Turn Your GoPro Into A 3D Camera With Vitrima Lens

Want to record 3D videos, but don't have hundreds or thousands of dollars to spend on a dedicated VR camera? Vitrima lens could be the solution, especially if you already own a GoPro action camera. The lens is better described as being a case with a large open front portion in which a couple of mirrors are positioned. When the camera is inserted, the mirrors shuttle two slightly different images to the camera, producing a stereoscopic video that looks 3D with the right headset.

Virtrima is a purely analog device, in that there's nothing digital about it. It is, simply put, a sophisticated set of mirrors packed up in a waterproof shell. The lens portion is attached to a regular GoPro camera case, which can itself be attached to a variety of surfaces with camera mounts. When recording with the lens, the video is split into two side-by-side videos that are nearly identical, but shifted just enough to appear the way you'd see each out of your right and left eyes.

Viewing those resulting videos in a Google Cardboard headset or any similar VR headset, the video appears singular and three-dimensional. The biggest downside over this versus a regular 3D camera would be the lack of a non-stereoscopic version of the recording — though many cameras don't simultaneously record regular and stereoscopic footage, so you're not missing much.

The resulting 3D videos could be uploaded to YouTube, which has supported such videos for a while now, Facebook or any other number of video hosting sites. The videos shouldn't be confused with 360 videos, which are videos recorded (or stitched together) to present a 360-degree view around the camera (usually without being 3D). The videos recorded with Vitrima are 3D, but not 360.

The company behind the lens says it will be launching Vitrima soon for the limited-time price of $50; exact dates aren't known.