Fujifilm's Finepix Real 3D camera comes to U.S.

Fujifilm's FinePix Real 3D W1 camera and system is hitting the U.S., the company announced Wednesday. Introduced globally over the summer, the FinePix Real 3D system appears to be the world's first 3D digital imaging system that captures 3D still photographs and movies, providing images that users can enjoy without special 3D glasses.

You can read a hands-on review here by CNET's Leonard Goh.

Also Wednesday, Jen-Hsun Huang, president and chief executive officer of Nvidia, declared the FinePix Real 3D camera "Nvidia 3D vision-ready" during the company's GPU Technology Conference in San Jose, Calif. Nvidia 3D Vision is a combination of high-tech wireless glasses and advanced software that lets users view 3D pictures and movies in full HD on a PC, as well as automatically transforms hundreds of PC games into full stereoscopic 3D.

The FinePix Real 3D system consists of the 3D digital camera, FinePix Real 3D W1, a 3D digital viewer, FinePix Real 3D V1, and 3D prints.

Featuring the newly developed "FinePix Real 3D Lens System," the W1 has dual Fujinon lenses that layer together two images. An aluminum die-cast frame protects the 3x optical zoom lenses from vibration and impact for ultimate accuracy. The Real Photo Processor 3D synchronizes data passed to it by the two lenses and two CCD sensors, to determine shooting conditions such as focus, brightness, and tonality to instantaneously blend this information into a single symmetrical image for both still photos and movies.

The 3D/2D LCD monitor features Fujifilm's own LCD panel, exclusively made for the display of the 3D/2D images on digital cameras, allowing users to see beautiful, natural 3D images with the naked eye. As the camera performs a series of image-processing steps automatically, anyone can take 3D photos and movies by just pointing the camera and pressing the shutter button.

Using an Advanced 3D mode, the FinePix W1 digital camera also allows the user to adjust the settings to suit the scene being photographed. When using the Individual Shutter 3D Shooting mode, the camera shifts to take the second shot after taking the first shot, and saves a single 3D image in the camera manually. This allows the user to edit the 3D images, which is particularly useful for landscape photography, or macro shots, where the 3D effect can be too strong. Interval 3D Shooting mode allows further flexibility, making it possible to take two shots from different viewpoints continuously while the photographer is moving--for example by train, airplane, or car--to achieve 3D images of long-distance views.

The FinePix W1 also shoots conventional 2D images. The Advanced 2D mode lets users take two different shots simultaneously by pressing the shutter once. With Tele/Wide Simultaneous Shooting, it's possible to take a close-up photo of the subject and, at the same time, a photo with a wider span, just by changing the settings of the two lenses. With the 2-Color Simultaneous shooting mode, users can take photos of the same scene with different color tonalities, like Standard or Fujichrome, just by changing the processing signals on the two sensors.

The FinePix Real 3D V1, a digital 3D viewer, features Fujifilm's newly developed 3D/2D display 8-inch LCD panel. This allows users to enjoy and play back 3D images without the need for special 3D glasses. With various playback functions, users can enjoy 3D and 2D slideshows, as well as a Micro Thumbnail View, and an easy-to-use "Image Search" feature. The V1 viewer with the included adjustable stand, users can change the angle for better 3D viewing, and enjoy easy use with the intuitive remote control that's included. The viewer can read and display image data stored on memory cards, and it can also receive image data via high-speed infrared communication. The viewer can also directly connect to a PC via USB, and transfer stored images to the viewer for display.

Fujifilm has integrated high-precision prints with lenticular sheets, resulting in the ability to produce high-resolution 3D images. The process involves the 3D image data being integrated using highly advanced technology, and projected through a lenticular sheet lens to produce an image with binocular disparity. This then creates a special 3D print with incredible detail. Prints will only be available through SeeHere.com, Fujifilm's photo printing, gifting, and sharing Web site.

Effective Wednesday, the FinePix Real 3D W1 Digital Camera and Real 3D V1 Digital Viewer are available through www.ShopFujifilm.com. The camera is also available through the Gear Store on www.Nvidia.com/Shop. The camera retails for $599.95, and the viewer sells for $499.95. Prints will also be available, starting mid-October, through SeeHere.com for $6.99. Delivery on prints will take approximately 15 business days.