CES 2010: Fujifilm Finepix Goes 3D With New Digital Camera

The competitive onslaught of 3D HDTV technologies almost overshadowed anything else at CES 2010. But the Fujifilm Finepix Real 3D W1 is the first digital camera to let you take 3D pictures and movies.

3D is a human concept. Two eyes in front of our head are slightly different and offer two perspectives of vision. When both left and right field perception is processed, a third dimension appears, a sense of depth. It allows us to climb, hunt, conceptualize, leap, and throw with precision and accuracy. Without that third dimension, our round world might appear flat. 3D is a complex neuroptical system of processes yet it is how we assign our view of reality. Our quest to capture realism in imagery is the obsession of attaining 3D, even as a mirror of reality. Fujifilm Finepix Real 3D W1 is a 3D camera system that helps us grasp reality in our images.

3D photography was around in the 1940′s and 1950′s using stereoscopes to deliver 3D effects. The drawback was the use of special film formats with a dual optic mechanism. Unfortunately, the format really never became popular.

In the digital camera age, film has been eliminated and replaced by digital storage. Light is used and interpreted differently to create images. Fujifilm has decided to take a leap at developing 3D imaging at a digital camera level. From the advanced 3D digital camera to the stunning 3D digital viewer and breakthrough 3D printing technology, this total 3D imaging system will change the way you take and enjoy photos. Viewed with just the naked eye, 3D images come alive with breathtaking reality and natural beauty. Images that once were only a dream are now a reality.

Our ability to perceive depth comes from viewing an object along two different lines of sight. This phenomenon is called parallax. The monitor on the 3D digital camera uses an originally developed “Light Direction Control System”, and the 3D digital viewer adopts a “Parallax Barrier System” to precisely direct light to the right and left eyes in a way that simulates parallax. Both enable easy and natural viewing of 3D images with just the naked eye. The 3D process and interpretation is, ultimately, perceived by the brain.

Acclaimed for superb resolution and definition, Fujinon lenses are the choice of professional cameramen and a key component of many professional imaging devices. For the FinePix REAL 3D W1, Fujifilm has developed a groundbreaking image capturing system comprising two Fujinon lenses and two CCD photo-sensors. The system is integrated in the compact body with high-precision engineering. An aluminum die-cast frame provides the solid platform for the precision alignment of the left and right lenses so you can take 3D images with an unprecedented quality of reality.

Image data captured by the twin lens-CCD system is processed by the RP (Real Photo) Processor 3D – a newly developed processor that evaluates all photographic factors from focus and brightness to color tonality, and then merges the left and right images in a single 3D image. It is also the power behind 3D Auto – the function that makes point-and-shoot 3D photography a reality! This processor also controls the two capture systems independently to shoot two different images of the same subject simultaneously – each with different photographic settings.

With the FinePix REAL 3D system, you can review images in 3D on the camera’s LCD monitor and also on the large LCD monitor of the 3D digital viewer. Frame your shot in 3D and play it back in 3D on the spot with the camera’s monitor. On the large-screen 3D digital viewer, you can enjoy and share the full impact and presence of your 3D photos. Fujifilm has succeeded in the precision lamination of high-resolution, low-halation prints with lenticular sheets that create the 3D effect. Advanced technology encodes and aligns the captured 3D image according to the pitch of micro lenses arranged in parallel rows on the lenticular sheet. Seen through the sheet, image data is perceived with a parallax effect. The result is a natural and beautiful 3D print that preserves and breathes life into the moment forever. For 3D image recording, the FinePix REAL 3D system adopts the MP format for stills and 3D-AVI formats for movies. MP format is the “multi-picture format” standardized by CIPA. FinePix REAL 3D W1 can also simultaneously record still images in both MP format (3D) and JPEG (2D). 3D-AVI adopts the widely used AVI multimedia container format. Adoption of these formats enables 2D playback of recorded images on the user’s current personal computer. With the bundled FinePix Viewer image viewing software, users can also convert MP format and 3D-AVI to conventional 2D formats.

Combining up to 10 megapixel resolutions for stills and VGA quality movie resolutions, the Fujifilm REAL 3D W1 is a unique exploration into 3D photography. The image capturing quality is unprecedented and the technology is flawless. Yet the realism is really a process of the mind. Where does reality truly originate? This camera and system may provide some interesting answers.

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