Panasonic has come out with a consumer version of their 3D video camera line just in time for the Christmas spending...uhhh SHOPPING season. With the new HDC-SDT750 there are some great things we noticed about this camcorder and thought our viewers would want to know some information about this new product. So here are the pros and cons-
Price point-
Many speculated that the consumer 3D market would dawn cameras in the $3,000-$4,000 range at first. Panasonic shocked everyone with developing a camera that is selling for under the $1500 price mark. With this price the 3D market is immediately within reach of anyone that is comparing the advantages of purchasing a standard HD camera while interested in playing in the 3D world without much of a budget.
Resolution and the 3D Lens-
The HDC-SDT750 natively records at full high-definition resolution of 1080/60p in (AVCHD format) which produces incredibly great images. This combined with its 3 1/4” MOS system and not so cheap Leica Dicomar lens with 12x optical zoom make this camera stand out as a stellar HD camera before you get to the 3D element. With 7.59 megapixel range (combining the count across all 3 MOS chips) and noise reduction technology, Panasonic has packed a lot of incredible features into a consumer camera.
The 3D lens is a feature you mount on the front of the camera and can take off at any point with minimal work. So if you don’t want to shoot in 3D, but want that HD camcorder for your families road trip then this is a great all in one package to consider while having a piece of gear that allows you to experiment with 3D. The 3D lens simply split the resolution of standard HD in half and record each eyes content at 960x1080.
There is a downside immediately noticeable about the specs on the camera when you add on the 3D lens. Without the 3D lens attached the camera has an F-stop value of 1.5 at a wide angle shot and 2.8 on a zoom telephoto shot. When you add on the 3D Lens it immediately drops the F-stop value down to 3.2. You only have the ability of having a 2.5mm focal length on the 3D lens so it’s not much for helping you get those flexible shots near and far that you may want to capture. Then again, if you’re not taking into account zoom speed when you’re watching a 3D home movie you might just make your entire family sick in .5 seconds by zooming at warp speed across the grand canyon. So even though this might be a problem with zoom distance it may be "good flaw" for those just starting out in a “training wheels” scenario when it comes to recording 3D content.
You can’t just play with it-
Currently consumer electronics stores locally and also online are selling this camera. B&H Photo has them in stock and you can find them on a display at your local Best Buy. What is unfortunate is that even though it’s on display, it’s permanently mounted to a TV display without any ability to to play with the camera itself. You can view 3D video streaming live to one of Panasonic’s associated 3D flat screens, but apparently they’re not wanting you to play with the device. This I find most unusual since any other camera that I want to look at or try out to see if it’s right is on a display rack or near a TV where I can view the quality, play with the menu functions and see how the hardware works. When I talked with Best Buy reps in the store they told me their inventory system shows that these cameras are ready and in their distribution warehouse, but not in store. If Panasonic is trying to push this product line why would they only allow you to try out this camera AFTER you’ve purchased it?
Still Pics and Audio-
The audio system is quite impressive for a small HD camera. With it’s 5.1 channel audio recording, the camera uses five highly directional mics to give you that immersive audio feeling when watching the content you’ve recorded at home in your home theater.
The camera can record stills at 12.2 megapixel resolution (MP) at 4032x3024 minimum or a high resolution range of 16:9 aspect ration at 13.3MP at 4864x2736. The camera also has a built in flash, but has no mounting boot for additional accessories like a light to help you out in those dark shooting environments.
The question that I still have not found an answer to is whether you can shoot 3D stills with this camera and at what resolution they are processed at for each eye.
Editing Software-
Panasonic provides a software they call HD Writer AE which allows you to edit 3D images and save them onto your computer or Blu-ray/DVD discs. The downside is that when you are using this built in software (it automatically loads when you plug the camera into your computer via USB) to export your 3D images they must FIRST be converted into 2D images. The other problem is that the software is only Windows OS compatible. They direct Mac users to use iMovie’09. iMovie ’09 is NOT a 3D video content editing program, so why would they direct you to use this software to edit your content?
What they’re not telling you-
I want to rehash something that’s rubbing me the wrong way with how Panasonic is presenting this product. It looks like a GREAT product and I applaud Panasonic for being the first to put out a very affordable 3D camera on the consumer market. Sure the camera isn’t all there, but why would you NOT allow your consumer base to try it out in your store instead of simply mounting the camera where no one can use it or try out its’ features?
The camera drops resolution when you start shooting in 3D. In essence it’s taking that full 1080 signal and splitting the resolution in half for each eye. So you’re shooting at half the resolution for 3D than you are for your HD 2D content. This is however to be expected. Unless you had a camera that could miraculously convert to a 2K resolution camera you would have to split the resolution in half to capture content for each eye separately.
What you can and can’t do with the lens-
Before I explain the lens limitations there is some basic 3D information you should understand when it comes to viewing 3D content. There’s a term that is used when the left eye and right eye content match up to each other without any separation or blur. That’s called the CONVERGENCE POINT. The convergence point and where it lies in the Z axis space (the plane that defines the shot being closer or further away from the camera) in the 3D world helps give your eyes the depth perception based on where that focal or convergence point is. This point on almost all professional cameras regardless of the type of 3D rig can be adjusted or changed in real time. The convergence point can be shifted to a point further away or to a point that is close to the camera lens. Without the ability to deal with convergence the ability to help viewers focus on the part of the content where the action is happening you loose the entire value of the 3D experience.
With the Panasonic HDC-SDT750 there is VERY LIMITED CONTROL of the convergence point for the 3D content being recorded in real time. This is worse than not being able to change the focus on what you’re viewing right in front of you to something that is in the distance on a standard 2D camera. The only control is lens shift horizontally and vertically for both lenses AT THE SAME TIME instead of independently along with VERTICAL convergence. There is NO horizontal convergence control which limits the depth in your image that you can give to each eye. Most effects in 3D content are created by SEPARATION HORIZONTALLY of content for the left and right eye. The further away the convergence point is the more depth you create to where you are driving your viewers visual focus point.
In addition to the convergence issue on the camera, you have NO ability to view the 3D content in real time unless you plug the camera into a 3D display device. There is no mount on the top of the camera to allow you to add on a 3D viewfinder. The built in viewfinder and eyepiece are both not 3D compatible. When you shoot in 3D you can view an image through them, but you’re only seeing the left eyes' image. This is a BIG problem compounded with the issue of not having the ability to adjust the convergence point. If you don’t know where that convergence point is then how do you know that your shooting “in focus” or if you are within the right target area for your desired convergence point? Maybe the camera should have an optional pole that you can mount on the front of the 3D lens to show you where the convergence point is when you’re shooting 3D content if they're going to limit your ability to see your 3D content while your recording it.
I know some of this sounds harsh, but I'm not trying to kill this camera. Just like any other cutting edge technology you have to start SOMEWHERE. This is a GREAT place to start, but you should know what your limitations are so that you're not disappointed when purchasing the camera. After looking at all the pros and cons, This is a great HD camera with a 3D attachment for experimenting. Do I think the value is there to merit buying this exclusively for shooting consumer based 3D content? My answer would simply be NO. If you’re buying it to play around with and want the HD camera as well then this would be a VERY AFFORDABLE CAMERA to start your own personal 3D content development experience without spending too much.
If you're wanting to read a couple other blogs out on the web that I recommend about this new camera you can check them out here-
http://www.pcworld.com/article/202005/panasonic_goes_3d_with_new_camcorder_and_gseries_lens.html
http://camcorder-reviews.net/panasonic/panasonic-hdc-sdt750-review/
