The SDT750K is a consumer product but it does 1080p60, has the same 1/4.1 chips as the AG-3DA1, a tiny interocular, and will be priced around $1400. It will record to a single file in side by side squash (960x1080 per eye.). I wonder how much light loss there is in the lens?

Panasonic site (http://www2.panasonic.com/consumer-electronics/shop/Cameras-Camcorders/Camcorders/3D-Camcorders/model.HDC-SDT750K_11002_7000000000000005702)

According to PCWorld there may also be a micro4/3 3D adapter lens on the way for Lumix cameras (including the AG-AF100)
Panasonic Goes 3D With New Camcorder and G-Series Lens - PCWorld (http://www.pcworld.com/article/202005/panasonic_goes_3d_with_new_camcorder_and_gseries_lens.html?tk=hp_blg)

The SDT750K according to the literature is actually a 2D camcorder with an add on lens adapter. Might be useful with that tiny interoccular for self shoot POV type productions. What's interesting is that if they can do a split/squash lens for this can it also be done for a 4K camera such as RED for a one piece single lens system giving around 2K per eye.

What's interesting is that if they can do a split/squash lens for this can it also be done for a 4K camera such as RED for a one piece single lens system giving around 2K per eye.

Perhaps a micro 4/3 adapter to PL, Canon, or Nikon would work on a Red. Love the 4K divided by 2 idea.

What's interesting is that if they can do a split/squash lens for this can it also be done for a 4K camera such as RED for a one piece single lens system giving around 2K per eye.
That's actually pretty much what I did with the Loreo 3D Lens-in-a-Cap on a RED One camera.

So it seems that what we are ultimately looking at here are two new 3D lenses. One for 1/4.1" and one for micro 4/3. Here's the press release on the micro 4/3 3D lens.

PANASONIC ANNOUNCES DEVELOPMENT OF WORLD'S FIRST* INTERCHANGEABLE 3D LENS FOR LUMIX G MICRO SYSTEM**

SECAUCUS, NJ (July 27, 2010) – Continuing its record of 3D technology leadership, Panasonic today announced the development of the world's first* digital interchangeable twin-lens, making it possible to shoot 3D with an interchangeable lens system camera. As a new member of Panasonic's powerful lineup of interchangeable lenses as part of the LUMIX G Micro System**, the twin-lens will allow high-quality shooting in 3D. Panasonic plans to release this new lens for sale before the end of the year.

"This year will be remembered as the 'First Year of 3D Era' and Panasonic has already taken the lead by launching 3D-capable VIERA™ televisions and Blu-ray™ 3D Disc Players," said Darin Pepple, Senior Product Manager, Imaging, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company. "With Panasonic's development of a twin-lens capable of 3D shooting, the company is providing consumers with a way to capture their own 3D content, which they can then enjoy watching in the comforts of their own home. Panasonic is dedicated to evolving the 3D ecosystem, letting consumers create and display lifelike 3D images in their homes."

Currently, 3D shooting with an interchangeable lens system camera is possible only by using panorama systems or by combining two lenses and two CCDs. However, these systems are not ideal and have difficulty capturing moving objects. Panasonic's new 3D lens for the LUMIX G Micro System features two optical systems installed within the diameter of the lens mount, creating stereo images from the left and right lenses that are then processed with a 3D image processing system. Thanks to Panasonic's advanced technologies in optical technology, image processing systems, and lens barrel design, the 3D lens will be compact in size.

This new compact 3D-capable interchangeable lens will be easy to handle and allow instant 3D shooting, without distortion or time lag between left and right images – even when shooting moving objects.

*For a digital interchangeable lens of July 28, 2010.
** Compatible models to be announced at a later date.

Of course we all know it isn't actually the "first" since the Loreo 3D Lens in a Cap 9005 (http://www.loreo.com/pages/products/loreo_3dlenscap9005.html) has been available for micro 4/3 for some time now. The difference here is that it appears no prisms have been used (good light performance) but the interaxial is very small (limited usage, but good for portrait work and close-up drama.) If they are 2:1 anamorphic then even better.

I'm excited that this lens will likely work with the AG-AF100 (http://www2.panasonic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/prModelDetail?storeId=11301&catalogId=13251&itemId=407080&modelNo=Content04082010101919040&surfModel).

Perhaps a micro 4/3 adapter to PL, Canon, or Nikon would work on a Red. Love the 4K divided by 2 idea.

