Not enough 3D content available on your fancy new 3D TV? Then make your own. Panasonic has become the first major manufacturer to launch a consumer videocamera that can record in 3D.
The HDC-SDT750 functions as a normal 2D camera with 1080p HD resolution, but comes with a 3D conversion lens that enables the camcorder to shoot 3D video content that can be viewed on a 3D TV. It has 96GB of storage, and can also record onto SD memory cards.
It includes features such as a 3MOS system, a Leica Dicomar lens and a 12x optical zoom. It will be available in Japan next month, and will appear in the US in November for a not-too-bad-at-all $1,400.
“As a result of research conducted through Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory, Panasonic developed a professional 3D system camera and successfully brought high-quality Full HD 3D images to the home for viewing on Panasonic VIERA Full HD 3D televisions,” says Chris Rice, senior product manager for imaging.
“But now, Panasonic has taken it one step further and developed the world’s first consumer 3D camcorder, the HDC-SDT750 – creating a 3D ecosystem available for consumers in the home.”
When the 3D conversion lens is attached, it records right-eye and left-eye images, each with 960 x 1080 pixels, simultaneously through its two lenses.
There’s a time lapse recording feature, which plays a scene at an accelerated speed, and a 5.1-channel audio recording sound system that uses five microphones for surround sound. This picks up the sounds from sources in the area in front of the camcorder, regardless of whether the lens is focusing on a near or distant object.
The 3MOS System has 7.59 million effective motion image pixels – 2.53 megapixels x 3 – and separates the light received through the lens into the three primary colors, processing each color independently. This, says Panasonic, produces rich color quality, detail and gradation.
It comes with HD Writer AE 2.6T PC editing software, which allows users to edit recorded 3D images and save them onto PCs or Blu-ray/DVD discs.
