Fujifilm Real 3D W1

An evolution of photography or expensive oddity?

For those of us old enough to remember stereoscopic photography, this new model from Fuji won’t be quite as ground-breaking as many will attest. Still, in the realms of digital stills photography the technology has yet to be mass marketed, so the W1 is something of a trailblazer. In this age of dozens of compacts and DSLRs looking for elbow room in a crowded arena, is there really room for this expensive oddity?

Although time may tell on the outputting side, at the time of going to press getting images from camera to any conventional viewing format is impossible, expensive or very lengthy. The 3D-capable frame, for example, costs £400 which is as much as the camera. Images must be sent abroad to be made into prints, cost around £20 each and have a long waiting time attached. Because of this the likelihood of the W1 breaking ranks and capturing the imagination of the consumer is extremely low, for the time being at least. Instead the W1 can be viewed as something of a pioneer, offering a different variety of photography, but photography nonetheless. To that end the camera will be judged on its own merits, rather than compared to any existing models that may have somewhat similar specs.

The W1 is, unsurprisingly, a fairly hefty beast. With two lenses at either end of the camera the width is akin to that of a photo viewer, although the height isn’t two dissimilar from an average compact. The button placement and general balance means operation is very much a two-handed affair, although the controls fall quite comfortably into position on both sides, the rocker-switch approach to doubling up functionality isn’t always successful. The controls at the top and bottom don’t really have enough space, and with the likes of playback and 3D/2D switching occupying this space it does seem like an oversight. The zoom control has far too much play in it for such an important lever, rarely sitting central after usage and subsequently making the camera’s reaction quite sluggish. The top section of the camera is also pretty flimsy, with a worrying amount of movement to contend with. Fortunately the rest of the body feels sturdy enough to stand up to a decent amount of usage, and the sliding front panel, which doubles as a power switch, seems strong enough to be used repeatedly without failing. Both the battery and connection flaps are of a similar quality level, feeling substantial enough to survive consistent use. Once the camera is powered up, a variety of blue lights adorn the front and rear, giving the entire unit a decidedly space-age appearance, and have the useful dual functionality of making the controls visible in lower light. Even though the rocker switch design isn’t quite up to scratch the fact that the amount of buttons are so minimal makes it far less noticeable. Sitting in the centre of the buttons is the LCD screen, which will undoubtedly be met with a certain degree of confusion, as one of the prime purposes is to give an accurate representation of the 3D end product.

Much like a traditional compact the W1 doesn’t achieve complete focus until the shutter release is at least half pressed, meaning the amount of ghosting occurring across the display is quite worrying. It’s fair to say that those suffering from any kind of motion sickness may want to steer clear of moving the camera around too much, as the action of panning or tracking a subject can be dizzying. Although the 3D element is worth having in playback subjecting the user to the preview seems a touch unnecessary, as a 2D representation with the slight framing adjustment to compensate for the narrower 3D view would suffice. Even the menus are given the same treatment when this mode is engaged, making the process of doing just about anything quite annoying after a while. There is a Parralax Control, which enables the user to alter the image positioning so there’s less ghosting, but even once it’s been tampered with to the point that the two are as close as possible, some ghosting is still present. Fortunately there isn’t much of a delay when taking the image in 3D mode, and it’s not noticeably slower than the 2D version. Where the metering and focussing is rapid, there are a few slight issues with having two lenses to take a single image.

For starters, the potential for lens flare from one of the lenses appearing in the end product means framing and prevention can be very awkward. The nature of the preview makes it tricky to notice when flare is occurring, but the end product still shows the results quite visibly. Thankfully a 2D jpeg is stored for each 3D MPO file, which can be read and processed by the included software but little else, so any imperfections can be cloned out from the flat version if needed. There’s also the availability of shooting with each lens incrementally, which can offer some interesting creative possibilities.

Although the image quality does posses an extra dimension on top of standard 2D images the results can still be judged on the standard photographic terms of metering, focus and colour. The camera is certainly better suited, for both the optics and to gain the full 3D effect, to a single subject. There’s a fair amount of lens distortion around the edge of the image, and the sharpness is heavily compromised as a result. As 3D benefits from a well defined depth of field it’s worth adhering to the cameras shortcomings, so the subject stands out all the more. Colour quality isn’t terrible, offering some decent flesh tones under auto white balance settings and keeping the amount of saturation to an absolute minimum. Blues tend to be quite flat and without enough graduation, and the overall end product is often lacking in any real pop, sticking to the greyer end of the tonal range. Noise and jpeg-ing are noticeable in most images, especially on flat tones, meaning the end product doesn’t survive well when expanded.

There are plenty of areas the Real 3D W1 can be judged on as a camera, and others in which it steps beyond those realms into gadget territory. The build isn’t fantastic in places, but the majority of the controls are easy to use. Image quality, under the scrutiny of a 2D perspective, is pretty poor, but actually works well as a 3D image under the right circumstances. The technology is certainly restrictive enough to make the full effect difficult to replicate for a large group, especially as a print takes a few weeks and is expensive at this time. As what can be called a first generation of 3D in a consumer market the W1 is flawed, but it at least shows that in the right hands a successful system is at least possible.      

Final Verdict A valiant attempt, but the various restrictions of the technology, not to mention the cost of the extras, make this one for the 3D fanatics and not the average consumer. OVERALL

As a keen photographer for more than ten years, Matt is combining the two great loves of his life in taking photos and playing with new gadgets.