Panasonic unveils 3D consumer camcorder

Japanese electronics giant Panasonic Corp. on Wednesday unveiled what it says is the world's first consumer camcorder to allow anyone to record in three dimensions using a special lens.

The electronics giant, which earlier launched a 3D camcorder for professional use, said its HDC-SDT750 camcorder, to be launched on August 20 in Japan, would allow "anyone to create powerful, true-to-life 3D images".

Using a 3D conversion lens, the device will record left-eye and right-eye images simultaneously to produce a stereoscopic image that can be played back on 3D-capable TVs.

It will go on sale overseas later this year at a suggested retail price of 1,399.95 dollars, Panasonic said.

The camcorder can also record full high-definition images when the 3D lens is not attached, Panasonic said, and also features a time lapse recording feature which can play scenes such as a blooming flower at accelerated speed.

The entertainment and technology industries are gearing up to take advantage of the 3D bandwagon as the technology becomes increasingly mainstream and its popularity rises in the wake of Hollywood blockbusters such as "Avatar".

Panasonic also said separately that the company would launch the "world's first" interchangeable 3D lens for its LUMIX digital cameras before the end of this year, enabling high-quality 3D shooting.