Review: Sony Cybershot TX9 camera

We see the world in 3D, but cameras with single lenses have a hard time doing that. Except the new Cyber-Shot TX9; a camera that is an ideal companion for the new 3D TVs in the market. 

The sleek metal body, active sliding lens cover and internal Carl Zeiss lens in the TX9 is very much like the existing TX7 and T99. But the CyberShot TX9 has a CMOS sensor which is unlike most compact cameras. A high quality CMOS sensor (like the ones DLSRs use) is better at capturing images in low light, with lesser noise. 

Around the back of the camera, a 921,000 pixel 3.5-inch touchscreen does duty for composition and playback. Most settings and features have to be controlled via the touchscreen as there are very few buttons. There are many modes, special settings and configuration options to keep you occupied. 

For example, HDR takes multiple shots and combines them in-camera to give a photo with better shadow and highlight details, i.e., a higher dynamic range. Twilight mode takes multiple photos and combines them into one with reduced blur and noise, so that you can take better images in low light. 

The Background Defocus mode makes your subject stand out by blurring the background. The TX9 also has some 3D tricks up its sleeve. It doesn't have two separate lenses and sensors like the Fujifilm Real 3D W1 camera, so it can't take 'actual' 3D photographs or video. 

Instead, it offers a 3D panorama mode. In this mode, you have to just pan the camera in a smooth motion from left to right (or vice versa), while it takes multiple images and combines them all to form a 3D panorama that can be viewed on a 3D display (or on the camera itself, thanks to a clever Gsensor that changes the image as you rock the camera from side to side). 

The 4x Carl Zeiss lens, optical image stabilization, CMOS sensor and Sony's BIONZ engine all combine to deliver admirable results in almost any situation. The vivid results are sure to please. If you're not sure what mode to choose from the myriad options, just leave it in intelligent auto. Thankfully, recognizing the inconvenience of a proprietary port, the box includes a dock which provides a standard HDMI out, mini USB and composite A/V output. 

And like several of the newer CyberShots, the TX9 accepts both Memory Stick Pro Duo and SD/SDHC cards for storage. However, the camera is often slow to respond, especially when switching from picture taking to playback modes. 

Shot-to-shot recycle times are not too great either; it takes about 2 seconds for the camera to get ready after taking a photo. Buy the camera as a companion for your 3D TV, but as a standalone CMOS compact camera, the Canon IXUS 300 HS is hard to ignore. 

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Buy 3D Camera by Fujifilm Online

Fujifilm has launched the world's first 3D camera and printing service. Photographs on the new FinePix camera can be printed on special 3D paper, ready to stick in the family photo album or be instantly viewed on the camera's built-in display.

Unlike the 3D films in cinemas, special glasses do not need to be worn to show the 3D image. The camera takes two photos simultaneously from its two lenses which are fixed a similar distance apart to human eyes.


Using "lenticular" technology, the separate left and right eye images are interlaced on a furrowed surface to create the stereoscopic illusion. This method has been used since the 1940s typically on novelty items and stickers, featuring simple two-frame animations, such as a winking eye. The new camera also incorporates a high-definition 3D video camera, allowing users to watch their home movies back on any 3D TV.

The new FinePix Real 3D W3 will go on sale in early September, costing around 400 pounds.Fujifilm said its 3D printing service would be available "shortly" after the camera's launch. More here >>>

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World's First 3D Camcorder By Panasonic

The problem of what to watch on a 3D TV will be yours to solve with Panasonic's camcorder for families to film birthdays, baby's first walk and weddings, all in 3D.

Numerous global electronics companies are racing 3D televisions into the shops, hoping a revival of interest in the technology sparked by blockbuster movies such as the sci-fi epic "Avatar" will translate into the public wanting the 3D experience at home. But the relative scarcity of three dimensional content is a stumbling block for the products catching on.


The whole camcorder and lens setup, shown Wednesday, starts at about 170,000 yen ($2,000), far more affordable than professional 3D camcorders, which have been the only types available up to now for 3D filming. The camera looks much like a regular digital camcorder but needs a slightly bigger 3D "conversion" lens that's sold separately. The 3D camcorders go on sale in Japan Aug. 20, and will be available in overseas markets later this year, according to the Osaka-based maker of Viera TVs and Lumix digital cameras. Executive Officer Shiro Nishiguchi said Panasonic sees this year as the opening year for "the 3D era." Panasonic has led in introducing 3D products this year, now offering eight 3D TV models, three 3D recorders and four designs in 3D glasses.


"Content you create yourself is going to be what you want to watch, and so it's going to be a killer content," Nishiguchi told reporters at a Tokyo hall.


The 3D camcorder is expected to help 3D products for homes spread quickly, he said, adding that Panasonic will start selling a 3D lens for digital cameras for still photos later this year.Panasonic demonstrated how the camcorder can film a girl playing on swings, and had reporters check out the film through 3D glasses. The image was colorful, clear and 3D but, as a homemade movie, not quite Avatar.
Panasonic said 3D footage shot on its camcorder can be watched on 3D TVs from rivals such as Sony Corp and Samsung Electronics Co.The technology behind 3D works by sending a different image to the right eye and the left eye, just like the human brain constructs an illusion of depth and perspective with images that come in from the left eye and the right eye.


Although some 3D technology doesn't require special glasses, the one shown requires special 3D glasses.

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LG launches 3D-enabled PC

LG Electronics Inc, South Korea's second-biggest consumer electronics maker has developed 3D capable personal computers. 

LG disclosed three new laptop models as well as desktop computers and PC monitors that support 3D movies and contents. The company believes PCs will be a key engine for 3D contents growth, it said.

Its new laptops are priced between 1.6 million won ($1,315) and 1.9 million won, and will account for 30 per cent of the company's laptop lineup in 2011, it said. They will be launched in Latin America, the Middle East and Africa in the coming months. In order to experience the 3D effects, viewers are required to wear glasses, which cause the images to pop out of the screen. 

LG Electronics, also the world's No 2 maker of flat-screen TVs, said earlier that it expects to sell 1 million units of 3D TVs this year. 

The company is among global consumer electronics makers that are betting the 3D technology will spread beyond movie theaters and create new demand in the industry.


Know more about 3D Laptops here

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