We're a fickle bunch here at Crave. One minute we're decrying 3D television as an unwanted gimmick, the next we're moistening our trews over the the Fujifilm FinePix Real3D camera. Hey, we're complex characters.
We had a play with the 10-megapixel Real3D camera here at IFA. It's bigger than most cameras, but no bigger than top-end compacts or compact superzooms. So is the three-dimensional effect any cop? Yes, actually, because while it won't have you ducking in alarm as objects appear to be flying past your head, it does one thing that none of the telly concepts exhibited here can do: it creates a 3D effect without glasses.
When we say 3D effect, what we mean is that there's a genuine sense of depth: subjects really stand out from the background. It's hard to make the best of this in the cramped confines of an exhibition hall -- and with such a small screen -- but we can see ourselves having a lot of fun with this thing in the real world.
Because the 3D effect depends on the two lenses being directed at the right point, you have the option to shift the lenses manually. On screen you can line up the images from each camera, which are overlaid on each other. The two images are saved as JPEGs, with the 3D image as a container holding both pictures and all the metadata to combine them.
Sadly our pictures don't show off the 3D effect, but click through our gallery for more of our thoughts on the Fujifilm FinePix Real3D camera.