I have been lurking on this forum for a long time, and I have learned a lot, but have not commented. I know a bit about 3D, and I have 2 comments. First, 3D vision would help be helpful in close-in situations, where you are trying to avoid branches or similar. Beyond 12-ft, depth perception from 3D cameras is pretty minimal (unless the stereo base - distance between lenses - is increased). So, for most flying, 3D probably is more trouble than it's worth. There are 3D vision arrangements for in-flight refueling used by the military, to help line up aircraft refueling lines with in-take hardware. Some underwater vehicles also have 3D vision capability to assist with difficult work, such as landing subsea oilwell equipment.
My second comment is, there are some nice, not-too-expensive (and not-too-heavy) cameras available, Check out Vuze cameras. One of the products they make is a 360-degree 3D camera suitable for creating VR images. If we could figure out how to support one of these under a quad-copter, especially with a gimbal, it would make the VR camera much more useful. Rgds, Heron.