Playing James Cameron at home is set to get cheaper and easier as Fuji introduces a point-and-shoot 3-D digital camera that can click high-resolution 3-D photos and high-definition 3-D movies — all at a price where regular compact cameras were about four years ago.
“We are launching a camera that will bring 3-D from the niche market to mainstream consumers,” says Jim Calverley, senior product manager at Fujifilm.
Fuji’s new 3-D camera has two 10-megapixel CCD sensors and two lenses capable of 3x optical zoom spaced 2.9 inches (75 millimeters) apart to create images with the added perception of depth. It has a 3.5-inch 3-D capable display that lets users watch photos and movies without requiring special glasses. The sleek gadget measures 0.8 inches at its thinnest and weighs 8.5 ounces with battery and memory card.
The camera, called the FinePix Real 3D W3, will cost $500 and will be available starting in September.
And if you want photos to stick on the fridge or send to grandma, Fuji has a photo printing service that offers pricey yet good-looking 3-D prints. The 3-D prints are priced at $7 for a 5″ x 7″ print.
The FinePix Real 3D W3 is the second iteration of a 3-D camera that Fuji first offered to consumers last July. It is also $100 cheaper than its predecessor.
3-D’s popularity in Hollywood has spurred consumer electronics makers to create 3-D devices for consumers. Major TV makers such as Sony, Panasonic and Mitsubishi are betting on 3-D TVs to capture consumer interest this year. Meanwhile, cellphone manufacturers are looking at adding 3-D screens to smartphones. Even laptops are now available with 3-D displays.
In this hype around 3-D, it is amateur content that many industry experts say could be the real catalyst for 3-D’s popularity. Last July, YouTube has started offering a 3-D display option for videos uploaded on its site. Hobbyists and 3-D enthusiasts are rigging everything from cameras, iPod nanos and Flip cams and using software tricks to produce 3-D short films, postcards and home videos.
Fuji hopes to offer an off-the-shelf camera that will appeal not just to 3-D enthusiasts, but will open the door to 3-D for ordinary consumers. The company is betting that an easy-to-use 3-D camera might be a real hit at your next birthday party, a baseball game or vacation.
The new 3-D W3 camera steps up from its predecessor with the ability to shoot photos at up to 10-megapixel resolution. The camera can switch between 2-D and 3-D modes with the click of a button. It can shoot 3-D movies at 720p and has a mini HDMI port for playing back the videos on a 3-D TV.
The camera’s 3.5-inch lenticular LCD screen creates a parallax effect to show 3-D images. It’s similar to the 3-D display on Nintendo’s recently introduced 3DS system.
The 3-D W3 camera can also take photos in the regular 2-D mode. And in 2-D mode, you can have some fun with the gadget. Thanks to its dual lenses, users can shoot tele/wide photos so the camera can zoom in on the subject while also simultaneously taking a wide-angle shot of the same scene.
The camera also has a two-color simultaneous shooting mode that with the single press of the shutter lets you take photos of the same scene with different color tonality — such as vintage black and white and standard black and white.
Check out more photos of the 3-D camera below.
The 3-D camera has simple-to-use controls that should be familiar to most point-and-shoot camera users.
Fuji also offers a 3-D photo printing service for its customers.
The 3.5-inch screen on the camera lets users see 3-D images without special glasses.
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Photos: (Priya Ganapati/Wired.com)
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