Has 3D Imaging Arrived?

By TWICE Staff On Aug 22 2011 - 4:01am

TWICE: How is the 3D photography market shaping up?

Stefan Guelpen, Panasonic: Today 3D is about 5 percent of overall TV sales and 20 percent in larger screen TVs, and I believe that’s because not everybody who purchases a 3DTV knows what it means or what it does. There is a significant reluctance to watch movies wearing glasses.

As far as imaging is concerned, it is a chicken-or-theegg type question. You have the viewing capability, and you have the recording capability. They complement each other. Most of 3D viewing today is passive content — meaning, it is prerecorded movies and so forth. But using 3D recording technology, whether that is still or video, actually gives you active content. That provides additional motivation to watch 3D and will create more demand for TVs, but so far the demand for 3D camcorders and the 3D lens [for select Micro Four Thirds cameras] has been small.

Peter Ewen, Olympus: It’s about features, and to what Stefan was saying, you’ve got to have the content. You’ve got to have the viewing capability. Our new pointand- shoot has 3D capability and the new Pen lets you shoot a 3D image.

Liz Cutting, Panasonic: It seems like not enough people have experienced it yet. We are reporting 3D at a 7 percent penetration level in the U.S. market, so far. That’s not a lot, and I think when we ask people what kinds of things they would be interested in watching in 3D, viewing personal images ranks as a choice. But only 1 percent are saying that they intend to go out and get a camera or camcorder with that feature, so the interest just isn’t there yet.

John Carlson, Pentax: I think it’s a matter of the entertainment industry creating content that people want to see and driving that interest from the TV market. It’s interesting technology, but it’s not perfected yet. The entertainment industry seems to be doing it right, and others are trying but not really making it. You leave a movie theater today and think, “Why did I just spend extra money to see it in 3D, when it would’ve been better in 2D?”, so, I think it’s like Stefan says, kind of a chicken-and-egg scenario. The entertainment industry and the TV industry just have a little further to go before it’s more widely accepted.

Mark Sherengo, Pentax: I learned last year too that it’s not a new technology. Consumers didn’t accept it years ago. There are a lot of issues with 3D. When it becomes something that the market’s really demanding, I think we’ll look at it, but I think right now we are on the sidelines more or less watching to see where it goes.

John Carlson, Pentax: We actually had a 3D camera a few years ago and dropped that feature.

TWICE: What about lenticular 3D photo printing. Any interest yet?

Stefan Guelpen, Panasonic: As far as [lenticular] 3D printing is concerned, we’re not in that field, and I think it’s very much of a niche opportunity. But it will grow.

David Lee, Nikon: There have been many attempts at [3D printing] through the years, but it never really caught on. To me the biggest challenge with 3D is how do you get the consumer to experience it? Because if you go to any of these displays in a big-box store, it’s very difficult to maintain that demo setup with glasses, and give the consumer any type of an enjoyable viewing experience, especially in an unassisted selling area.

I think there are still a lot of big challenges in giving the consumer that positive experience.

Guelpen: The interesting part is when you talk to event photographers, wedding photographers in particular, you have to start thinking about asking the client if they would want to have their wedding shot in 2D and 3D? That’s a valid question right now, because you have to think ahead. In 10 years when you start looking back at this event, do you want it to be in the old technology or do you want to be in the new technology? So there I think there’s a big question mark. I think at Panasonic, at least, we’re going to make a major effort in the next 12 months to go at least after the professional market and help them to make those decisions to stay forward compatible.