CalfVR camera review: the best affordable VR camera in 2023?

13.11.2023

The CalfVR camera is a new VR camera, capable of 6K 50FPS video (and 8K photos), available at an accessible price point. At DeoVR, we’ve been using a generic model for the past few weeks - you can see a short video made with this camera at DeoVR (6K 50FPS, h265 100Mbps), which shows how it works in daylight on a static tripod. But let’s look at this impressive item in more detail.

*Save $150 on the CALF VR Camera with our exclusive DeoVR discount*

| CalfVR camera video review at DeoVR |

Performance

In good lighting, such as daylight, the quality is excellent with nice vivid colors and good detail. Sometimes, sunlight can leave spots on the lens (in the above video, you might see red marks in certain sections) but overall the quality when filming outside is excellent.

However, in low-light the quality is grainy and dark. This is to be expected for a VR camera at this price point, but we recommend a good lighting kit if you’re filming inside, or at night.

As for the quality, 6K 50FPS footage looks great on DeoVR. And while it’s not quite up there with 8K videos, it’s great for the price. Interestingly, the camera can take 8K images, which have great detail (15mb jpg sample image). It also suggests that the camera might be possible to film 8K footage in the future, either via an update or by modding.

In the image below you can see the various adjustable options for the video, such as ISO and white balance - there are auto settings for each, which work very well in adapting to different conditions.

Design and Build Quality

It’s a solid item with a tough build, and quite heavy but suitable for a handheld consumer gimbal such as the Zhiyun Crane M3S. It’s satisfying to hold and fits well on most tripods, although the battery compartment is covered by some tripods and hot-swap adaptors, so you’ll need to unscrew them to remove the battery - and also the SD card, which slots alongside the battery.

There are four 1/4-20 mounts on the top, bottom and left and right sides - useful for adding tripods, lights, mics and other accessories.

It does tend to get quite hot while recording, but the built-in fan keeps it cool, and while it’s audible it’s not too loud. We had no issues with the camera overheating while using over multiple hours. The designers inform us that they had it running for 5 days at a time with no issues.

LED Display

There’s a useful LED touchscreen display on the back, that shows exactly what you’re filming. This display is fairly small so you can’t see close details, obviously, but it’s fine for letting you know what you’re filming and where to place it.

On the model we used, one issue is that the screen is always-on while recording - although you can turn the brightness down. This might become an issue in some situations, such as recording a live event where it could be distracting to people stood behind it.

Also, the touchscreen nature of the display means it’s easy to hit a button or setting by mistake. A simple cover would be useful in fixing both issues, but it could be easy to make one by taping some card over it.

Technical Specifications

Size: 136×74.6×71.89mm
Weight: 850g
h264 or h265, up to 100Mbps
Display screen: 3.5 inch (diagonal) TFT-LCD
SD Card storage: up to 512GB
RAM: 8GB LPDDR4X
Flash storage: 8GB EMMC
Image sensor: 1/2.3 inch SONY IMX577 12.3mp sensor
Two 34mm diameter custom fisheye lenses
Takes Canon LP-6 battery
USB-C Mic and 3.5mm jack for lav mic
4x 1/4-20 mounts for accessories
Full metal body with a quiet fan for cooling

Compatibility

One frustrating issue is that it uses an outdated pixel format yuvj420, rather than the current standard yuv420p. This means the exported files cannot be played locally with the DeoVR app. However, after speaking with the developers, they assure us that this will be resolved in a future firmware update. These files upload perfectly to the DeoVR platform though.

Possibly the best feature is that all the stitching is done in-camera. You don’t need to stitch two separate videos together using Mistika as the footage exports as 180 SBS VR, ready to be edited in your video editing software.

Audio

The audio isn’t great, and we strongly recommend buying an external microphone with a deadcat windshield. Although we had issues with placing the deadcat so it doesn’t hang over the front of the camera and get caught by the lenses. However, the audio does work and if you’re inside, it might be passable.

Battery Life and Storage

It takes the Canon LP-6 battery and unfortunately, it doesn’t last long - approximately 50 minutes at a time. And as the screen is always-on, the power drains quickly. A stand-by button would help in this situation. However, it’s quite simple to have it plugged into to a battery pack via USB-C, which will give many hours of recording time.

It takes SD cards up to 512GB, which is ideal for many hours of filming. Be aware that the SOC chip used in this camera does not support UHS-II, so only buy a UHS-I SD card, up to 512GB, and stick to authentic brands (the designers recommend SanDisk).

Price and Value for Money

This is where the CalfVR stands out. At approximately $2000, this is a reasonable price point for newcomers to VR video. More and more creators are becoming excited by the idea of making VR video, for filming family moments, tourism or live events, and while the price isn’t exactly cheap, it’s certainly more affordable than the other popular VR camera kits out there, such as Canon’s VR rig.

Pros

Affordable good quality VR filming
Solid build that feels reliable and tough
No need to stitch footage
Plenty of recording options, 4K, 6K video, 8K photos

Cons

Not great in low light conditions
Poor quality audio recording (as to be expected)
Uses an outdated pixel format, making it difficult to preview local files (should be resolved soon)

Conclusion

The CalfVR isn’t perfect, but it’s an excellent option for a newcomer to filming VR. It’s easy to carry around, compatible with most software or accessories, and the team behind it respond quickly and helpfully to any requests and suggestions. Most importantly, the footage looks great - it’s a good way to test out creating VR content, before upgrading to a more expensive 8K model, such as the Zcam K2 Pro or Canon EOS VR system.

Finally, it works well with DeoVR. It’s easy to edit in video editing software thanks to the lack of stitching required, and the footage looks excellent when uploaded to the DeoVR platform.

Coming soon

As well as updates about the issues mentioned above, we will publish more guides about using the CalfVR camera, including how to get the best out of this kit, and what accessories work best with it, including gimbals, tripods and external mics. Plus, we'll look at recording green screen footage with it. If you have any other requests or would like to see different types of footage (we will upload an example of low-light indoor footage soon) let us know on Reddit, Facebook or the forum.

Please note: the model reviewed is the ViewPT, which is the same generic model as the CalfVR with different branding. The internal workings and everything else are the same.