Panasonic HDC-SDT750 becomes first consumer 3D camcorder

With the launch of the HDC-SDT750 3D camcorder, Panasonic brings consumer video recording into another dimension. A dual "3D conversion lens" and a 3MOS image sensor will allow users to create video that can be viewed on 3D compatible TVs.

The HDC-SDT750, a fully functional 2D camcorder, will ship with a 3D conversion lens which will record right and left eye images at once to create a final product that can be viewed to a 3D effect. Videos are captured at 1080/60p. By using an AVCHD compatible device like a 3D Blu-ray player, 3D images can be read from an SD card and displayed on a 3D screen.

Also on board is a 5.1 channel audio recording system that captures sound through five microphones and Hybrid O.I.S. optical image stabilization.

The unique 3MOS triple image sensor system processes red, green and blue colors separately to produce what Panasonic calls "rich color quality." With the 3D lens not attached, the SDT750 uses a 12x optical zoom f/1.5 Leica Dicomar lens.

The more pedestrian features include a 3.0-inch LCD of 230,400-dots and a pre-record mode that stores 3 seconds of footage continuously, and a time lapse recording function with intervals of 1 second, 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute and 2 minute intervals. The conversion lens itself weighs about 0.43 lb. and it should be noted that the only camera setting available with the converter attached is white balance.

Pricing and availability
The price for 3D is high - the Panasonic HDC-SDT750 arrives in October at an MSRP of $1399.95.