3D Camcorder - An introduction to 3D Camcorders
When Sony released the world’s first consumer level camcorder in 1983, few people would have envisioned walking to an electronics dealer and bringing home a 3d camcorder. Few people would have even been aware of 3D technology! Fast forward that by 27 years and you have 3D camcorders as cheap as $120; as small as a cell phone; as simple to operate as a calculator! Video recording technology has improved considerably over the last 3 decades, however the transition from 2 dimensional to 3 dimensional was indeed a revolutionary one!
World’s first 3D Camcorder
The Panasonic HDC-SDT750 was the first consumer level 3D camcorder released to the public. Even though there were quite a few 3D video cameras at the professional level prior to this, the Panasonic HDC-SDT750 was the first video camera that could record 3D video.
Panasonic launched this revolutionary camcorder in July 2009 and since then, there has been around a dozen or so new models of 3D video cameras released to the market.
Panasonic HDC-SDT750 3D Camcorder
Panasonic HDC-SDT750 3D Camcorder
The Panasonic HDC-SDT750, although considered a 3D recording camera, was in actuality a 3D compatible camcorder. In other words, it was basically a regular camcorder that would capture 2D movies; however it could capture 3D video upon attaching a special 3D conversion lens.
Even though it had several shortcomings compared to a modern 3D camcorder, it became extremely popular among 3D seeking consumers.
How do 3D cameras work?
This is an extremely important question! What differences about these cameras give them the ability to shoot in 3D? If you want to learn the answer to that question, you may need to take this brief biophysics lesson on 3D vision!
Have you ever heard people say that you cannot see ‘three dimensionally’ if you look through just one eye? Yes, that is correct. If you look through just one eye, you will have what is known as ‘monocular vision’. This is essentially a type of 2 dimensional vision. If you look at a distant object with one eye closed, you will be able to estimate its height and width reasonably well; however your estimate on the 3rd dimension, that is depth, would be very poor.
If you want to see something in 3D, you need to use both your eyes. Viewing through both eyes is also known as binocular vision (in contrast to monocular vision).
If you think about a regular camera (still camera or video camera), you will realize that it only has one lens. If you make pictures with a single lens, it will be like looking at an object with one eye closed. Therefore, what you’re recording is a monocular/2D image/video. If you want to shoot a 3D picture or a 3D video, your camera needs to have 2 lenses. If you look at the very first image on this page (top left), you will see that it has two lenses. That is an image of a JVC 3D camcorder and you can clearly see the two lenses at the front of the camera. It is these two lenses that makes it possible for the video camera to record movies in 3D. If you look closely, you will notice that even the Panasonic HDC-SDT750 has two lenses.
Ideally, not only should these 3D camcorders have a pair of lenses, but the two images have to be independently processed as well. Therefore the modern 3D video cameras come with two sensors and two processors as well.
How to playback 3D video shot on your 3D video camera
That is a very valid question! Just because you have a 3D camcorder, that doesn’t mean that you could connect it to your regular HDTV at home and watch the movie in 3D. You need several other gadgets to be able to watch the movie in 3D. First of all, you need a 3D source that can play 3D video. Secondly you ideally need a 3D TV to watch the played back 3D video. Thirdly, you need 3D glasses to appreciate the three dimensions that are played back on the 3D TV. What we just described was the traditional and most ideal situation. Things have slightly changed now.
For example, today some of the 3D cameras and 3D camcorders let you watch the 3D video directly on its auto-stereoscopic display. Yes that’s correct. You can watch 3D without polarized 3D glasses. These auto-stereoscopic monitors are able to send two separate images to the left eye and right eye synthesizing the illusion of 3D in our brain. Isn’t that fascinating? The only problem of watching your 3D recorded movie on the auto-stereoscopic display is that it will be pretty small in size. May be we’re talking about a maximum of a 3 inch screen. If you want to watch it on a bigger screen you can either invest in an expensive 3D TV or you can take a shortcut and buy one of those portable 3D photo and video displays such as the one manufactured by Aiptek.
Going into the depths of 3D technology is beyond the scope of this article. If you are interested in learning more about 3D technology visit this article on Wikipedia about 3D technology. If you want to learn about the latest deals and reviews on the newest 3D camcorder models, please visit our homepage.