I shot my first 3D movie in March 2010 using two Canon T2i cameras on a parallel 3D rig. Editing and rendering the footage was incredibly difficult; I used Sony Vegas to edit each view independently and Stereo Moviemaker to adjust the 3D effect. Finally, I was able to master a 3D Blu-ray using a beta version of NetBlender's DoStudio, a $10,000 program that included support for the 3D MVC codec.Fast forward just over a year. The newly released 10.0d version of Sony Vegas natively supports the MVC codec, allowing 3D footage to be edited as easily as 2D footage. It also allows 3D Blu-rays to be burned directly from the timeline.
As for the camera itself: I was pleasantly surprised to find it exceeded my expectations. Color reproduction is exceptional, image stabailization is very good, and the glasses-free 3D display is extremely nice. Only the sound quality disappoints, but I almost never rely on built-in mics (opting instead for a Zoom H4N paired with an Audio Technica AT875R).
As an entry into the world of 3D, this camera is phenomenal. There are "prosumer" 3D cameras on the way, but for those who edit in Vegas, there's really no better or cheaper way to jump into the world of 3D shooting and editing today that with this camera.
For those without Vegas, editing a bit more difficult. Clips can be edited in-camera using some fairly simple software (you can even download music onto the camera to use as a soundtrack behind your clips). But you won't get nearly the performance you would get using dedicated editing software. And please note: Vegas is the ONLY software under $4000 currently offering the ability to manipulate MVC files. Premiere doesn't have it, nor does Final Cut Pro.
But for Vegas owners, or just those who love new tech, this camera come very highly recommended!
(I have shown this to a few colleagues unfamiliar with 3D and watched their faces light up with glee; one described it as "like traveling into the future." That's awesome.)
When watched on a 3d tv or projector it is fantastic. Oh, one more thing, it takes great HD 2-D as well.
Buy Sony HDR-TD10 High Definition 3D Handycam Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom (Silver) Now
*** i'm editing my review by rearranging the paragraphs (and shorting my review) because there's a lot of confusion on what you can and can't do with the 3d files this camcorder makes. hopefully this will help clarify things***this camcorder makes MVC format 3D files, these are high end AVCHD files with full hd resolution. this is the same format as the 3D blu-rays you see in the stores. the problem isn't the camera. as of right now, due to licencing reasons i dont understand, unless you want to spend about $4-$12 grand on netblender or something similar, you can't "author" your own 3d spec blu-ray that will work on every player like you get when you buy a commercial movie in the stores. that doesn't mean you can't make a 3d hd blu-ray that will work on all players. it dosen't mean you can't make full HD 3D blu-ray. it does mean that unless you have a lot of time and money on your hand, that you can't make a "full HD 3D blu-ray that works on all 3d players and tvs"
sony recently released its 3d video editing software for consumers, it can be found at sonycreativesoftware.com or here on amazon at Sony Creative Software Movie Studio HD Platinum Suite 11 V.11 or Sony Creative Software Movie Studio HD Platinum 11for only about $100. with this software you will be able to view and edit the MVC format files this camera makes in 3d, and you can burn 3d blu-rays from it as well,... not full res MVC spec blu ray with menus, but you can burn the files to the disc as a data disc that many players will recognise (like playstation 3). even without the software a playstatino 3 will recognise the raw video file. if your player wont read data discs, vegas 11 can convert it to side by side or interlace for you and you can use the sony dvd authorinng program to make a disc any player will play. obviously if you go side by side or interlace it will cut the resolution to each eye in half but it will do untill a hacker either cracks the code, or someone releases consumer grade authoring software. (vegas 11 will even do red/blue or pink/cyan glasses conversion for non 3d displays and for use on dvd format discs. so you can send 3d dvds and 50cent classes to friends and family)
all be told. there are options. not all of them straight forward, but for $100 in software and a capable bluray or dvd burner, you won't be stuck with a bunch of files you can only view by hooking up directly from your camcorder. but we will have to wait for the holy grail of getting the ease, compatability and full resolution of a commercial 3D BD
ok, now to the camera !
the TD10 is basicly a HDR-CX560V with the extra do-dads nessasary to make it 3D. the first thing that hit me out of the box was how beefy the thing is. i'm making a huge step up from the sony dcr-sx41 i picked up in 09. the sx41 is extreamly light weight,so much so that even my heartbeat would cause it to bump the image around in my huge palms, but the inertia of the TD10 helps keep the image still. that being said, it's not a featherweight, but in no way is it a brick, the added width and weight moves the center of mass but it's easy to get used to. that ridge in front of the zoom toggle is there so your middle and ring fingers can provide extra support for the extended center of mass. the whole unit feels higher end than ive seen from most other camcorders. the brushed alumiinum look, the thicker hand pad buckle, the more comfortable leather like section on the right hand side of the unit, the huge 3.5 inch screen, the fact the 1.5 inch npf-v70 battery sits flush in the enclousure, even the fact they put the hdmi to mini hdmi cable in the box instead of mking you buy it seperately this certiantly feels like a no BS flagship sony gadget.
