Panasonic Making 3-D Camcorder
The realm of 3-D videography has been dominated by professionals simply because 3-D video cameras are much more expensive and harder to find than regular prosumer cameras. Panasonic plans to change that with its latest camcorder.
The Panasonic HDC-SDT750 is a small handheld camcorder that looks much like other compact camcorders on the market, except for the large lens assembly sticking out on the front of the device. Without the lens assembly, the HDC-SDT750 is just a regular camcorder, but the lens includes two smaller lenses that can take a left and right picture that will meld into a 3-D image with the proper tools.
The SDT750’s f/1.5 to f/2.8 Leica Dicomar lens has a 12X optical zoom. It also has a 3MOS sensor and a 3-inch touchscreen display. Unfortunately, the images max out at a resolution of 960 x 1080 pixels.
Panasonic will release the HDC-SDT750 3-D camcorder in October for $1400, which puts it firmly within reach of consumers who want to shoot 3-D. It's not clear if there will be much demand for it , given that it will still require 3-D glasses and the accompanying technology to view any content shot on the 3-D camcorder. Also, the lens cannot be bought separately and isn't compatible with other Panasonic cameras.
