When Samsung debuted its single lens 3D technology, the company put the magic in the lens. By using two shutters, the lens is able to capture left and right eye views of the scene that the camera then translates into three-dimensions. Panasonic’s response is to put the magic in a CMOS sensor also creates a three-dimensional image, but in a very different way. Read more…
The applications of this on the consumer photography market are likely nil, but researchers at Ohio State University have invented a method of shooting 3D photographs using a single lens. The trick is that the lens is cut like a gem, giving it eight different facets in addition to the main face that “see” the subject from different perspectives. Custom software then takes in the image and processes the 9 different views to create a single 3D image.
Read more…
This morning Japanese toy maker Takara Tomy announced the 3d Shot Camera, a simple toy camera that lets kids shoot 3D stereoscopic photos, print them out, and view them using special fold-up viewer. All that is pretty cool and dandy, but now comes some of the downsides: the camera costs $70, and only weighs in at 0.3 megapixels. Shucks.
(via Engadget)
Nintendo just unveiled the 3DS yesterday, an upcoming portable game console that has a 3D screen built in. The screen does not require special glasses, and has an slider on the side to adjust the 3D effect. What’s neat is that there’s also two forward-facing cameras spaced a couple inches apart that allow you to take 3D photographs and video. The combination lets you snap a 3D photo or record a video and see it in 3D on the screen moments later. While 3D cameras have already been available for a while now (i.e. the Fujifilm FinePix Real 3D W1), the fact that the DS line has sold nearly 130 million units means that the 3DS will be introducing 3D photography to millions of people.
The cameras are reportedly only VGA resolution (640×480 or 0.3 megapixels), but this is a big first step in 3D photography becoming mainstream.
(via Engadget)
Stereo Portrait Project, by Alex Fry and Jamie Nimmo, is a 3D photography exhibition documenting Australian creatives. Their version 1.0 rig used two Nikon D90 DSLR cameras attached to a custom camera rig, separated by a distance that is intended to emulate human eyes.
They tell Nikon Rumors,
To synchronize the cameras we used an RF trigger split out to two preload shutter release cables. We tested how fast we could sync both shutters together with the flashes, and got reliable sync up to 1/160 speed. Giving us the ability to have people move around, talk to us and not inhibit their performance. This was very important since hands in front of the body look fantastic in 3d.
The photographs were sorted in Aperture, exported to Nuke (compositing software) and tweaked, and finally combined into 3D photos. Here’s an example:
Sadly, you’ll need 3D glasses to appreciate these photographs. I just ordered a pair for about $1.50 on eBay, since it’ll probably be useful to have a pair lying around as 3D continues to explode.
The show is running at the Oh Really Gallery in Sydney, Australia from May 27 to June 10, 2010.
