasses-free 3D as well.
Image quality and samples
Acer has provided sample photos and videos that give us an idea of the image quality of the Eyes. NOTE: most of the samples were shot with professional lighting equipment (e.g. softboxes) with a few samples shot outdoors in ambient light with overcast conditions. I’d like to see samples shot in typical indoor lighting conditions and sunny outdoor shots with more challenging dynamic range.
For what it’s worth, the videos are detailed and look good even when zoomed in at 1.6x in the Meta Quest, even if they aren’t as good as videos from an iPhone for example. The dynamic range appears limited, although it’s hard to tell because the outdoor video was shot in overcast conditions and the indoor sample used controlled lighting. My criticism is that the white balance is not always ideal, with the first indoor sample and outdoor sample looking a bit bluish. Acer says the white balance is adjustable, although I hope the auto white balance can be more accurate.
The photos are also reasonably detailed and look about average for a compact camera. Again, most modern smartphones can take better quality photos but the Eyes’ photos are more than adequate for a consumer camera. My primary criticism with the photos is the colors, which look a bit blue and the tint appears to have too much magenta.
You can download the samples here.
Price and availability
SpatialLabs will be available in Q3 globally at $549 USD in North America and €549 in Europe.
Should you buy it? Comparison with Qoocam Ego
Based on the specifications and samples, the SpatialLabs Eyes looks interesting. It’s a bit expensive but the 4K per eye resolution is pretty good for this price level. Its main competitor is the Qoocam Ego (currently $299), which is limited to 1080p resolution per eye. SpatialLabs Eyes’ videos are significantly more detailed although colors might be less accurate. It’s hard to tell without a side by side comparison with Qoocam Ego under the same circumstances.
For photos, Qoocam Ego seems to have the edge because Ego can shoot in Raw DNG. Ego might also have better dynamic range and more accurate white balance. I’ll have to wait and see if I get a chance to compare them side by side.
For viewing 3D, assuming SpatialLabs has glasses-free 3D, it will be more convenient and compact than Qoocam Ego’s 3D viewer.
The biggest question for me is the workflow. How convenient is it to view and share the SpatialLabs Eyes’ photos and videos? Ego has been out in the market for a while and in that time, Kandao has made several improvements to it, such as adding autofocus, stabilization, cloud sharing, and multiple ways to export it for various VR and AR headsets including Apple Vision Pro and Quest. Acer has software for playback but I hope they also include software for simple editing. I hope they make it easy to share photos and videos for popular VR headsets such as Quest.
What do you think of the SpatialLabs Eyes? Does it interest you? Let me know in the comments! You can check out Acer’s official webpage here.
Hey Mic, thanks for this info. Had no idea “Acer” would be making a 3D cam! Please do a full review when you get one and I am most interested in stabilization.
Hi Mic,
I still don’t understand how manufacturers can produce 3D photo cameras without flash.
I use a lot my FinePix REAL 3D W3, but I want to purchase a new camera with more resolution.
Unfortunately it seems that’s another video camera who also take photos.
I will wait for your review, as always. 😉
Thanks for the update. Sadly, this looks like another second rate 3D capable camera not all that really well thought out to create quality images. I really wanted to like the Qoocam Ego but find it unusable thanks to its bad body design and cheap plastic buttons that I find impossible to deal with. This body and button design look better but for the price, it still comes off to me like another semi-toy point and shoot with mediocre imaging. When will a “spatial” consumer camera come out that is prosumer with compact size and high quality? Looking forward to your full review but after seeing their example pics expect to be disappointed. Maybe that new Canon product might fill the bill if it even comes out.
My gosh, it’s terrifying that we still have nothing better to talk about than Kandao QooQooCam Egomaniac contraption. Not only its ergonomics is horrible, but it’s a completely unreliable piece of junk (it takes forever to boot up before you can take a photo with it, there is no standby mode so it drains the battery like crazy and overheats, there is frequent focus mismatch between left and right lenses, and it completely loses focus when Ego cam is pitched up or down). I really hope that SpatialLabs Eyes cam will behave like a real useful camera. Wouldn’t it be ironic if Acer, being a company that never made any cameras, was able to make a better camera than the Kandao company, which does nothing but camera equipment.
It’s only too bad that Acer priced this P&S cam, with extremely tiny sensors, to be relatively expensive (from provided samples we see that those sensors don’t perform so well).
Personally, I like the Qoocam Ego. It takes a few seconds to boot up but I don’t find it unreliable. I haven’t lost footage and the new autofocus makes it much easier to use.
I would echo all your comments. I found the shutter button on the Qcam too tight when pressed, resulting in a slight tilt of the whole, tiny camera. And like you, I am waiting for a good, prosumer stereo capable camera for use (although I must confess, I love the W3). Given the oh-hum features of the Acer, $600 seems way too much. Thanks for your comments.
