While 3D viewers having been receiving their fair share of spotlight these last two years, the 3D recorder has mostly been left in the shade. But, we have a strong feeling that this is about to change. Big time. With new ways of watching 3D popping up almost every month, the demand for quality 3D content is about to sky rocket — and you may want to be prepared. If you’ve already played around with the idea of recording 3D, you may know that there are actually quite a lot of 3D recorders on the market.
Traditional cameras and camcorders can not capture 3D, as they only have one lens. Until quite recently, professional 3D recording was achieved by filming with two cameras simultaneously or using mirror rigs (can link back to firs post here).
These days, things are much simpler and several big camera manufacturers, like Sony, Panasonic and others have stepped in and introduced consumer-friendly camcorders capable of 3D recording. Excited? So are we. The only remaining question is:
Well, it all depends on what you are looking for.
If you are not new to 3D recording — in fact, have reached professional heights — you need your recording equipment to fit the bill. Filming documentaries, working on commercial projects and even more so an independent movie product, all require top notch tools. The Sony PMW-TD300 3D Camcorder or the Panasonic AG-3DA1 are both professional models and require a substantial investment. However, both recorders offer pro quality and various viewing options. The both shoot in AVCHD (Advanced Video Coding High Definition) and MVC (MultiView Coding), so your content can be watched from different sources, including side-by-side capable 3D TVs.
If you are trying things out when it comes to the world of 3D content making, why not keep things simple? Less advanced recorders, like the Vivitar DVR 790HD 3D recorder will get the job done without leaving you stressed out about rent money. One of the major differences of entry-level recorders is that, unlike the pros from above, these recorders will record the video and convert it to an anaglyph image. These are to be viewed with the classic red and cyan glasses.
If you want to mostly stick to recording in 2D, but have the option of switching to 3D, go with an extra lens (what we do!). Some camcorders, like the Panasonic HX-X900MK shoot in the regular and well-familiar 2D, but simply add on theVW-CLT2, a dedicated 3D lens, and the recorder is transformed and ready to tackle 3D shooting.
If you’re in it for the action shots and stunning extreme sports videos, you’ll need a recorder that is ready to be part of the action: small, compact and tough. With a great number of action cameras already out there, the “add a lens” option seems to work best for this scenario as well. We’ve created Vitrima exactly with the adventurers and explorers in mind — it snaps onto your GoPro and natively splits the image into stereoscopic 3D. Your recordings are instantly ready to view and share with the world.