3D Camera Review

3D is all the rage with movies, toys and electronics touting the technology as the latest and greatest. Imagine showing off your upcoming family events in stunning 3D. It’s possible when you have a 3D camera capturing those special life moments. You don’t even need to worry about the headache of special viewing glasses. Today, 3D picture viewers combine the images for you. We’ve rated and compared the best 3D cameras on the market and have written articles on 3D cameras to aid in your decision making process. At TopTenREVIEWS We Do the Research So You Don’t Have To.™

3D Cameras: What to Look For

Because 3D technology is only slowly making itself a standard in electronics, some popular brands don’t even carry 3D digital cameras yet. From the selection of those brands that do, there are clear standouts as the best 3D cameras on the market. Our favorites are the Panasonic Lumix DMC-3D1K, Sony HX10 and the FujiFilm FinePix Real 3D W3. These cameras balance the necessary functionality elements, picture quality and features seamlessly as we’ve described them below.

Image Quality
It doesn’t matter if a 3D camera has every bell and whistle possible; if the camera doesn’t produce high quality images, it isn’t worth buying. You want a camera with at least 16.2 megapixels and an aperture range comparable to a 35 mm camera – at least F3.5 for wide-angle and F5.5 for telephoto. If you plan on taking most of your pictures inside, a high light sensitivity rating is important. The higher the ISO, the better the pictures will look. The same applies for shutter speed. The faster the shutter speed, the less likely your images will be blurry. If close-up pictures are your thing, an optical zoom of at least 10 times is a must.

Functionality
With a 3D camera you get double functionality for the price of one camera. Depending on which mode you select, you can take 3D video, HD video, 3D stills and 2D stills. Look for a 3D camera with a fairly large (at least 3 inch) LCD touchscreen. A large screen means an easy-to-use interface for selecting different picture settings. Like DLSR cameras, 3D cameras can be adjusted for any occasion you need to capture. You can always default to auto mode, but landscape, night, beach, portrait and sport are a few of the other options to choose from. Internal memory is a must, but those cameras with an SD or SDHC memory card slot are even better – adding to the number of pictures and videos you can take and store. An SD card slot also means an additional means of transferring pictures from camera to computer. Look for an HDMI and USB output as well.

Features
The 3D cameras available today are not your ordinary point and shoot camera. These versatile devices have features like red eye reduction, anti-blur, blink detection and exposure correction built right in – no photo editing software needed. The best 3D cameras even allow you to edit (crop, resize, rotate, etc.) right there on the camera. You can still include a date and time stamp on your pictures, but you can also select a GPS-enabled location stamp. A self-timer feature allows the photographer to be in the picture for a change. All 3D cameras are compact, and as such you have the right to be picky. Don’t settle for anything heavier than 9 ounces.

Help & Support
As with any electronic device, you need good help and support from the manufacturer. Look for a 3D camera with at least a one-year warranty, online tutorial videos and several ways to contact technical support (i.e., phone, online chat and email).

The world of electronics is exploding in 3D, and now your most important events can, too. Grab a 3D camera and capture your life in motion.