Fuji W1: the first Fuji 3D digital camera system is officially revealed!

After a series of development notices, the Fuji 3D system is now getting solidified with actual product announcements, the Fuji 3D W1 camera and the Fuji V1 3D frame! This is a system that is of interest, or at least piques the curiosity of photographers and gadgetologists alike. So let's see what Fuji has cooked up for us...

Meet the Fuji W1 3D camera

This sleek-looking camera has two 10mp 1/2.3" CCD sensors and two 3X optical zoom lenses (35-105mm). We have to give Fuji credit for showing megapixel-restraint here. Now, the lenses may not be much in terms of zoom ratio when compared to traditional cameras, but building and synchronizing two lenses on 3D is no easy task!

The camera can take both 3D images and 3D movies.

In addition to the 3D features which are the existential raisin (rough translation of "raison d'etre") of this camera, we applaud Fuji for taking advantage of this configuration to offer traditional (2D) photography some additional features, what Fuji calls Advanced 2D mode. This has different settings, for example, "Tele+Wide" allows you to take the same picture at different lens focal ranges. Also, the "color mode" allows you to record the same scene with different "tonalities", such as fujichrome or standard. You can also adjust the "sensitivity" settings between the two sub-systems. The press release barely scratches the surface, so we may have to wait for the user-manual or detailed previews/reviews to find out more about these!

The specifications mention that the camera has aperture-priority and manual exposure, so that is promising from a photography perspective.

The camera uses the NP-95 LiIon battery which is already part of the Fuji F-series universe.

Now we usually pick on marketing for silliness, but this time we have to give them credit for using the name "W" for the new 3D series. "W" is like the camera, it has two of the same :)

The camera is expected to be released around September, but there is no official price! We searched for it at Amazon but found nothing as of the time of writing. There was a price of $600 mentioned by a print-magazine two weeks ago, but we don't know how close that may be to the starting price.

However, a story at Reuters (via ISW) quotes a Fuji spokesperson mentioning the price of 60,000 yen, which is in the ballpark of $600.

There we also learn that Fuji estimates to sell about 100,000 units of the W1 in the next 12 months, which is a very small percentage of their estimate of 8 to 10 million digital cameras for the fiscal year ending at the end of March 2010.

UPDATE: From digitalcamera.jp we learn that the price for the camera is 60,000 yen, the digital picture frame (see below) is 50,000 yen, but if you buy them together you save 10,000 yen. The Japanese release is coming soon, slated for August 8!

Meanwhile, the BJoP has price estimates putting it somewhere in the range of 550 to 580 GBP.

Fuji V1 8-inch 3D digital picture frame
To go with the camera, Fuji is launching the V1 3D digital picture frame, an 8-inch LCD panel that is designed to go with the camera and display 3D images from an SD/SDHC memory card.

It also offers connectivity via infrared and USB, and its angle of view can be adjusted using the adjustable stand that comes with it.

Further Reading
+ Fuji UK
+ Fuji USA
+ Engadget
+ Image Sensors World
+ Hands-on with the camera at CNet Asia