Panasonic has a newvision for 3D, and it doesn't rely on the software industry or broadcastcommunity. Instead, the Japanese giant is giving us the tools to make our own3D content. The upcoming Lumix DMC-GH2 Micro FourThirds snapper puts 3D into the hands of the photographic community, while thePanasonic HDC-SDT750 reviewed here aims to have the You've Been Framed crowd shooting familymembers falling into the third dimension. It's a canny strategy thatcould ultimately change our attitude towards 3D. For £1300, you could own this 3D camcorder.
Panasonic HDC-SDT750
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
A great 2Dcamcorder at heart
The SDT750 looks much like any otherhigh-end SD camcorder. It's light (just 375g) and extremely wellfeatured. The 3-inch flip-out touchscreen is the main interface for setting the camera up. Opening it gives access to the card slot, power button and cableconnectivity. The camcorder shoots on SD, SDHC and high-capacity SDXC cards. There's also 32GB of internal memory.
A high-performance 7,590,000-pixel (2,530,000 pixels x 3) 3MOS sensor deliversastoundingly good image fidelity for the form factor. It's extremely easy totout around, and it even has 5.1 audio recording -- don't expect anythingcomparable to cinematic surround sound, though. You can take digital stillimages while recording video, or operate in a dedicated, 7.89-megapixel 'still picture' mode, with optical image stabiliser and face detection. An 'intelligent auto' mode takes care of the business end of shooting, while a selection ofpresets for specific scene types, such as portrait and scenery, add creativevariety for the autopilot.
Just add 3D lens and shoot
While this is undoubtedly a juicylittle shooter in 2D mode, that's not what concerns us. Nosirree, Bob. What we're excited about is its 3D potential. Panasonic paved theway for stereoscopic camcordering with its prosumer model (yours for just £18,000), but this comes in much cheaper.
The key is a separate 3D conversion lens thatthreads (rather awkwardly) onto the camcorder. It's rather like bolting on ahideously overweight filter. Interestingly, in Japan, the VW-CLT1 lens is being soldas an optional add-on. Here in the UK, it's all part of the package.
The conversion lens cap itself acts as analignment tool, and you'll need to adjust this each time you attach the lens.The process only takes a minute or two and involves tweaking vertical andhorizontal lines on the touchscreen. Once the twinned optics are correctlyaligned (an essential process), you're away. And that's literally it.
You get 3D… but nothing else
It should be noted that, with the 3Dconverter engaged, the zoom is disabled. This is not necessarily a bad thing asit prevents overeager cinematographers from zooming back and forth simplybecause they can. Unfortunately, a whole host of other creative tools are alsobenched in 3D mode, including the zoom mic, 'intelligent auto' mode and face recognition. Thiscould be construed as a little restrictive.
The camera shoots in the side-by-side 3Dformat, much like Sky 3D, so it's not Full HD. But images are sharp enough, andthe 3D effect itself can be really spectacular. Careful composition is the keyto creating engaging 3D footage -- flowers positioned a metre or less fromthe lens, for example, provide an effective forward-facing focal plane, withthe background stretching into the distance. Without the subject really close tothe glass, the dimensional effect is diminished. For everyday family shooting,this works really well. Shoot someone in close-up and they'll pop out of theframe.
3D playback is a cinch. We simply poppedthe SD card into a Panasonic P46VT20 3D plasma and it automatically recognisedthe AVCHD 3D file. A simple remote control is supplied to make file selectioneasier. If you don't have a TV with an SD card reader, you'll need tohook the camcorder up to your 3D TV using an HDMI cable.
As you amass your 3D files, youwill need to edit them, not least because the audio falls out significantlybetween shots. Quite how easy it is to edit within the 3D format remains to beseen.
Conclusion
The Panasonic HDC-SDT750 is a superior HD camcorderin its own right -- one that probably warrants a five-star rating as is.However, the ability to shoot in 3D is a major embellishment. You'll pay a highprice for the novelty, but surely the ability to catch the kids in3D while they're still young enough to toddle around iscompensation enough.
Edited by Emma Bayly