Still playing with the device but considering the pricepoint, I think I will be fairly satisfied with the device.Pros : The 3D quality is better then I thought it would be, it really does a decent job and with the mini HDMI connection, it's pretty quick to watch it on your 3DTV. There isn't nearly the level of ghosting that I would have expected given it was a 250$ 3D recording device. I went in thinking I wouldn't get that level of 3D. Non 3D movies shot in HD end up looking very nice as well. I've had a flip and two kodaks of this class type in the past and this was the best quality out of all of them. Also, one thing most of the compact devices lack is any sort of light/flash, it's nice to have a little help in low light situations with the built in led light. The menus are easy enuf to navigate thru and I love have seperate dedicated buttons for pics or video. I like the integrated usb slide out dongle. The unit itself seems to have a good quality build to it.
Cons : No optical zoom in any mode, no zooming digital or optical in 3D mode. The optical I get, I don't think anything in this class does but the 3d no digital zoom is dissapointing. Also, it is supposed to have some image stabilization but I found this part of it to be poor too, videos in the upper hd modes can get very jittery. In playback mode, there is no slideshow or auto play feature I can find which is a shame. If you have a bunch of mini clips recorded and are trying to watch on the tv, you will have to get up and manually play each clip. Also, I wish, especially with this device having two lenses, there was some lens cover implementation. The led light is not of the quality of lets say the iphone 4 one, it's nice to have but it does not make this a flash camera or flash video device. As stated in the other review, the 3d screen is very, very poor, almost unusable in 3D mode. The 3DS screens in video mode are just as bad though in my opinion. Battery life does seem to be poor in 3D mode, average in non 3d use. Quite a bit of my cons I can understand given the class of device it is, hence only the one star ding. I just wanted to portray all the negatives I had come up against so far.
Not con nor pro : Stills are average per class usual, software provided is average
I didn't test out the sharing options although it seems to have a wealth of them. Also, in non U.S. territories, there is also a package sold with a panaramic 360 degree view add on device. The manual talks about it. As far as I can tell, this device is not sold seperately anywhere yet, and the combo package is not offered natively in the U.S.
End of the day, content and 3D integration is still pretty limited for 3DTV users and in that scenario, I reccomend it to 3DTV purchasers as another way to get some bang for their buck from their 3dTV purchase. That said, would I buy this if I didn't have a 3dTV? No way, the 3d screen is too poor for that to be the only method of your 3d watching of your content and sans the 3d, all the rest of the features are offered on their lesser costing versions of the bloggie.
The stereo 3D effect is good although not as strong or versatile as the Fuji W3 camera. Sony can shoot 3D at closer distances than the Fuji, and seems suitable for close ups and 3D Video Blogging.
The LCD looks poor in 3D mode, small and pixelated, does not show much 3D effect or pop out.
The 3D Bloggie is a good choice for anyone that has access to a 3DTV or 3D Monitor. It can play back 3D video directly to a 3DTV using it's built in mini HDMI port, Video looks good on a 3DTV. Photos and Video may also be viewed in 3D on the PC using a program called Stereoscopic player.
Pros: Highest resolution 3D video in its class (960x1080 lines per eye), small, light & easy to use, side by side 3D format may be edited and shared easily, built in USB port, 60FPS 720HD(2D) 1080P(2D), low cost, built in memory.
Cons: Small and poor quality Viewfinder (in 3D mode), short battery life in 3D mode (less than an hour), no flash, replaceable battery, lens cover, optical zoom, 3D Adjustment.
VS the Fuji W3: Fuji's 3D LCD is fantastic. Fuji takes higher quality pictures and has more features.
Buy Sony Bloggie 3D Camera (Black) Now
With a few changes, the Bloggie 3D could have been a great video camera. But its high price tag and lack of accessories earn it only 3 stars.On the positive side, the camera does seem to take pretty decent 3D videos. As advertised, its twin camera lenses enable you to take both still shots and full-motion video in 3D. (It's also possible to take traditional 2D photos and videos). The camera can even snap still shots while simultaneously recording a video.
Videos can be played back on a 3D TV, through the YouTube 3D Channel, or right on your Bloggie screen without glasses (though this requires you to look at the little screen from a certain distance and angle, and tires the eyes quickly).
As the name "Bloggie" suggests, this camera is all about social networking. It's a breeze to make your video, plug it into your computer, trim the length, and then with the click of a button you can upload it to sites like Facebook or YouTube.
Nevertheless, this camera has some real shortcomings. It has no optical zoom and takes very poor still shots. Even in good outdoor lighting, I was disappointed. It does not have a flash, though it does come with a mediocre LED light. You will definitely want to buy a separate digital camera if you plan to take a lot of still shots.
The design of the back of the camera also makes it difficult to hold with one hand. When taking a video, my thumb keeps wanting to bump into the directional key, which causes the lens to zoom in or out. Another big drawback is that the Bloggie does not have RCA jacks to plug into a traditional TV, nor does it have an AC Adapter (you have to charge it using the USB cable, which means you'd better have your computer with you if you plan to do very much recording).
If you want to dabble into 3D movie-making, then the Bloggie might be right for you. It's not a bad camera, but at a retail price of $250, I expected more from Sony than this.
