14 DAY TRIAL // If anyone wants to shoot photos in 3D, they can definitely do it with the new photo and video camera that Panasonic unveiled as part of the Lumix series.
The Lumix 3D1, as the newcomer is called, wouldn't give the impression that it is all that hardcore at first glance, until the presence of two lenses instead of one is spotted.
Indeed, the item boasts two 25-100mm optical zoom lenses (30-120mm in 3D mode).
What people won't be informed of by the looks of the camera is that the inside houses two 12.1 megapixel 1/2.3-inch sensors.
With this quartet in full swing, Panasonic's Lumix 3D1 can record stereoscopic 3D video, not just snap still photos with that effect.
Additionally, such media can be captured at a variety of focal lengths, with one lens taking a wide-angle shot and another a close-up, to give just one example.
“Panasonic continues to lead the industry in 3D entertainment, giving consumers the opportunity to create their own content and then view it within their homes, and the new LUMIX 3D1 is an innovative digital camera that excels with its 3D imaging technologies, but also offers outstanding 2D photo capture options,” said Darin Pepple, senior product manager, Imaging, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company.
“With its twin-lens design, the LUMIX 3D1 can even shoot HD video through one lens and 2D photos from the other – thus getting still and moving content simultaneously, a unique shooting feature which Panasonic provides so users can stretch their creativity.”
The company didn't make a video demo of the 3.5-inch touchscreen-equipped thing yet, but it assured everyone that both 3D and regular photos and videos can be taken without hassle (8 fps burst at full resolution, clear low-light images, etc.).
It is next month (December, 2011) that sales are poised to start, for the price of $500, about the same as 363 Euro.