Never mind that people all over the world have repeatedly shown that they don't want 3D-anything — filmmakers, HDTV set purveyors, and now camera manufacturers apparently have yet to hear the news. Fujifilm is the next techno-fashion victim, rolling out its twin-lensed FinePix Real 3D system at the big Photokina show in Germany. The company teases us with promises of 3D stills and movie shooting, an accompanying glasses-free 8.4-inch 3D photo frame, and even 3D printing.
We're supposed to get excited over this mysterious product intro, where no actual cameras were shown — just some spooky-looking pictures of a couple of lenses staring at us from the cloaked darkness. Pardon us, but haven't we seen this 3D gimmick haplessly attempted numerous times before? Seems like it rears its ugly head whenever home theaters catch up with movie theaters, or when cameras become commodities. Good luck this time, Fujifilm.
DP Review, via BB Gadgets
editor@dvice.com
By bluegoose at 2:29 PM ON 09/22/08
Charlie, You are so right, again! As a senior I bought one of these 3D still cameras about 75 yrs. ago. Can't rememember the name of the camera with two lenses but it worked without colored or polaroid glasses. Of course you had to send the film in and they were printed on a sort of freznel thick paper. The prints, I think, were B&W and not too bad. I still have some of them somewhere. It never really caught on... too expensive and too much trouble. Fujifilm will meet the same fate, I'm guessing
By Ben at 3:53 PM ON 09/22/08
I don't think Fujifilm wil meet the same fate. This time it is digital, zo there is no extra cost in having 3d pictures printed. One can watch them on a computer as well using anaglyph glasses. If the camera saves both the left and right pictures seperately as well. If not, then you might be right.
By Franklin at 7:55 PM ON 09/22/08
There are a lot of 3D fans, me included, who are very excited about this development. Using free software called "Stereo Data Maker" (which can be downloaded to an SD Memory card) we have been linking Canon point and shoot cameras together through their USB ports, for several months- and there is a yahoo group devoted to the use of this software. It works well, but it is cumbersome to use two wired together cameras at the same time. The Fuji camera has the ability to output two separate files, which is what particularly interests me, because they can be projected, or made into prints for viewing in a double viewer - or viewed on a computer screen either cross-eyed, parallel or with simple viewing aids. - The lenticular 3D screen on the back of the camera doesn't particularly interest me. I would have preferred two high resolution monitors on the back of the camera, set up with magnifiers so that they could be viewed stereoscopically in real time, for a virtual reality experience.
By dektol at 5:13 PM ON 09/28/08
I have a collection of 3D cameras and have used most of them. I hope this is the one that sticks around for a while. There is a lot of interest in 3D among it's fan base. I am cheering it on and waiting to get my hands on one.
JK
By Steve at 3:31 PM ON 10/08/08
Does this mean that the camera produces stereoscopic pictures that can be used for interlacing? Most of the lens available on the market that we tested generate poor quality photos, unusable for 3D lenticular photo printing.
By Alan at 4:02 PM ON 11/23/08
It amuses me that this article maintains that the world doesn't want 3D. I don't think this is remotely accurate and believe previous incarnations of 3D failed to take off because they were either of poor quality, required expensive or cumbersome equipment to display the images or lacked full colour due to the use of anaglyph technology with it's glaringly obvious drawbacks.
Now that we have 3D TV's and PC monitors, both polarised and glasses free versions with full colour reproduction and excellent 3D quality I think the public will be rather more receptive to 3D photography.
I just hope this system will produce photopgraphs suitable for interlacing systems. If it will, I will snap one up.