Read Best Reviews of Sony Bloggie 3D Camera (Black) Here
(2008 HOLIDAY TEAM) I was skeptical of this little camera that purported to shoot digital video in 3D, mostly because I couldn't imagine that it would translate well to my 55" Samsung 3D TV. First, I wasn't sure of the compatibility between the Sony Bloggie and Samsung technology. Second, bad quality video always looks worse when enlarged to 55". And last, I read some reviews that said the LCD screen on the back made video look like those old style trading cards that you flipped back and forth to get "action," and I didn't want cheesy fake 3D. But I'll tell you right now: you will not care about the pixelated false 3D on the viewing screen once you see it on your TV. The Sony Bloggie 3D is not perfect, and it does have its cons; however, I haven't had such fun with a video camera since I got my first generation Flip camera. Although it can also shoot 2D, I see no reason to get this if that's your primary purpose since there are less expensive options. You'd be better off with Kodak PlaySport HD Waterproof Pocket Video Camera (Black) or, if you can find one, Flip UltraHD Video Camera.The Bloggie comes with a short USB extender (in case you can't plug it into your computer directly using the Flip-like USB arm) and a wrist strap. If you want to view this on your 3D TV, you'll have to also get a mini-HDMI to HDMI cable. I bought AmazonBasics High-Speed Mini-HDMI to HDMI Cable with Ethernet (6.5 Feet/2 Meters) but any length or brand will do, as long is one end is mini-HDMI (for the camera) and HDMI for the TV AND high-speed. (Older HDMI cables might not support the greater demands of 3D.) The camera does not come with a case or even a pouch, so you might want to get something to protect the lenses. The Bloggie does not have a removable battery and must be charged via USB.
The camera itself has two lenses, side by side, to shoot stereoscopic video. The body is much more slender than the Flip UltraHD -and that's a feat. The record button has just the right amount of sensitivity.The 4x zoom can only be used in 2D mode; although the zoom is more powerful than the Flip UltraHD's, the results are more grainy. The on-screen menu takes some getting used to, although with use it gets easier. Changing between 3D and 2D modes requires pressing only one button, and for that, I'm thankful. The no-glasses-required LCD screen, while not showing you how good the video will be on your 3D TV, certainly gives you an idea of what you have. The tripod attachment hole is on the short end of the camera, requiring a vertical positioning of the camera; unfortunately, you can shoot 3D ONLY in a horizontal orientation. The camera is smart enough to know the orientation, so it both warns you if you can't take 3D that way and adjusts the on-screen menu so you can read it.
The software that comes with the Bloggie is bare-bones. Even trimming the ends of a video is not intuitive. And weeks after receiving the Bloggie, I'm still trying to install a firmware update on my iMac. You cannot view or edit the 3D video using a regular video editing program because the camera shoots two separate images that are merged in a file with a .thm suffix, although you can convert any 3D video to 2D MP4 format, which then can be edited. Fortunately, the Bloggie software allows you to move 3D video from your computer, where it is saved in your Bloggie library, back to the camera for playback on your 3D TV. Unless you have the necessary software and DVD burner, you cannot save the 3D video to a DVD for later playback. Everything must be replayed through the Bloggie, making that mini-HDMI cable crucial to your enjoyment of your 3D home video. It's easy to share videos shot with it, albeit in 2D, with the Facebook, YouTube, and special circles icons at the top of the software window. I don't understand why the software won't allow me to combine clips into a single movie that I can then play back through my Bloggie. To me, that's a major omission. Only 3stars for the software.
The drawbacks are not enough to take away the wow-factor of this camera. When I sat my husband down with Samsung 3D glasses and started up the video, his first comment was, "Holy cow!" Then, he said, "This is the real reason to get a 3D TV." The depth of the video is awesome. I recorded birds on a feeder, and they hopped into the foreground, underneath the swaying flowers that seemed to reach out of the screen, but perhaps even more impressive was the baseball game I recorded, with rows of people in front of me and the game unfolding beyond them. It felt as though I was there again. Wow. This camera is perfect for recording family get-togethers, sports events, nature (as long as it's close up), and special occasions. It makes home movies seem more real. 5+ stars for how it looks on my 3D TV.
Don't bother purchasing this camera if you do not have a 3D set because playback on the no-glasses LCD screen is not satisfying enough. And unless you have the right equipment, don't expect to burn DVDs to share among 3D sets. The best thing you can hope for is to save the video to your computer now so you can create 3D movies and DVDs in the future when 3D technology has gotten more prevalent.
For now, though, my whole family is in love with the Sony Bloggie 3D. Although it makes me yearn for better software and playback options, I wouldn't give it up for anything. 5 stars for the sheer fun of seeing home video in 3D.
-Debbie Lee Wesselmann
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I'm a film maker who probably generates about 1 hour of polished edited footage every week, and I've long suspected that 3D was going to become a format that just can't be ignored.The truth is I stayed away from 3D simply because i didn't understand it, and was worried that the workflow of taking a video to being able to edit and upload a polished piece of footage was going to be too complicated to understand.
Then I found the Sony Bloggie 3D, I hadn't originally planned on purchasing it, it was more of an impulse buy. (Lets be honest at less than $200 it really is a bargain compared to most Video Cameras)
The truth is I haven't been disappointed. OK It's not a pro camera like many of my others, and it doesn't have the best features. But you're not buying it for that. You're buying it for a simple point and shoot 3d video camera, and if you remember that's what it's for you will NOT be disappointed.
It does exactly what it says on the tin.
The Picture quality is good. (I managed to shoot some amazing 3d Lens flares in this short )
The camera is light enough to carry around in a pocket.
The Workflow through FCPX is awesome Providing you use the plugin Stereo toolbox LE. ($99)
And to be completely honest for $199 you can't really ask for much more.
Highly recommended.
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