LAHORE – Until now, shooting home video in 3D has seemed an afterthought, achieved via optional lenses with limited functionality. JVC’s new flagship GS-TD1 changes the most advanced 3D consumer camcorder we’ve seen to date. 3D on the GS-TD1 is not an optional extra. Twinned HD GT lenses are integrated into the camcorder’s body. Behind each is a 3.32MP 1CMOS sensor. These feed into the camera’s imaging engine, dubbed Falconbrid, which simultaneously processes the two streams. The result is a 1920 x 1080i 3D image recorded in essentially the same MP4 MVC (MultiView codec) format used for Blu-ray.
MVC is not the TD1’s default 3D recording format though, that’s Side-by-Side AVCHD. The reason being AVCHD recordings are far easier to edit and archive than Full HD MVC. Naturally, you can also shoot regular 2D AVCHD on the GS-TD1. When shooting flat only the left hand lens is actually used. Video is recorded to the camcorder’s internal 64GB flash drive, but capacity can be supplemented with SD/SDHC/SDXC cards. You don’t need to wear 3D glasses to enjoy your 3D footage. The TD1’s 3.5inch touch-panel monitor is not only bright and sharp, it’s autostereocopic.
This means you can view footage or compose your scene in 3D, without having to wear special glasses. A large circular 3D button on the back of the cam switches the display between dimensions. The camcorder itself is well built, but the unusual shape takes some getting used to. The rectangular body has a slightly awkward balance. Familiarising yourself with the operating logic of the rear-placed buttons and onscreen menus also takes time. This is not an intuitive camcorder to use straight from the box.
Footage shot in AVCHD 3D has enormous depth. Frame correctly and subjects pop out of the screen. Unlike material captured by rival Panasonic 3D cams, the TD1 delivers a full-frame 3D image without black borders. Throw in the ability to use a x5 optical zoom and you end up with stereo footage that looks profoundly professional. As a 2D camcorder the TD1 can be considered rather good, although we feel a 3CMOS device would beat it for colour and shadow subtlety in a shootout. Clarity is excellent in all AVCHD 2D recording modes.
