Fuji Real 3D Brings Lenticular Printing Home to Roost

Photokina has been overshadowed this week by T-Mobile/Android/HTC Dream news. Nevertheless, interesting news of advancements in photographic technology is what Photokina is all about, and the event never disappoints us photo dorks. Of the many press announcements floating to the surface, one I ran across really caught my eye.

Fujifilm has announced it’s proposed 3D digital camera system; the Finepix Real 3D system...
It's all a concept at the moment. So, I’ll try to restrain my excitement over this tech until I see it in action.
Real 3D is an inventive blend of old tech with new, it’s a stereographic twin lens camera, nothing too new about that, other than using a digital sensor instead of film. The real advancement with ‘Fuji Real 3D’ is in the camera’s LCD screen, corresponding digital frames, and the actual photos printed with the system’s lenticular printer.

No View-Master or Dorky Glasses Required

The camera’s LCD and the system’s digital photo frames have filters that effectively combine the images creating 3D illusions, without the glasses. So if you’re hoping you’ll look like the McFly hating goon from Back to the Future, Sorry.

Best of all is the printer, which uses a super fine pitch for lenticular printing, producing a 3D effect that will have more in-between images making the effect smoother and more seamless.

This whole system reminds me of these disposable 3D cameras that I used to sell. The prints from them were cool, but expensive (about $25 for 12 prints, in 1999). I’m very interested to see what price this system lands on, wherever it lands it won’t be cheap. And hey, you can always view the images on a new Panasonic 3D HDTV.

from dpreview