3D or not 3D – that is the camera

Hollywood has gone 3D mad and the digital camera industry has followed. TechnoFile Mitchell Jordan reviews Fujifilm’s FinePix Real 3D camera.

Given the hype over blockbuster film Avatar, the release of FujiFilm’s 3D camera couldn’t have come at a better time. Claiming to be “the world’s first digital camera to capture realistic 3D stills and movies – without the need to wear special 3D glasses”, the latest in the FinePix family is an intriguing development in the world of digital photography.

So, how did it fare? To be honest, the first time I used the camera to take pictures I wondered why they looked so blurry until realising that that is the point, given that they are 3D, after all. After this, I wanted to turn everything and everyone within shooting power into 3D.

When it comes to viewing the pictures, you can either check them on the camera screen or purchase a picture viewer. The review copy came complete with the FinePix REAL 3D V1 picture viewer featuring Fujifilm’s newly developed 3D/2D display 8-inch LCD panel which allows you to view your 3D stills and movies. Simple to use, it only involved inserting an SD memory card and watching the pictures come to life. It is also possible to directly connect it to a personal computer via USB and transfer stored images to the viewer for display. A cute concept, but at only eight inches, it was more like looking at a digital photo frame than a small television. Not quite the stuff for watching films on.

If always shooting in 3D mode sounds like a dizzying experience, don’t worry. Standard, 2D photography is still possible through selecting the advanced 2D mode, which enables the capture of two different shots of the same scene simultaneously by pressing the shutter once, while with tele/wide simultaneous shooting, it is possible to capture a close-up photo of the subject and at the same time a photo with a wider span. Image quality was pretty impressive.

The verdict? This one is fun to play with, but like a season pass to the IMAX, it’s a lot to pay for something you use only once in a blue moon.

The FUJIFILM FinePix REAL 3D System has a recommended retail price of $899 and the FinePix REAL 3D V1 picture viewer has a recommended retail price of $699.

This article first appeared in DIRECT.