3D images might have been something of a curiosity for the last 4 decades, but it's finally starting to be taken seriously. Not only are TV manufacturers developing 3D flat screens, but the 3D photo camera is about to arrive.
Camera maker Fujifilm has shown its interest in the technology with the soon-to-be released Fujifilm FinePix Real3D camera, which offers to bring to three-dimensional life to static, 2D photo memories. And it could ship as early as September this year.
Based on the limited specs avaliable at this time, it's easy to dismiss this camera as another gimmick along the lines of those cameras that could print stickers, or the Polaroid alternative called PoGo that uses quick-dry inks to produce an instantly printable image.
 |
| Is this the future of 3D imaging at home? Source: Fujifilm |
To their credit, Fuji isn't trying to replace the common printed image. Because of the image's unique 3D qualities, Fujifilm had equipped the Real3D camera to work only with special plastic media, which has been engineered to give off the much touted 3D effect.
That could be a deal breaker for many, who view the need to use special paper as a major downside and inconvienience. Some websites (like this one) already specialise in similar tricks, offering pictures that can only be viewed with dual 3D glasses.
Unfortunately, all this dual lens excitement isn't going to come cheap for early adopters. According to various reports, Fujifilm's 3D camera will cost around $US600 or around $AU760 at our current fluctuating exchange rate. That's more than double the cost of a standard compact.
Fuji is also offering a more appropriate 3D digital photo frame alternative, which will feature a smallish 8" LCD screen for viewing.
If it were up to us, we'd love to see a movie-poster frame size for viewing: one that could output images at the greatest megapixel count with huge 3D images reaching out at us, like these classic posters of old, but better.
Even better, we'd love to see the camera process true 3D AVCHD video images, so we could create our own 3D filmfest. However, that's unlikely to happen on this camera due to technological restraints such as image processing engine capacity and CCD size.
In future years, research into 3D television could become a make or break moment for the evolution of 3D imaging in the home. Phillips were confident about their deep image models until the research funding was cut off last year, citing that the market wasn't ready - nor the technology.
But if future 3D TV's did manage to work with cameras such as these, then it might give families a common venue to project their 3D works of art, instead of making the format seem like a video game hologram (remember those?).
The future for 3D
3D stereoscopic movies are poised to be the next big thing in Hollywood, if James Cameron's big-budet Avatar manages to live up to the hype (and 3D expectations, based on his own privately funded equipment).
A number of big film directors, including Ridley Scott (Forever war) and Peter Jackson (Tintin) have spoken about their interests to film in the format; but until somebody gets the 3D equipment right, we're still going to treat it as a marketing exercise for now. Can a compact camera set about changing this attitude?
 |
| James Cameron directs a scene from Avatar. Source: Iwatchstuff |
But no matter how much the film studios and camera manufactuerers encourage us to get on board, it certainly won't be easy to erase decades full of painful memories featuring red and blue paper glasses, the threat of eye strain and headaches, motion sickness and that overall underwhelming feeling that 3D films are just created to rely on their effects, over more important filmic institutions such as character and storyline.