shooting in 3D is a fun and new experance, i'm glad sony placed in the huge 3.5 inch parralax barrier 3d lcd on the thing and no viewfinder. shooting in 3D means you have to be mindfull of object placement, stability, proper zoom levels, and convergence windows. the glasses free lcd makes that work intuitively easy for almost any user. don't think nintendo 3DS type deal here, this high res screen puts that weak sauce screen to shame. it's easy to find the sweet spot here, and becasue it's already in 3d you can tell if you are too close to your subject and if you are about to give your friends and family a headache. even the on screen data, like the 5.1 mic pickup levels, and menu buttons sit at the convergance window threshhold so you know if you are adding proper depth to your movies or popping objects out of the tv screen to smack people in the face. you can press a button on the side and the screen will display 2d like any other camcorder, while it records 3D. which is good in bright situations where there can be a distracting bit of crosstalk.
the only thing worse than a bouncy unstable image is a bouncy unstable image in 3D. the TD10 offer two levels of stabilisation. at the factory set top level, the image will slowly 'float' into position after making big turns then it holds it perfetly still. it's a very smooth movie like pan effect that faintly reminds me of the kind of software pan you see on 4:3 tv shows converted from 16:9 movies. the second setting gets rid of the 'float' effect, but still holds things awesomely steady. even with the stabilization tuned off, this thing has enough mass in its self to keep things comfortable even when hand held.
the 64gb of storage will get you over 5 hours of 3D HD. so i would recommend just getting a good 2.5 inch external hard drive if you need more space. (you need to format the hard drive into FAT or FAT32. Windows will not do that over 32gb so you will need to download a free fat 32 formatt utility from the internet.) you can move files directly from the TD10 to external storage while on vacation and edit it at home later or use the camcorder to output 3d by playign movies directly from the hard drive.
is it worth it? (the $1500) that depends. i do think that on close inspection the HDR-CX560V has a slightly less graniy picture, nothing i cant fix in post production but this is just judging from the image on the lcd in a brightly lit department store so take that with a grain of salt, but obviously the HDR-CX560V lacks he TD10s greatist feature, that being 3D! one of the price limiting factors about this tech is that there are 2 lenses, 2 exmor sensors, 2 boinz image processors, etc,.... basicly, some of the most expensive parts of the camera have to be doubled so unlike the step to HD where prices come down over time, 3d (done right) will always have a bit of a premium. also, when in 3d mode, the camera uses almost twice as much power to operate. even fully charged, the NP-FV70 battery that comes with it will only get you a little over 2 hours of operating time. most other camcorders this battery will will get you nearly 5 hours. (i do strongly recommend a second battery)
seriously, there's nothing else in the full HD consumer level 3d camcorder arena and it is a bit pricy. there a plenty of awesome full hd 2D camcorders in the $500 $900 range right now. if you want to wait a year or so and see if somebody releases something a little less for a little less do so but don't expect anything sub $1000 anytime soon. for people like me who want to future proof themselves for a few years and capture memories in 3d now, than yes. absolutly go for it. sony has set the standard and you won't be dissapointed in the unit itself. (you may however be disapointed that there may well be a very long wait for the ablity to burn a full hd 3d blu ray at teh consumer level)
*edited with updated vegas 11 info, and placed the common misconceptions on topThis is an excellent, state of the art, full 1080p, 3D camcorder. It is very easy to use and the quality of the 3D and 2D video recordings is amazing. I really like being able to save the video to an external hard disk. The external hard disk acts like a DVR for 3D movies which is cool. You really don't even need to burn your movies to an external Blu Ray burner (but it would be nice if you could). However, not all external drives work and I wish Sony would list which ones work and which ones don't so we don't have to find out by trial and error. Another nice feature is that the camera remembers which video clips were copied to the external hard disk and next time, it will only copy the new ones.
One thing I wish I could do was take 3D photos which for some reason is not possible. Also, Sony's external blu ray burners do not allow you to burn 3D movies on Blu Ray. I hope this changes soon primarily so you can give a copy of your videos to family and friends. Now, the only option is to use an external blu ray burner and copy a 2D version of your 3D movie.
Another great thing about this camcorder is being able to see the scene you are recording or have recorded in 3D without glasses.
I was able to easily connect it to my Panasonic Viera 3D TV with the supplied HDMI cable and the 3D picture quality is so good, it is worth every penny. The quality is actually as good or better than some commercially available 3D blu ray documentaries.
Overall, I am very satisfied with this camcorder and I would highly recommend it. My family and friends had lots of fun watching our 3D videos and even our dog likes them (yes, I have to hold the 3D glasses so they don't fall off his face).
Want Sony HDR-TD10 High Definition 3D Handycam Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom (Silver) Discount?
The 3D effect is surprisingly good. Occasional ghosting but even with structure in the near foreground focusing is excellent and image registration is very good. The probelm with this camera is that the auto white balance is awful, the resolution is just above a very good standard definition camcorder and the exposure is more often than not in error. None of these can be manually set in 3D mode. The white balance is particularly bad and seems to struggle across the spectrum. Natural greens are shifted towards yellow or blue depending on lighting making the results very objectionable in all outdoor settings. The resolution problem is no doubt due to the need to register two discreet lenses. Fine detail that would normally be seen in a prosumer level HD camcorder is completely absent. The exposure problems seem to be one of contrast as light colored objects in the same scene are blown out while darker objects and shadows are a muddy mess. And yes I auto aligned and manually aligned the lenses. I tried shooting a white board to establish a more accurate white balance all without any noticeable improvement.For a grandparent that wants to preserve those little rascals in a new and novel way and are not too critical with regards to performance this would be a great toy. Most of the positive reviews listed here seem to fall into this category. For those who expect a more serious camera you will be dissapointed.
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