Consumer 3d camcorders are here. Could this be just what the doctor ordered to boost 3d TV sales? There is not enough 3d content out there and that’s hurting 3d TV sales. I guess it’s up to Joe Consumer to come to the rescue. Consumers can now buy a 3d tv and a 3d camcorder and shoot their own stuff. It will be a marriage made in 3d heaven that will give birth to lots of bad 3d videos. Shooting good 3d is not as easy as point and shoot. It would be great if a “stereographer’s permit” was required to operate these things. Not knowing a thing about basic 3d shooting could lead to tons of bad home videos and headaches for viewers. I’m hopeful that consumers will take the time to get good at shooting 3d. I also think that it will be mainly 3d hobbyists and some professionals that will be the first early adopters.
Panasonic, Sony and JVC each have new consumer cameras that are coming out or are already on the market. JVC says its GS-TD1 consumer camcorder uses two camera lenses, two 3 megapixel CMOS sensors, and a high-speed imaging engine to simultaneously processes the two full 1080 HD video streams.
The camcorder has a optical 5x zoom, and automatic parallax adjustment to optimize the 3D-video “comfort zone.” I like that it has parallax adjustment, it worries me that it’s automatic. The $2,000 camcorder also features a round iris diaphragms that enable beautiful bokeh effect (background blurring) for video and stills, the company says, and biphonic technology for dynamic 3D sound. The 3.5-inch touchscreen also displays 3D images without glasses; cool feature.
JVC also has a cheaper consumer model which will retail at $950, called the GZ-HM960. It doesn’t have two lenses, but it converts 2d footage into 3d. I would have to see that to believe it. My guess is that it wouldn’t do it right. It also has a 3.5-inch 3D display. The JVC 3d camcorders will be available in February.
Sony has the HDR-TD10 which retails at around $1,500. This camera records in full HD 3d, via two lenses and two CMOS image sensors. This allows it to capture to 1920 x 1080 video from each lens. Playback is compatible on 3d TV’s, Playstation 3 or in 2d on standard TVs. The camera will be available in April. This one may be the most promising of the three cameras and offer the most features for the price.
The Panasonic HD-SDT750K was the first of the consumer 3d cameras to come out. It’s available now and retails for around $1400.00. It’s a nice HD consumer camera with great features for the price and size. However, most of those features are not available once you put the 3d lens on. It does not shoot full HD 3d. If you want to shoot 3d home video for your own amusement or to amaze your friends this might be good enough. However if you’re a 3d hobbyist or are looking for something with a few more features or at least zoom capability, then you might want to pass this one up.