Fujifilm FinePix Real 3D W1 gets priced and dated

Posted by David Walker on Fri 24 Jul 2009

Around £1,000 for camera and frame, writes David Walker

Of course, you expect to pay a premium to be an early adopter of new technology, but could the price of the newly-launched Fujifilm FinePix Real 3D W1 compact camera be just a few quid too fair? Quite possibly when we tell you it's set to retail for £570 - and that doesn't include the 3D frame.

In fact, if you want the 8-inch FinePix Real 3D V1 picture viewer too, that's another £390, making a grand total of £960 to see the world in 3D. Obviously you can side-step the frame and email your photos to Fujifilm for development. But with the cost of prints estimated to be around £3 each, skipping the frame isn't exactly the budget option in the long term. The cheap option would be to take the snaps, then get all your friends and family to crowd round the 2.8-inch screen on the rear of the camera. Cheap, but not exactly practical.

If you missed the FinePix Real 3D W1 earlier in the week, it's a slim compact camera with two lenses and two CCD sensors, sending data to the 3D Processor to produce that 3D image or indeed movie, which is perfect for uploading to YouTube's now 3D-friendly service. Or if you prefer the world in 2D, the camera has a few tricks there, allowing you to take the same shot in different ways or with different settings, leaving you to choose the best version later.

Fujifilm will be sending the FinePix Real 3D W1 and matching frame out to 'high-end department stores' in September, so if you happen to shop in such places, you can gets hands-on with the futuristic cam in a matter of weeks. Just make sure there's plenty of give in the credit card. Once hands-on, you just might be sorely tempted.

Link: Fujifilm (via Telegraph)