When camera technology is still relatively fresh, nobody really expects manufacturers to put out a solid product in one of their first releases. That’s why Fujifilm’s newly announced W3 3D HD camera is a particularly pleasant surprise. With its 10 megapixel and 1/2.3 inch sensor, its 720p 3D video capabilities, and glasses-free LCD screen, Fujifilm has managed to set the bar higher than anyone thought it would be this early in the 3D game.

As expected, the camera has 2 lenses recording images on 2 sensors simultaneously, making 3D images and video possible. The unexpected part however is how Fujifilm managed to use those lenses for 2D photography. When in 2D mode, the W3 can use both lenses to take different shots simultaneously. The cool part is that this will allow photographers to shoot both close-up and wide angle versions of a photo or to shoot two images with different iris values, allowing photographers to capture HDR images. As for the video side of the camera, the FinePix W3 has stereo sound recording, a 1280×720 pixel resolution, shoots at 24 frames per second on an SD card, is NTSC and PAL switchable, has an HDMI out for 3D capable TVs and best of all, has a 3D lenticular display allowing you to view your images and video in 3D without wearing an awkward pair of glasses. Of all the features, the lenticular lens is a real breakthrough for 3D cameras. With this technology, videographers will not have to keep taking their glasses on and off in order to switch between monitoring their footage and looking at their controls. If all 3D camera and camcorder companies started offering their products with glasses-free displays, it would no doubt be a huge leap forward in getting these products off the shelves.

With that said, Fujifilm’s camera does have a few faults that are worth mentioning. First, lenticular displays are still not completely fool-proof. If you try to play back your captured footage while looking at the screen from the side, the illusion of 3D will quickly break down. Also, the camera only records in the partially defunct 1280×720 resolution which will not look as good on a full 3D HD display. These issues aside, Fujifilm has definitely set the bar high on what customers will expect from 3D camcorders and cameras in the future. If companies can improve on what Fujifilm has started, we may yet see 3D become a mainstay in both the theaters and at home.

Ever since The Power of Love, which premiered at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles in 1922, 3D film has been a reality. The film was shown in red and green anaglyph which meant that the viewer could see the effect by wearing glasses with different colored filters for each eye. Since that time, 3D has had various success. From 1952 to 1955, a string of 3-D movies known as the “golden era” of 3-D began with the release of Bwana Devil. Then, after three decades of decline, 3-D movies came back into the mainstream with IMAX and Disney Theme Parks making several successful 3-D films such as Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, Into the Deep, and Wings of Courage. Inevitably though, the technology declined again until 2004 when the animated film The Polar Express made 14 times as much money in 3-D than it did in 2D. Numbers like that couldn’t be ignored by theaters which started fitting their theaters for 3-D. With the success of Avatar, which became the highest grossing film of all time over 15,000 screens are expected to be 3-D ready by the end of 2010.

As much money as 3-D movies were making in theaters, home television and electronic companies started to wonder if consumers would also buy into the hype with their products at home. By 2010, many of the major manufacturers such as Sony, Toshiba, Samsung, Panasonic, and LG had made plans to introduce high definition televisions with 3-D capabilities by year’s end. At the same time, popular camera companies such as ARRI, Panasonic, Sony, RED, and Canon started releasing consumer and professional level camcorders and cameras that could shoot in 3-D. Even network television got in on the craze by introducing broadcasts of events in HD such as this year’s PGA Sony Open in Hawaii to viewers around the world. Read the rest of this entry »

At less than 6.6 pounds, the AG-3DA1 is equipped with dual lenses and two 1/4.1-inch full 1920 x 1080 2.07-megapixel 3-MOS imagers to record 1080/60i, 50i, 30p, 25p and 24p (native) and 720/60p and 50p in AVCHD. It can record for up to 180 minutes on dual 32GB SD cards in Panasonic’s professional AVCHD PH mode, and offers professional interfaces including dual HD-SDI out, HDMI (version 1.4), two XLR connectors, built-in stereo microphone and twin-lens camera remotes. It is also equipped with remote terminal for focus iris, zoom, REC start/stop and convergence point. Its 3.2-inch LCD screen provides the option to switch from Left, Right or overlay image display.

Easier to Use:

Current 3D systems are large-scale setups in which two cameras are fitted to a rig in parallel, or vertically intersect across a half-mirror. Separate recorders are also required. In the AG-3DA1, the lenses, camera head, and a dual Memory Card recorder are integrated into a single, lightweight body. The camcorder also incorporates stereoscopic adjustment controls making it easier to use and operate. The twin-lens system adopted in the camcorder’s optical section allows the convergence point to be adjusted. Functions for automatically correcting horizontal and vertical displacement are also provided. Conventional 3D camera systems require these adjustments to be made by means of a PC or an external video processor. This new camcorder, however, will automatically recalibrate without any need for external equipment, allowing immediate 3D image capture.

More Flexible:

The solid-state memory file-based recording system offers greater flexibility to produce Full HD 3D videos reliably in more challenging shooting environments. The AG-3DA1 is lighter weight and smaller than current 3D rigs, while providing the flexibility of handheld-style shooting. Setup and transportation is simplified, making it ideal for sports, documentary and filmmaking projects.

Solid-State Reliability and Workflow:

Right and Left Full HD video streams of the twin-lens 3D camcorder can be recorded and distributed as files on SDHC/SD Memory Cards, ensuring higher reliability than tape, optical disc, HDD or other mechanical-based recording systems. This solid-state, no-moving-parts design will help significantly reduce maintenance costs. Users will enjoy a fast, highly-productive file-based workflow, with instant, random access to recorded content; easy plug-in to both Mac and PC-based platforms; and longer recording capacity.

More Affordable:

Using a standardized, fully integrated design, the AG-3DA1 is being offered at a much lower price than traditional 3D rigs. Transportation expenses for this handheld unit will be less and faster setup times reduce labor costs. Using standard, re-recordable SDHC/SD Memory Cards available already everywhere, media costs become almost insignificant.

AG-3DA1’s Major Specifications:

• Twin-lens Full HD 3D camcorder

• Suggested Retail Price for Main Unit: $21,000

• Available: Fall 2010 (made to order)

• Power Consumption: 16 W (main unit only)

• Weight: Approximately 6.17 pounds – main unit only

• Recording Media: SDHC/SD Memory Card

Sony Creative Software has announced Blu-print 6 Blu-ray Disc authoring application and Z Depth 3D subtitle offset editing application. The new software will enable editors and disc authoring professionals to provide home viewing audiences with 3D titles on Blu-ray Disc.

“Given the precise balance of art and technology needed to produce 3D Blu-ray Discs, production professionals require powerful and specialized new tools like Blu-print 6 and Z Depth for Vegas Pro 9 to deliver content that exceeds the high expectations accompanying the excitement for 3D at home,” said Dave Chaimson, vice president of global marketing for Sony Creative Software.

Sony’s Blu-print 6 is one of the first professional 3D Blu-ray Disc authoring applications available and will allow production facilities and video editors to author 3D titles in accordance to with the Blu-ray Disc Association’s 3D Blu-ray disc specification. While the Z Depth subtitle offset editing application allows 3D authoring companies to easily create required disparity metadata files for positioning of subtitles and IG menus in a 3D Blu-ray Disc production.

Blu-print 6 and Z Depth will be available in June 2010.