With stereoscopic 3D becoming more familiar in our cinemas,
FujiFilm haven’t wasted any time in bringing their new 3D digital camera to the
market. It may look like a conventional camera with its aluminium die-cast
frame and LCD screen but, when you look a little closer, you notice one major
difference – there are two lenses! We got our hands on the FujiFilm FinePix W1
and put this first-of-a-kind through its paces.
When any new product gets passed to the Jigsaw Education
team, you can pretty much bet that the first thing we are going to do is turn
it on and press buttons. Luckily, that’s all we needed to do with the W1.
Simply switch it on, frame a shot using the LCD screen (there’s the noticeable
absence of a viewfinder) and press the shutter button. It really is as
straightforward as that, which in our eyes makes it perfect for everyone from
students to the not-so-tech-savvy teachers. With the W1, you can capture a 3D portrait
(though you will have to use landscape mode as the camera can not shoot
vertically) or a crowd scene in full colour 3D and with hardly any learning
curve.
Getting up close to your subject can be a problem in 3D, but
the W1 even has a Macro mode to make it possible. That means it’s not just
restricted to distance photography – you’ll be able to use it in science lessons
to capture stereoscopic photos of animal life or take it out with you on trips
to museums to show the depth of sculptures to anyone who couldn’t make it. This
isn’t as straightforward as simple point-and-shoot, but is nothing a quick
glance at the instruction manual can’t cure.
Not that this handy little camera is restricted to taking
still pictures; there’s a built-in function for recording stereoscopic 3D videos.
We were a little disappointed to find that this was only standard definition (considering
the camera’s other high-end features) but we can’t complain too much – the W1
manages to produce amazing quality, with a very good capture speed.
When it comes to the LCD screen, anyone used to a normal 2D compact
camera (and the W1 is about the same size, with a little added weight) will
notice one key difference here – it uses lenticular technology to display
photographs. If you’ve ever found one of those small images in a cereal packet that
changes as you tilt it, you’ll know what that means. Depending on the angle at
which you view your snaps, it will give you a slightly different result,
because each eye has a different image directed towards it; that means you need
to find the right position for seeing the 3D effect. If you’re thinking that
sounds tricky – don’t; we picked it up in no time and didn’t have any problem
finding the best angles to see our pictures. If you can’t see it correctly,
chances are the camera has misaligned the left and right eye’s image. Luckily,
the W1 comes with a handy function to adjust the composite, without ruining the
original snap.
As far as getting the photos from the camera to the
computer, the W1 captures all your 3D images in MPO format, which can then be
imported into the FinePix Viewer software on a Mac or PC. We’d like to say that
this is a smooth way to import your images but, peculiarly, when in the
application, you are only able to see the left eye’s view. Fortunately, there
is a crafty widget available on the web, which lets you convert the MPO format
into two JPEGs – these can be made into anaglyph, side-by-side or just about any
other 3D format you choose.
After experimenting with the camera in the Jigsaw offices,
we were impressed not only by the depth created in the shots, but also the richness
of colour and virtually complete lack of ghosting in pictures. The camera was
able to deal with everything from close-ups of plasticine models on our desk to
shots of the (not so beautiful) Nottingham landscape, and that versatility
makes it perfect for introducing students to stereoscopic 3D.
Overall, FujiFilm’s FinePix W1 is a fantastic piece of 3D
technology. We know this is the world’s first but, from what we have on display
here, the future of stereoscopic still photography looks very promising. For
now though, we’re more than happy fighting off the Broadcast team whenever they
ask for the W1 to be returned to them.
To find out more about the FinePix W1, click here or get in touch with
us on 03332 409 333.