3D Photography Mainstream? First Impressions from an Amateur

After shooting slide film for over 15 years in my Stereo Realist I picked up the new Fuji 3D W3 Stereo Digital Camera. I have to agree with other stereo photo enthusiasts that this camera certainly brings a "WOW" factor to the hobby. Interest in stereo photography has seen ebbs and flows since Civil War times but I think that from this amateurs perspective, we see the potential for this hitting mainstream appeal.

This series of photos from the Fuji is right out of the box in full auto mode. Since I had only about 45 minutes of light left I headed down to our local lighthouse and waterfront areas for a few snapshots. I haven't read the user guide or made any attempts to familiarize myself with modes other than use it in fully automatic mode.

You'll need to have some basic knowledge of stereo photography to view these. If you have a 3D video game or DVD movie, and your glasses are red/cyan, choose the anaglyph link. If you are accustomed to parallel free-viewing, choose the parallel link. Here's a few tips on parallel free-viewing.

Many thanks to Cycloptical3D. The team of Ken Burgess and Tanya Alsip not only offers great customer service but they are stereo photos enthusiasts that contribute to the hobby and are highly recommended. They have incredibly fast and free shipping too.

This is the first time in 3D history where technology offers instant gratification without the delays and recurring costs of film technology. I look forward to digging a little deeper into the 3D W3's capabilities.

-Tim