Micro 4/3 sensors are good for adapting PL, Canon or Nikon lenses because micro 4/3 uses a very short back flange so there is lots of room to build an adapter. That's why the Panasonic AG-AF100 is so interesting to me. Adapters already exist to put virtually any type of lens on that camera. However, trying to adapt a micro 4/3 lens to those other mounts wouldn't work out because there would be too much flange back distance already taken up my the PL, N or EF mount.
The best thing would be for Red to simply produce a micro 4/3 mount for the camera. Maybe they already have? I don't know.

So I'm SOL with my Panny HVX200, then?

With the advent of a firmware hack from Tester 13 for the Panasonic GH1 micro 4/3 camera we can now apparently use that camera in 1080P @ 50Mbs mode rather than it's unusuably noisy AVCHD codec. This opens up even more possibilites for the 3D micro 4/3 lens.

Panasonic GH1 Video Hack (http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/cameras/GH1-hack.shtml)

Could you please help me understand something.

Does this camera shoot in wide screen? I realize it is NOT HD, but is it widescreen?

Also, is there a lens I can put on my 7D to shoot 3D?

I've shot stereo with a pair of 7D's with nice results, but I don't have the cash for a beam splitter at the moment.

Thanks > Tony

I am not impressed by the PANASONIC solution. If used with a 16:9 HD camcorder this approach reduces the actual frame resolution to 960 x 540 pixels, rescaled by the „Crystal Engine Pro“ DSP to a 960 x 1.080 side by side picture. Are we now back in SD times.

We have to assume each eye would be optically/anamorphically squeezed to 960x1080 so that the Viera 3DTV can display it properly. The vertical resolution would always be 1080 lines. I can't see them choosing to 1/2 scale each eye optically and then electronically scale up the vertical from 540 to 1080.

Yeah, it's bound to shoot full frame 1920x1080 which contains both eyes in Side-by-Side (Half) configuration, i.e. 960x1080 per eye. The TV set will then "expand" the image horizontally so both eyes are seeing an image with proper aspect ratio. I do wonder about that very narrow interaxial distance, though...

We have to assume each eye would be optically/anamorphically squeezed to 960x1080 so that the Viera 3DTV can display it properly. The vertical resolution would always be 1080 lines. I can't see them choosing to 1/2 scale each eye optically and then electronically scale up the vertical from 540 to 1080.

The lenses are not anamorphic. There are pictures form the press release here which show the processing steps. News : Panasonic HDC-SDT750 3D Camcorder : (http://www.slashcam.de/artikel/News/Panasonic-HDC-SDT750-3D-Camcorder-.html)

Appears to be worse than I expected. Oh well.

The lenses are not anamorphic. There are pictures form the press release here which show the processing steps. News : Panasonic HDC-SDT750 3D Camcorder : (http://www.slashcam.de/artikel/News/Panasonic-HDC-SDT750-3D-Camcorder-.html)


Thank you for the info Heinz. It is actually pretty much what we are experiencing at home, unless we do a local video ourselves, or until more than couple of frame packed BD DVD's are on the market (or unless we go and see a movie - which is not at home).

Most video we can create ourselves is anamorphically squeezed (unless we produce two streams and use dual projector), and if it started interlaced, or were broadcasted (which means 1080i max), by the time most de-interlacing gets done with it, we have the same situation as with that Panasonic camera.

Internet generally compresses the video even worse, so the Panasonic solution is IMHO similar to the Fuji and 3D-"HD" broadcast, and it all ends up good SD quality, but is not a true HD.

Oh well, shame the lenses are not anamorphic. It is interesting that the camera is 50P/60P. Maybe it's time to dig back out those old Nu-Views and shoot 25P/30P per eye at full resolution but with the inevitable miss-sync.

I'm sure someone will bring out a single sensor (or single 3 chip) camera with 2 lenses. If you take a micro 4/3 stills camera you have a 10MP sensor (or more) so it would only be a case of writing the appropriate firmware to read the two images of the sensor at 1920x1080 each. The problems will be getting a sensor that can read out that much data fast enough for video without overheating.

IBC is just over a month away, I'm sure there will be lots more toys to play with by then.

I know of one interesting toy being introduced at IBC: 3D-enabled Sony Vegas Pro. I'm sure it won't beat Cineform's offerings but could be interesting and useful nevertheless.

...
I'm sure someone will bring out a single sensor (or single 3 chip) camera with 2 lenses. If you take a micro 4/3 stills camera you have a 10MP sensor (or more) so it would only be a case of writing the appropriate firmware to read the two images of the sensor at 1920x1080 each. The problems will be getting a sensor that can read out that much data fast enough for video without overheating....

