Panasonic has become the first company to launch a mainstream, mass market 3D video camera – the HDC-SDT750 uses two lenses side by side, mounted in a single case, and will retail for £1,300 from September.
The new model currently only works effectively on subjects that are between one and three metres away, and there’s no zoom, but a company spokesman suggested it would still revolutionise the recording of important moments such as graduations and a child’s first steps.
The camcorder records two separate images and then combines them for playback. Each is in the near-full HD 960 x 1080 format. Although subjects reaching towards the camera, and apparently coming out through the screen when played back, appear slightly fuzzy, such technology is only available elsewhere for still images, via Sony’s NEX-5. To watch the footage, viewers will need a 3D-capable TV and “active shutter” glasses, which could cost more than £2,500.
The camcorder can also be used in 2D mode, offering a Leica lens and 12x optical zoom as well as a three-inch touchscreen to view recordings, in 2D only. Images can be recorded onto a memory card and inserted directly into compatible TVs. The camera also comes with 3D image-editing software.
Panasonic has also announced that it will launch interchangeable 3D lenses for still cameras.
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