Printing 3D images can be an expensive undertaking (just look at Fujifilm's Finepix Real 3D W3, which'll run you at least US$500). But for those of us who can't shell out a ton of green for a 3D camera and printer, toy company Takara Tomy has come out with a "toy" 3D camera called the 3D Shot Cam that'll give you stereoscopic 3D images in a small form factor.
Outfitted with twin 0.3 megapixel sensors, the 3D Shot Cam prints two tiny images on a strip which you then slide into a special viewer to get the stereo 3D effect. Looking through the two eye holes in the viewer allows your brain to "see" a 3D image. While the Shot Cam isn't a Finepix by any stretch of the imagination (no 720p video via a 10 megapixel CCD), this inexpensive camera available in either white or pink will be a cheap way to generate 3D imagery on the fly.
No word on whether the 3D Shot Cam will be available outside of Japan, but it should come out in Japan early next year with a $70 price tag (5,980 yen). No details yet on the printing system or the cost of ink and paper, but we're guessing it might be pretty low judging by the size of the sample images. Would you buy this camera, or will the novelty wear off fast? Or would you rather build your own out of old webcam parts?
Takara Tomy (Japanese) via Engadget
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