FinePix Real 3D System

Things sure have come a long way since those silly red and blue lens glasses that had to be used for 3D images in the past.

Fujifilm recently announced that it would be releasing the first ever 3D camera for consumers at the end of the year.  As you can see by the caption in the picture, the tentative name is FinePix Real 3D System.

This 10 megapixel camera will work off of 2 lenses spaced apart just about the same as a human pair of eyes.  This allows 2 simultaneous images from different angles to be shot at once.  How does this work you ask?

The human brain is wired so that when two similar images are presented to the left and right eyes, the images appear as one and give an illusion of depth.  Most people can remember wearing the paper glasses with a red lens on one eye and a blue one on the other for various optical illusions, comic books, etc.  Those glasses are a thing of the past.

Fujifilm will offer two options in this case.  One is a 3D digital picture frame which directs each image to separate eyes.  The other is a 3D print containing an overlay that will serve as the lens.  Fujifilm is expected to launch this service later on.

So what is the price tag on an innovation like this?  The 3-D camera will set you back a cool $600.  A steep price? Maybe, but Fujifilm appears ready to take that risk.

Read more at: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1909457,00.html

Another picture of the camera: