Fujifilm unveils 3D digital camera plans

Notice anything strange about this Fujifilm camera? How about the fact that it’s got two lenses on it? And the word 3D?

Yes, that’s right. This is the latest in Fujifilm’s philosophy entitled “if you can’t beat them, patent something they haven’t already thought of” and in this case, it’s the world’s first consumer 3D stills camera.

It works by taking two slightly different angles of the same action and the images are either displayed in print with a clear plastic overlay that acts like a lens or on a 8-inch LCD photoframe that directs the images separately at the left and right eyes.

On the one hand it stinks of gimmick, on the other, it’s a gimmick I just really want to try. Imagine your friends looking through your future photos of your safari holiday. Imagine the shots of charging rhinos actually looking like they’re coming right out the picture.

Naturally, this fun isn’t going to come cheap when it’s launched in Europe in September. They’re looking at $600 for the camera, a few hundred more for the frame and prints could cost anything up to a couple of quid a shot.

Oh, and the name. Oh yes. The working title is the Fujifilm FinePix Real 3D System. Let’s hope they find a short version, eh.

(via Time)