Capture memories in 3D
3D technology has been in the headlines more than once in recent years, most notably in the realm of television and movies. Films like James Cameron’s Avatar and Zack Snyder’s Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole have shown viewers what can be accomplished with a multimillion dollar budget, and television sets from high-profile companies like Panasonic, Sony, LG, and Samsung have been appearing on the shelves with more and more regularity. The amount of material available to watch on those 3D televisions has not been growing at the same rate, however, and people have been largely relying on 3D Blu-ray movies to take advantage of the sets. Another option, however, is to create your own materialan option that is easier than ever with the wide variety of 3D cameras available from some of those same companies. After accessing my wireless internet service, a quick search on my smartphone revealed a multitude of options.Each company offers something a little different. With Panasonic, you can purchase a 3D lens (approximately 250) compatible with one of the company’s interchangeable lens cameras (such as the GH2). This lens sends stereo images to a single sensor, an innovative way of producing a stereoscopic image. Traditional stereoscopy, however, uses a pair of images with a minor deviation. That’s the way Fujifilm and DXG 3D cameras work, using a pair of dual lenses and sensors. On the Fujifilm FinePix Real 3D W3, you have the option to manually capture the left and right images at different times, which creates more impressive depth effects. Sony’s 3D cameras take an interesting shortcut by using a single-lens with a high shutter speed to take simultaneous left and right images. The camera itself then puts the images together to create a stereoscopic 3D effect.How do you view these 3D images? The easiest way is on a 3D-capable computer or television. For example, Panasonic and Sony require that your computer be outfitted with NVIDIA’s 3D Vision product, which also requires a pair of shutter glasses. Displays in anaglyph 3D (where the two superimposed images are in different colors) require a pair of the typical red and cyan glasses. On the Fujifilm W3, mentioned above, you can view your shots in 3D on the camera without glasses, a nifty feature for previewing your handiworkother company’s models may or may not have this feature. Either way, you’ll still need one of the other options if you want to show your images off to others.How much can you expect to pay for one of these cameras? The Fujifilm W3 costs around 500, while the DXG-5D7V 3D Camcorder will set you back 600. The latter can take both 3D and 2D video, and doesn’t require glasses, either. Of course, prices are apt to change at a moment’s notice as the technology becomes more widespread, so you may want to watch the sales pages at your favorite technology outlet in the future.