Making 3-D films involves shooting scenes from two slightly different angles, a task that once required a 450-pound camera system moved by machinery. For the blockbuster Avatar, director James Cameron used a camera that could be carried, but it still weighed 50 pounds and had multiple parts. A new model weighs just seven pounds and is the first professional-quality camcorder to combine all the necessary components for 3-D filmmaking: lenses, camera head, and twin memory card recorder. The camera handles the tricky calibration process through a combination of user controls and automated systems. It could bring 3-D effects within reach of independent filmmakers for the first time.

Courtesy of Panasonic