Panasonic Lumix DMC-3D1 review

3D digital camera with two lenses and touchscreen

Panasonic Lumix DMC-3D1
'True' 3D still and movie shooting is provided via the camera's dual lenses

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Panasonic Lumix DMC-3D1 review

SPLIT: The Panasonic Lumix 3D1 is capable of using its two lenses differently, giving you the option of shooting video with one lens and a JPEG with the other (useful for moving subjects such as this), or shooting a wide shot and a tele shot at the same time. The Fuji W3 has perhaps more useful 'split' photography functions, enabling you to shoot with two different ISO settings or colour treatments.

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Panasonic Lumix DMC-3D1 review

WHITE BALANCE: White balance presets are limited and the auto setting can struggle in typically challenging situations, such as in artificial lighting and in shade (it hasn't totally removed the coolness in this shot). The white balance can be set manually however, or fine-tuned through red and blue sliders on the touchscreen.

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Panasonic Lumix DMC-3D1 review

FACE RECOGNITION: Up to six people can be recognised in the Panasonic Lumix 3D1's Face Recognition memory. The camera will then prioritise focus and exposure automatically when it identifies a face resembling one of the registered ones. The function can't be used when recording in 3D or shooting movies, however.

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Panasonic Lumix DMC-3D1 review

CLOSE 3D: You need to position the camera so that subjects in the foreground are reasonably close in order for the 3D effect to be more pronounced. Not too close though: any nearer than 90cm (wide zoom) or 3.4m (tele zoom) and a red 3D alert indicator appears on the screen.

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Panasonic Lumix DMC-3D1 review

LANDSCAPE:Intelligent Auto mode selected a landscape setting here. It's a very effective system, choosing the right setting for most situations. The camera comes with a good range of Panasonic's Intelligent shooting modes, including iHandheld Nite Shot, which rapidly shoots and merges multiple images, reducing the need for using a tripod in the dark.

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Panasonic Lumix DMC-3D1 review

HIGH RESOLUTION: The Panasonic Lumix 3D1 also offers a moderate increase in sensor resolution over the Fuji W3 - 12MP vs 10MP - although this drops to 8MP when shooting 3D stills. With 25-100mm equivalent optical zoom reach, the Lumix lenses offer a wider aspect, too. The Fuji W3 starts at 35mm, but stretches to a similar 105mm at the top end.

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Panasonic Lumix DMC-3D1 review

WIDE ANGLE: Panasonic Lumix 3D1 at 4.5mm (25mm equivalent).

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Panasonic Lumix DMC-3D1 review

TELEPHOTO: Panasonic Lumix 3D1 at 18mm (100mm equivalent).

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