Fujfilm Unveils FinePix W3 for 3D Photos and 3D HD Video

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Fujfilm is continuing its voyage into stereoscopic photography with the FinePix W3, a 3D camera that packs two separate lenses into one compact body.

About a year ago, Fujifilm presented its first stereoscopic compact camera, the FinePix 3D W1. This was a minor revolution in consumer photography, as it was the first genuinely stereoscopic camera, with two CCD sensors, two zoom lenses placed 7.7 cm apart and creating specific files using shots from both the left and right lenses to create an image giving the impression of depth (even though it's not strictly 3D). An even more impressive feature was that it was possible to view these stereoscopic images will their full effect on the camera's screen with no need for special glasses. The compact could also film video in '3D' and take two simultaneous photos with different focal lengths.

In spite of all these highly interesting features, the W1 hasn't proved a huge commercial success, and it did have certain key features missing (no wide angle, no stabilisation, no HD video, disappointing picture quality etc.). Its unusual design and controls also made it rather tricky for consumers to get their heads round (see our test of the Fujifilm W1).


However, you still won't need any special glasses to view 3D films or photos on the screen of the W3. This 3.5-inch LCD has a huge 1,150,000 dots, which makes it much more pleasant to view than the 230,000 dots of the previous model. The LCD uses a network of microlenses at the surface of the screen to show a different image to each eye, which the brain then interprets as a three-dimensional image. You can even use the on-screen viewfinder to view the scene in 3D before you take a photo, so you can line up the shot and the viewing angle perfectly. You can also adjust the parallax to change the impression of depth.

Otherwise, the W3 doesn't bring any many technical changes to the previous model. The distance between the two lenses is a little shorter (7.5 cm compared with 7.7 cm for the W1), but is still larger than the typical distance separating two human eyes (approx. 6.5 cm) to maximise the impression of depth.

Fujifilm uses the same two 35-105 mm lenses as in the W1 (f/3.7-4.2), which aren't particularly fast and which unfortunately don't have a genuine wide angle. The W3 also has the same two 10-Megapixel CCD sensors (1/2.3 inches) which failed to impress us when we reviewed the original model. However, the W3 does have a new image processor (3D Real Photo HD) and we're keen to get our hands this new camera to see just what it can do. The W3 has a good selection of shooting modes (P, A and M), and allows you to take pictures in 2D as well as 3D, and you can even use the two internal 'cameras' separately. This means you can take the same photo with two different focal lengths, two different colour settings or two different sensitivity settings.

Perhaps the most noticeable changes are to the camera's design and handling. Whereas the W1 had a surprising set of not-so-practical controls, the W3 has adopted a more conventional interface, with a genuine zoom wheel, a mini-lever for controlling the parallax, a thumb wheel for selecting the scene mode and a four-way arrow key for quick access to settings such as the flash and macro. Hopefully, this should make the W series more accessible to the general public.


The Fujifilm FinePix 3D W3 will be available in September for £399.

With more and more 3D TVs hitting the market, 3D photos and videos could well be the next big thing, and manufacturers are pulling out all the stops to develop new systems and technologies to make 3D imaging a reality for consumers. For example, in its NEX cameras, Sony uses a sweep panorama system to create 3D images, although it can't be used to capture moving subjects. Panasonic is set to release a twin-lens 3D attachment for its Lumix G range, which would record stereoscopic images with two lenses but just one sensor. It remains to be seen what 3D trickery other manufacturers will come up with, in particular Samsung, which already has a compatible 3D TV on the market.



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