I have a feeling that you hit on one of the popular architectures for camcorders that will not use adjustable stereo-base. Great many timing, color sensing, zooming and other "matching" issues can be solved with using "single" lens and sensor. The sensor can be dual ported on the silicon, if there is a throughput issue. It is my understanding that the reason why DSLR's overheat processing video is that the CPU is overtaxed. My son, when he did my latest rig video, kept blowing fan on it every 10 minutes. CPU overheat can be fixed with dedicated H/W. They will no doubt be using convergence, that can be tied to focus (like human eye). Keystone effect and other stereoscopic violations can also be "processed out" on the fly with more H/W, once the algorithms are known. The Panasonic pro model fixes keystone effect "in the camera", according to their representative at CES. Now if it that just happened by the next Christmas....

I would not say that the camera lens focus is anything like the focus of the human eye. I mean, there are similarities, but there is one major difference, which matters especially when it comes to convergence:

The camera lens focuses on a plane. The human eye focuses on a point, or actually a small quasi-circular area surrounding a point. The difference is easy to verify:

Point a camera at this screen, focus on this text and take a picture. Chances are the entire screen with all of the text (and whatever else) on it will be in sharp focus.

Now, try reading this text by focusing your eyes on this text and then read the entire contents of this screen without moving your eyes. Hard as you may try, you can't. Not with the human eyes. It is not possible. It does not matter how close to the screen or far from it you are: Hook up a projector to the HDMI output of your computer and project everything on a large screen. Move closer, move farther away, it makes no difference.

The only way you can read this text is sequentially, scanning the screen with your eyes left to right, then down to the next line. And this is not just because the text consists of words which consist of individual letters. It is because your eyes cannot concentrate on an entire plane the way a camera lens does.

Nor does it make any difference whether you are reading with both eyes or close one eye. Same result (don't just believe me, try it right now).

The camera always looks straight ahead (unless you use a Lensbaby (http://lensbaby.com/lenses.php) or something similar). The human eye looks around, not always looking at whatever is straight ahead of it. The camera does not use a lens but an objective, the assembly of a number lenses. It focuses by changing the distance of the lenses. The human eye uses a single lens and it focuses by changing the thickness of the lens.

This is why I do not like toeing in and prefer to just change the distance of the lenses in 3D photography and videography, always keeping them parallel. It is not how the human eye sees, but it is how the camera sees. It might be interesting to try two parallel cameras, each with a Lensbaby, but it would be extremely difficult to control.

If a camera is designed with two lenses and convergence in mind, it would need to change the angle of the lenses without moving the sensors. And it would need to be able to work like the eyes, not just toeing in, but using a different angle for each lens depending on what object it is focusing on, not just what plane it is focusing on. Now, that would be one heck of a 3D camera!

This latest document from Panasonic now suggests that the conversion lens IS anamorphic after all.
HDC-SDT750 | HD Camcorder | Panasonic Global (http://www.panasonic.net/avc/camcorder/hd/sdt750/)

The document specifies the recording/encoding format (960*1080) not the acquisition format. Look at the 3D lens alignment process shown here (sorry in Japanese):
http://magazine.kakaku.com/mag/camera/id=246/.

I have the strong feeling there is not much communication between PANASONICs product development and marketing division. Hopefully Photokina will reveal the truth about this mystery camcorder.

Now that I have seen this pic on that Japanese site I will concede that the lenses are not anamorphic. The aperture is perfectly round. When you look down anamorphic lenses the aperture looks oval.

This is really illogical and unfortunate to only capture 960x540 area per eye but I suppose it is also to be expected from the consumer division. I assume these inexpensive consumer "toys" need to be handicapped in some way so they don't cannibalize "professional" sales for the AG-3DA1.

Camcorderinfo tried a prototype of the HDC-SDT750 a did a review here: Hands-on Review of the World's First 3D Consumer Camcorder: The Panasonic HDC-SDT750 - Panasonic Flash Memory Camcorders (http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/Panasonic-HDC-SDT750-First-Impressions-Camcorder-Review-37876.htm) .

So what are those three dials used to calibrate the lens? I-O seems fixed, so that can't be adjusted. Convergence... and something else, then?

News : Panasonic HDC-SDT750 3D Camcorder : (http://www.slashcam.de/artikel/News/Panasonic-HDC-SDT750-3D-Camcorder-.html)

Footage from HDC-SDT750:

Balkon in 3D on Vimeo