Regarding workflow: This will probably be the same as with the iPhone 15 pro or the QooCam EGO in relation to video (Spatial Video / MV-HEVC) Acer is not a camera manufacturer. The SpatialLabs Eyes stereo camera was developed for a different market segment and there is also the option of using it for spatial memories that you can view on your 3D monitor at home. It is a good option for video recording.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
Regarding workflow: This will probably be the same as with the iPhone 15 pro or the QooCam EGO in relation to video (Spatial Video / MV-HEVC) Acer is not a camera manufacturer. The SpatialLabs Eyes stereo camera was developed for a different market segment and there is also the option of using it for spatial memories that you can view on your 3D monitor at home. It is a good option for video recording.
I don’t understand the sense of 16/9 pictures. If the best way to view 3D photo and video is the Quest 3 (that I own 😉) that use a square image for each eye.
I am still waiting a consumer camera that can do 7680×3840 SBS photos and video….
I am already old… I hope to get it soon.
You own Quest3 (I own it too), but which application do you use to view 3D content? I strongly recommend that you buy the immerGallery app. In that app, one of the options to view stereo photos is to project them on a cylindrical wall. In that mode you’ll hopefully appreciate the 16:9 aspect ratio (you can even watch 3D and 2D panoramas that way).
This Acer camera is not VR camera, although its quite wide lenses (21 mm equivalent Focal Length) will produce the images that are nicely rendered in VR headset.
To get 7680×3840 SBS photos and video, we need to wait for the Canon folding camera to finally be released.
At the moment immerGallery works only with photos, but soon it’ll get a major update to play video files.
And I’m not sure if Quest3 is the best way to view 3D media. With immerGallery it’s quite good, but the comfort (Quest3 is too clumsy and too heavy and too hot when slapped on your face) and overall image quality (Quest3 lenses are too fuzzy and its LCD screens don’t produce nice colors) … so we still have some room for viewing quality improvement 🙂
On immergalley it lists Canon PowerShot VR10 as VR180 supported. I was unable to find this camera but there was a prototype Canon VR180 last year. Any ideas?
Canon PowerShot VR10 camera is the model name of that still not officially released folding 360/VR180 camera concept. Canon showed its latest prototype body in February 22 this year during CP+ trade show in Japan. For short few hours the closeup photo of the back of this camera was posted on a Japanese social web page (and soon it was blurred to hide the text details). So that folding cam model was shown to be VR10, the serial number of that prototype was 001041000076, it was marked as “INDOOR USE ONLY” and of course it was “MADE IN CHINA”. The rest of the markings were non-readable, even after running that photo through Topaz AI enhancement.
So we need to be patient. Canon VR10 hopefully will be made available this year.
I think “To get 7680×3840 SBS photos and videos, we’ll have to wait until the Canon folding camera finally comes out.” But these will be VR180 format and not stereoscopic – if I understand correctly? . So everyone has to decide which format is best for his workflow.
The Canon folding camera will be VR180, which is stereoscopic (with “3D” depth).
I see. For me, VR180 is in 3D (for example Vuze XR). Stereoscopic = (iPhone 15 Pro , Goocam EGO and the new Acer). So the Canon folding camera is a VR180 3D / VR360° 😉
“For me, VR180 is in 3D (for example Vuze XR). Stereoscopic = (iPhone 15 Pro , Goocam EGO …”
Both VR180 and “Stereoscopic=” photos contain two (Left and Right) views. So effectively they are both stereoscopic. The only difference is that VR180 is a much wider FOV than “typical” 3D photo format. When you crop the center of VR180 frame, then you’ll get a typical looking stereoscopic image (without VR180 extreme fisheye lens optical deformations).
… forgot to mention that with StereoPhotoMaker (SPM), free stereoscopic photo editor, you can easily extract from VR180 photo file a good looking typical stereo/3D photo, with proper perspective and optical corrections.
… and I like your take on Ego camera … it’s indeed a nasty Goocam made by Egomaniacs (Kandao refused to acknowledge the camera focusing failures in many Ego units and never recalled it or made an offer to replace).
Hmmm, I’m always looking to find a better digital stereo camera than my Fuji W3. The Qcam was a disappointment for a variety of reasons. The Acer Eye seems to forgo features like color accuracy and megapixel depth. The two things I would also want are the ability to shoot side by side stills and a ratio control. The sample images are (in my opinion) too wide for ease of convergence. I am not sure why this camera doesn’t support MPO format (although using an app like “StereoPhoto Maker” is easy enough. I look forward to future, in depth reviews before I commit almost $600 for another so-so camera. Thanks for the review.
I have two W3 cameras. The image quality of the Qoocam Ego and Acer are a lot better.