Shining 3D Einstar Vega Wireless 3D Scanner All-in-one Handheld 3D Scanner Two Scanning Technology Support Small to Large Objects, Stable Outdoor Scanning, 8-core 2.4GHz CPU, 512G SSD and 32G RAM

This is my first scanner so I have not experience to compare but it’s been fairly intuitive, well build, and it just looks cool!

I’ve had the Einstar scanner for a couple weeks but when the Vega went on sale I decided to give it a rip. The Einstar was great for scanning humans but I had lots of issues with objects. Having both scanners side by side, I wish I had just purchased the Vega from the get go. The battery life will give you over an hour but don’t expect much more. Like most reviews you will read about 3D scanners, I’ll say 3D scanning can be a bit of a learned art. I really wish I had other 3D scanners to compare this to in order to give you a better review, but I went with Shining scanners based on reviews.

UPDATE/EDIT...After really using this a lot, while also using Revopoint pop3 and have used the Revopoint MIRACO a fee times. I have to drop a star. The options available in the UI really lack compared to the MIRACO. Not to mention the battery life sucks. This should be the same price if not cheaper than the MIRACO PLUS. As I mentioned in my original review below. The edit software they offer is sub-par to Revopoint. Overall, I widh i would've went for the MIRACO. We will see if Einstar stays dedicated to this unit and rolls out some nice updates soon.The scanner is.... ok. I'm still getting the hang of being the correct distance from the object in HD and Fast mode but I have produced some solid scans. It will not scan anything black or shiny so, make sure to buy the 3d scanning coating spray. The battery life is not as good as it should be but, having a power pack solved that issue.The PC edit software EINSTAR works great. Though, I do wish it had as many editing options as the Revopoint software has. Being able to process the scan on the unit alone is phenomenal and it does a great job for such a small spec. I can't wait for the next software update to see what they will be adding! I would definitely recommend the Vega!

I started 3D scanning about a year ago. I originally purchased the Einstar and it worked fantastically for me. But I always hated setting it up with my laptop when I'm on the road. I created a mobile case that had power supplies, and added an ergonomic handle and a PVM screen to it so that it would make my workflow easier. I also bundled the cables with a cable sleeve. This worked great for months, but it was still a bulky and cumbersome solution, especially when on the road. Without the PVM monitor I would have to look at the laptop screen which is a pain in the butt.When Shining 3D announced the Vega I was going to purchase one immediately but still couldn't afford it. I finally was able to afford it last month and have been using it now for 2 weeks. It's been a revelation. No more laptop, no more having to look at the laptop screen. No more cables!!! I was amazed at the build of the thing, I thought it would be plastic but it's actually a single machine piece of aluminum, which is kinda crazy. It feels like a quality electronic like an iPhone. Nice job Shining 3D. The screen in bright and very clear.It comes in a really nice case along with a power brick, a braided USB cable, some markers and a silicone case already mounted to the device. A pro tip here, make sure to buy the official Shining 3D tripod for the Vega, it's all metal and very handy for holding the device while scanning. You can scan without it but it's much clumsier and your fingers always get in the way of the sensors if you have big hands. So yeah, the tripod is a no brainer.Functionally the Vega is very similar to the Einstar so it gives you really great scans on large items like cars, engines, bikes, etc. But the FOV is larger which coupled with the large screen, no cables makes scanning infinitely easier. I can't stress this enough, it's much easier to scan and to continue scanning because it's just more comfortable.The main differentiator of the Vega is that now you're able to scan very small items. The Einstar had a very tough time if not able to scan smaller items without great difficulty. The Vega is much easier at this task. Another pro tip when scanning smaller items is to put a towel under the items you are scanning. For instance I was scanning some headlight cluster surrounds and had them on my table. It was creating an infinite plane that any scanner has issues with. Once I put a towel under the item the scanner picked up the towel and then saw the light cluster as part of the towel.Since this is a prosumer scanner you will still need to prep your items properly for best results. I use AESUB scanning spray. The white, blue and orange. Each of them has a different time of evaporation and I use them accordingly based on what I am going to scan. While the spray may seem expensive trust me that you'll thank me later, it makes scanning infinitely easier and more accurate. A lot of the complaints I see from people who say they can't scan properly haven't prepped their surface.A second recommendation for those who are going to scan autos or bikes is to get some of the 3D pyramid scanner targets that are magnetized and use those as well as the Blue AESUB scanner spray since it evaporates in 4 hours.So I really love this thing, like really. LOL But there are some things I don't like. Firstly there is no way to transfer your files over Wifi! This is a huge oversight in my opinion. You must connect your Vega to your PC and then transfer the files that way. Missed opportunity to make the device even better. Not sure if this can be updated in a software update, but Shining if you're listening please enable wireless transfer of my projects viaSecondly the battery life could be better, but I turn down the screen brightness when I'm scanning indoors. I solved this also with a quality batter bank so now I can scan for a couple hours without any disruption. I use the included USB cable and put the power bank in my back pocket. Works great.So basically you'll obviously see I love this thing. I have used higher end scanners and you can get better results for sure but those scanners are 5k, 10k, or higher. With the Vega you basically have a mobile scanning studio you can fit in a little camera bag and get results that are good enough for me to load into Fusion or Blender and reverse engineer anything I was. Remember to get the Shining 3D tripod, it's kind of a pain in the a** to scan without it.Hope this helps all you cottage makers out there. :)

You cannot scan ANY small items with this scanner without 3D scanning (powder)spray. You ALSO have to use "markers"(white dots) as well. This is a REQUIREMENT, not an "option". If the object is dark(black), it will ALSO not pick it up well. The scanner will always say: "Lost tracking, go back to a previously tracked item to continue scanning."(or however they worded it, but it says that...a LOT if you do not use scanning spray and markers) Extremely frustrating.You would think, after spending $2,000, that this scanner would be so advanced, that you could just take it out of the box and scan whatever, and the scanner will pick it up. Nope. It won't.I used an iPhone 13 Pro with the KIRI Engine 3D scanning app and could scan whatever I wanted with no errors at ALL. None. Read that again.That.Is.Embarrasing.Don't buy this if you're serious about 3D scanning. You won't get anywhere. You're better off buying an iPad/iPhone with an advanced LiDAR sensor built in and spending a fraction of that $2,000 on a yearly subscription to KIRI Engine and you will be much more productive than you would with "Starvision" and this "Einstar Vega".Oh, and this device loses battery extremely fast. You won't have that issue with the Apple/Andriod devices when scanning.

It scans well in both HD mode and the far mode...it is like having two scanners in one tool. The hardware is nicely made. The cloud upload service is handy. The onboard Vega software is intuitive and not being tied to the computer is really convenient. I'm struggling with some USB issues, but it could be my computers. Tech support has been responsive. When I figure that out, this will be 5 stars.