Fujifilm 3D Camera (Finepix Real 3D W1)

Ciaran O'Byrne - Producer RTE RADIO 1 Drivetime

If you were impressed by James Cameron's Avatar, now you can try to out do him.

Ciaran O'Byrne has been looking at the only 3D camera on the market...the Fujifilm Finepix Real 3D W1.

It may not be the most physically desirable looking piece of tech, nor the cheapest, but it's an impressive camera, and lets you get your hands on a bit of a leap in technology that's available to the consumer.

It can take both 2 dimensional and 3 dimensional digital photographs, as well as 3D video.

The technology involved means you can view a 3D image on the screen on the back of the camera without having to wear any special 3D glasses.

The camera has two lenses on the front, about 3cms apart, which take two slightly different photos, and layer them to give you the 3D effect.

And the effect is rather impressive; you do get a real sense of depth on objects or people in the middle to background. To get the best impact, make sure you are about 6 feet from your main subject.

We were taking a few shots around here and the depth you get even on the 2.8 inch screen on the back of the camera gives you the sense of 3D.

But you don't have to view all of your 3D photos on the back of the camera - Fuji have produced a Digital 3D Viewer, that is similar to other digital frame devices in appearance - you can pop your SD memory card into it, and it can show the images in their 3D format on it's 8 inch screen.

Another impressive feature is the 3D video recording, which is also impressive upon first viewing. There were some reviews saying the resolution is not great, but I found it pretty good.

The best way of describing the look of the 3D images is akin to those Fisher Price 3D View Master toys from decades ago, a photo with layers that give you a genuine sense of depth.

You can view the 3D video on the Digital Frame Viewer and if you have a 3D TV you should be able to view them through that as well.

The camera can also take conventional 2D still images and 2D movies, and everything can be saved to your laptop, or sent directly to the 8 inch display frame wirelessly using Infra Red signals.

And if you fall in love with one of your shots, you can order a 3D print of it, using lenticular sheets from Fuji online, although it is costly; with the small size will cost around €4.40.

Fuji are to be commended for bringing this kind of technology to the consumer, but it is quite pricey at the moment at €499.99 for the camera, and another €369.99 for the 3D Viewer, although there is a bundle offer where you can buy the camera, the viewer, a case and a 2 GB memory card for €850. It's still expensive, but other manufacturers such as Sony are keen to get into this area, so in 6 to 12 months, we should see the next generation of personal 3D cameras and hopefully lower prices.