3D Photography: introduction and current offer

3D Photography has been around since the 1800’s, because it’s fairly simple to do, once you’ve mastered the basics. All 3D images are obtained through the same technique, by photographing the subject from two slightly different angles, in a way similar to that in which the human eyes perceive images.

Back in the 1837, when the first stereoscopic image was developed, the same scene was recorded twice, and then the images were placed side by side. The one corresponding to the left eye was placed on the right, with the one corresponding to the right eye, on the left. That way, all you had to do was cross your eyes and – presto! – 3D imaging.

Further down the line, there have been several other techniques designed to teach amateurs on how to make 3D pictures, the most popular of which are auto-stereoscopic images, which were used in the 1970’s to hide 3D images in apparent random noise.

Nowadays, the same basic technique applies to 3D photography, except new products on the market use stereo cameras instead of basic cameras. The difference is that, instead of photographing the subject twice with the same camera, you just take one shot with 2 cameras at the same time. The digital processor does the rest by bundling your images together in a single file using one of the digital 3D standards already available, so you can view it on your 3D TV set with no trouble. Cameras usually feature an auto stereoscopic display so that you will see the image in 2D while shooting.

Fujifilm FinePix Real 3D W3 Digital Camera

The main competitors on the 3D digital camera market today are Fuji and Sony. The Fujifilm FinePix W1 Real 3D was released in June 2009. Launched sometime this month, the FinePix W3 will be the first camera capable of capturing 3D movies in high-def, and is available for around 500$ on Amazon.com.

Sony is using a different technique: the camera has a single lens and captures the 3D image with a sweeping motion. There are three models with prices ranging between 250$ and 400$, and are coming to market in a few months.

Fujifilm FinePix W3 video review