# The Real Future of 3d Photography?



## justlukeyou (Oct 21, 2009)

Hi,

I' currently doing some research I am interested in peoples thoughts towards the real future of 3D photography. Will it receive a sizeable market penetration and what are its limits?

Will be reading our newspapers with 3D glasses to look at amazing photographs or will it sink and fail?

What are your thoughts?


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## JamesMason (Oct 21, 2009)

Partner is a film producer and 3d films are taking off in a big way. Cant see why still imaging wont catch on in time


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## Derrel (Oct 21, 2009)

When I was a kid, I used to stop by my city library,and the librarians would trust me to look through box after box of old stereo opticon photographs, viewed using an 1890's vintage, original stereo viewer. Photos were from the 1880's to 1900 era mostly, with lots of views of the Great Pyramids, world landmarks, Grand Canyon views, loads of travel photos from The Grand Tour. Of course, stereo photography died out the minute cinema became a reality. Maybe a 20-25 year era of popularity, then nothing.

Fast forward fifty years to the 1950's and the GAF Corporation with the 3-D ViewMaster....remember those little cardboard wheels and the little plastic viewers? Tower used to make some cool 3-D Cameras. That 3-D craze lasted about a decade.

Fast forward to around 1979 or so...the Nimzlo 3-D Camera....that lasted about six months.

Now FujiFilm has a new 3D-camera appearing on the market. I give it a year. 3D movies...every time there's a new wrinkle, the 3D film market has a minor revival. 50's,60,70's,80's,90's, 2000's, there's a handful of 3D movies, and occasionally one does well. At my local mutliplex, we've taken our son to see a few 3D movies, but the substantial price premium is causing the theatres to stop the 3D showings,often days to a month earlier than the regular 2-D versions of the same titles. I don't know how big 3-D will end up being on anything except kiddie movies, and it seems that the vast majority of people are simply not willing to pay $2-$2.75 more per showing of a 3D movie.


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## JamesMason (Oct 21, 2009)

> I don't know how big 3-D will end up being on anything except kiddie movies, and it seems that the vast majority of people are simply not willing to pay $2-$2.75 more per showing of a 3D movie.



Thats interesting, in the UK 3d films tend to be cheaper than their 2d counterparts


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## Dismine (Oct 21, 2009)

like derrel said, 3d is a fad. i dont see it ever becoming something significant.


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## DennyCrane (Oct 22, 2009)

There's some major directors in Hollywood now saying they'll never shoot in 2D again. I think we're on the crux of a major change in film direction, which will a) drive newer simpler 3D technology and b) spill over to photography, television, print media, etc.

Remember, the digital music age didn't start with iTunes, but with CDs ...then evolved to where we're at now. 3D will gradually take a more and more important role.


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## Buckster (Oct 22, 2009)

DennyCrane said:


> There's some major directors in Hollywood now saying they'll never shoot in 2D again. I think we're on the crux of a major change in film direction, which will a) drive newer simpler 3D technology and b) spill over to photography, television, print media, etc.
> 
> Remember, the digital music age didn't start with iTunes, but with CDs ...then evolved to where we're at now. 3D will gradually take a more and more important role.


What's your predicted time frame?


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## Garbz (Oct 22, 2009)

I wouldn't say 3D is a fad. It's coming, but I don't think it has a future in photography. The 3D you see in the cinemas these days it getting better and better. It may very soon make it into the home (by soon I mean within 10-20 years or so). 

However 3D for photography has been the next great thing since photography was conceived as Derrel has pointed out. I don't see it as going to something beyond a toy people play with.


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## Buckster (Oct 22, 2009)

Anybody here doing any 3-D?  Ever played with it?  I've got a couple "side-step" style, cross your eyes 3-D's I've made.


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## DennyCrane (Oct 22, 2009)

Buckster said:


> What's your predicted time frame?


It's so money-driven, and competition is so fierce, I think every major studio will be shifting to 3D within 2 years and by then we'll have 40-50% of all releases in that format. But spilling over to other mediums... I won't even guess. The technology isn't in place. I, personally, am not looking forward to dealing with a modern ViewMaster rig to look at pictures.



Buckster said:


> Anybody here doing any 3-D?  Ever played with it?  I've got a couple "side-step" style, cross your eyes 3-D's I've made.


They fascinate me and I will me making some soon. Stay Tuned.


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## DennyCrane (Oct 22, 2009)

Garbz said:


> I wouldn't say 3D is a fad. It's coming, but I don't think it has a future in photography. The 3D you see in the cinemas these days it getting better and better. It may very soon make it into the home (by soon I mean within 10-20 years or so).
> 
> However 3D for photography has been the next great thing since photography was conceived as Derrel has pointed out. I don't see it as going to something beyond a toy people play with.


Holography is a possibility. Imagine seeing real DoF in a picture you hold in your hand with no special glasses or 220v power lines to drag around.


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## Soocom1 (Oct 22, 2009)

Working in the Survey/CAD/GIS field, I see the future in it absolute zygote infancy. 
The use of lasers to generate a "Cloud" formation using something called LYNX is going to be the direction this all goes. Though in its absolute infancy, this system will eventually be the future of photography. 

using a laser, it shoots a beam out and records back the point as it is reflected. It creates a "cloud" of data in a virtual 3D world.  Then its just a matter of creating a closed "cloud" and projecting it into a medium in a permanent bases. This wont be seen for many years, but the techniques used in older survey systems incorporated the old photographic principles.  This is defiantly the future.


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## ErectedGryphon (Oct 22, 2009)

DennyCrane said:


> Garbz said:
> 
> 
> > I wouldn't say 3D is a fad. It's coming, but I don't think it has a future in photography. The 3D you see in the cinemas these days it getting better and better. It may very soon make it into the home (by soon I mean within 10-20 years or so).
> ...


 
But who could afford the printer for home use? inTempus would probably be the only one, he has some nice toys!


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## DennyCrane (Oct 22, 2009)

It wasn't that long ago that a 32" flatscreen TV was $15,000.


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