You’re probably never gonna be James Cameron, but nothing’s stopping you from making epic 3D movies of your favorite cats. Well, nothing except having a 3D Video Camcorder you can actually afford. And now, you can have that too.
Available from Hammacher Schlemmer, they’re claiming it to be the first camcorder to shoot 3D video, letting you see what’s being recorded on an onboard viewfinder without need for special glasses. Unfortunately, you don’t need special glasses because the viewfinder can only display in 2D. But, hey, you can wear those godawful blue and red specs anyway. I heard it makes you look thinner.
The 3D Video Camcorder uses two lenses, working with a 3.0 megapixel image sensor to capture multi-perspective videos and stills. All interlacing is done in real time right on the camcorder, so the movie is saved to the bundled 4GB SD card in 3D-rendered anaglyph form. Don’t expect HD-quality 3D movies, though – all videos are strictly in 640 x 480 AVI format.
It comes with a separate media player – with speakers, headphone jack and an SD card slot – where you can watch the results over a 7-inch screen that’s overlaid with a parallax barrier to allow 3D viewing without glasses. Aside from 3D, the camcorder can also shoot 2D video and images, in case you like your home movies with a more conventional feel.
Small enough for portable use, the 3D Video Camcorder measures a compact 4 .5 x 1.5 x 3.5 inches (h x w x d). Rechargeable battery is only good for two hours, though, so you’ll likely be stuck at home (or somewhere near a power outlet) if you want to wrangle enough footage for your 10-hour 3D masterpiece. It’s available for $599.95.