Panasonic Jumps Out with 3D Consumer Camcorder

The consumer electronics industry is all abuzz over 3D technology, and Panasonic wants to get out in front of the home 3D market: today the company announced its HDC-SDT750 camcorder, which can capture 3D movies using a special 3D conversion lens. And if, for some odd reason, you need to capture 2D footage, the lends can be removed and the camera acts as a standard 2D camcorder.

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“Incorporating Panasonic’s professional broadcast technology and bringing it to an easy-to-use consumer model, the SDT750 makes high-quality 3D video content a reality in the home,” said Panasonic senior product manager for imaging Chris Rice, in a statement.

The 3D lens attaches to the HDC-SDT750’s Leica 12× optical zoom lens, and enables the camera to capture two 960 by 1,080-pixel images at the same time, recording separate images for the left and right eye; these movies can be displays on 3D HDTVs with compatible shutter glasses. Shooting both images reduces the camera’s functionality a bit: the camcorder isn’t as light sensitive, and the control ring can only be used to control white balance in real time.

Without the 3D lens attachment, the HDC-SDT750 can shoot 1,920 by 1,080 HD video at either 50 or 60 frames per second (for NTSC or PAL) or 60 frames per second for AVCHD. The HDC-SDT750 saves video to SDHC/SDXC cards, and includes an intelligent auto mode as well as manual controls, a 3-inch flip-out touchscreen LCD display, 5.1-channel audio recording, and a new version of Panasonic’s Hybrid IOS optical/electronic image stabilization system.

Panasonic hasn’t formally announced pricing, but plans to put the HDC-SDT750 on sale in Japan on August 20, with releases in international markets coming later this year: Panasonic says it plans to bring the camera to the United States in October at a price near $1,400.

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