Full Details Released on the World's First 3D Consumer Camcorder: The Panasonic HDC-SDT750

July 27, 2010 – After rumor, speculation, and accidental leaks, Panasonic has officially unveiled its 3D consumer camcorder—at last! The HDC-SDT750 will have many of the specifications and features of the impressive HDC-TM700, but includes a removable 3D conversion lens, allowing consumers to create their own 3D videos for viewing on 3D televisions.
 

Panasonic's consumer 3D Camcorder is finally official. View the full photo gallery.

The conversion lens records video using side-by-side 3D technology, which captures separate left-eye and right-eye images simultaneously through two lenses. Each image is only 960 x 1080 in resolution, which means that the resulting 3D video fills the entire screen, but only at half the horizontal resolution. (Studio-produced 3D films on Blu-ray are full resolution.) The conversion lens also seems to have a convergence control similar to what you'll find on Panasonic's professional-grade 3D camcorder. Though the SDT750 is likely to produce lower quality 3D videos, the capability comes at a fraction of the price of Panasonic's pro camcorder.

The SDT750 ships with HD Writer AE 2.6T: a new version of Panasonic's video editing software, this time with 3D movie editing capability. You can burn your 3D videos to Blu-ray or convert them to 2D for online sharing. There is a 3-inch LCD touchscreen for in-camera playback, but 3D movies will only appear as the two-dimensional left channel. To truly view your recorded video in 3D, you'll have to plug the SDT750 into a 3D television via HDMI or insert the SDHC/SDXC card into a 3D-ready Blu-ray player. Not coincidentally, Panasonic was one of the first manufacturers to release 3D-ready televisions and Blu-ray players, making the SDT750 an easy fit into the rest of Panasonic's 3D home entertainment lineup.
 

The SDT750's conversion lens also means that you have the flexibility to record ordinary 2D video with an excellent consumer camcorder. Just remove the conversion lens and the SDT750 is nearly identical to the 700-series models released by Panasonic earlier this year. You can record 1080/60p video and you'll find the same 3MOS sensor system with three 1/4.1-inch CMOS sensors. The primary lens is the same F1.5 Leica Dicomar lens with 12x optical zoom. The SDT750 has an electronic viewfinder and manual control lens ring.

The advanced zoom feature is not listed in the SDT750 specs, but there is an enticing mention of a new Hybrid Optical Image Stabilization system. According to Panasonic, Hybrid O.I.S. 'provides extremely accurate hand-shake correction with its four-axis blur detection, resulting in steady images while zooming or shooting on the move.' It's not clear whether any optical or digital zoom will be available during 3D recording; manual aperture, shutter speed, and gain control will almost certainly not be available. 5.1 surround sound (including the focus microphone option), manual white balance, and Time Lapse Recording are all confirmed as compatible with 3D recording. All 2D and 3D video is recorded onto removable SD/SDHC/SDXC memory cards; there is no internal memory on the SDT750.
 

The conversion lens (VW-CLT1) weighs approximately 195g (0.43 lb.) and measures 78 x 59 x 97mm ( 3.07 x 2.32 x 3.82 in.). The lens is F3.2 with a focal length of 2.5mm and a reported minimum illumination of 28 lux—much higher than the mere one or two reported lux when using the camcorder without the 3D conversion lens. Though the SDT750, TM700, and HS700 all feature 46mm filter threading, Panasonic has not commented on whether the conversion lens will be compatible with the previous models. The lens ships with a carrying pouch and front and rear lens caps.

The Panasonic HDC-SDT750 is slated for release in October, for a suggested retail price of $1399.95.

To see our full gallery of press photos, click here.

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PANASONIC UNVEILS THE WORLD’S FIRST 3D CONSUMER CAMCORDER, COMPLETE WITH A 3D CONVERSION LENS
New Panasonic HDC-SDT750 Shoots 3D Video Ready to Play Back on 3D-Capable Televisions, Perfect for Creating a 3D Entertainment Ecosystem at Home

SECAUCUS, NJ (July 27, 2010) – Panasonic today announced the launch of the Panasonic HDC-SDT750, the world’s first consumer 3D camcorder, which includes a 3D conversion lens that enables the camcorder to shoot powerful and true-to-life 3D video content. The Panasonic SDT750 is a user-friendly consumer 3D camcorder that makes experiencing 3D at home easy and affordable. In addition to shooting 3D, the SDT750 can record full 1080p High Definition (HD) in AVCHD, when the 3D conversion lens is unattached, and includes powerful features such as a 3MOS system, a Leica Dicomar lens and a 12x optical zoom.

"As a result of research conducted through Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory, Panasonic developed a professional 3D system camera and successfully brought high-quality Full HD 3D images to the home for viewing on Panasonic VIERA Full HD 3D televisions. But now, Panasonic has taken it one step further and developed the world’s first consumer 3D camcorder, the HDC-SDT750 – creating a 3D ecosystem available for consumers in the home," said Chris Rice, Senior Product Manager, Imaging, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company. "Incorporating Panasonic’s professional broadcast technology and bringing it to an easy-to- use consumer model, the SDT750 makes high-quality 3D video content a reality in the home."

To shoot 3D video with the Panasonic HDC-SDT750 camcorder, the user needs to attach the 3D conversion lens that comes included, to record dynamic images. The specially-designed 3D conversion lens records right-eye and left-eye images simultaneously through its two lenses, thus resulting in video that can be viewed in 3D. The right and left images (each with 960 x 1080 pixels) that enter through the lenses are recorded using the side-by-side method.

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To read the full press release, please visit the official Panasonic website.