Fujifilm FinePix Real 3D W3 review

The underlying technology is lenticular display, as used by those rulers with 3D and morphing images that some readers will remember. A series of strip-shaped lenses is packed horizontally across the screen, sending a different image to the left and right eye. The camera must be viewed head on to see the 3D image – small deviations corrupt it completely. However, when viewed correctly, there’s no discernable ghosting, giving a much cleaner 3D image than the polarised glasses used in cinemas.

The screen’s 3.5in diameter, 1,150,000-dot resolution and sumptuously rich colours help it deliver a 3D experience that’s more than a short-lived gimmick. More than ever, this is a camera screen that does justice to photo slideshows, 3D or otherwise. That’s important, because other options for viewing photos in 3D are limited.

One is a 3D TV. The camera plugs directly in with its HDMI socket, and support for the HDMI 1.4 standard means it outputs a 1080p 3D signal with separate Full-HD streams for the left and right eyes.
We tried it with a Samsung UE40C7000 3D TV and were a little disappointed by the experience. That’s partly because the 40in image revealed inadequacies of the camera’s image quality that weren’t so easy to spot on the camera’s 3.5in screen. A bigger problem was that the automatic image alignment performed on the screen wasn’t reflected on the HDMI output. The 3D effect was often less successful as a result, and sometimes quite uncomfortable to view.

3D computer displays (such as those based on nVidia 3D Vision) are more affordable than 3D TVs, and there are utilities (such as this one) to convert the captured MPO files into an anaglyph 3D image using any monitor and red/cyan glasses. The parallax data isn’t maintained on any software we tested with, though, including the bundled MyFinePix Studio.

Another option is to order prints from www.fujifilmreal3D.com, which use the same lenticular display technology as the camera’s screen. They’re not cheap, though, at £3.99 or £4.29 each for 6x4in and 7x5in respectively, plus £4.99 delivery. Fujifilm also sells an 8in 3D digital photo frame – the Real 3D V1 – for those willing to stump up a further £400. We’re waiting for confirmation from Fujifilm as to whether these prints and the digital frame correctly interpret the parallax data – we’ll update this review when we hear back.