Aiptek3D i2 is an interesting and affordable consumer 3D camcorder that can take 3D videos and 3D photos, as well as normal 2D videos and photographs. It is most certainly not the best 3D camcorder out there, but for a sub $200 USD product you should not expect perfect quality and results and to tell you the truth for its price, the Aiptek i2 3D camcorder does pretty well for what you are paying for it.
I’ve had one camcorder for about two weeks to play with and to test of course and I can say that once you get a hold of the specifics of the device you are able to get very nice results with it.
The Aiptek 3D i2 is essentially a pocket Internet camcorder, although it’s a little bigger than most in this genre. So it’s very limited on features. Inside is a 5-megapixel CMOS sensor with a healthy 1/3.2in diagonal. This provides still images up to 2,592 x 1,944 pixels, but video is only available at 720p and 30 frames/sec.
Feeding the sensor are two lenses situated either corner at the top of the device. When shooting in 3D both are used, but only one is called upon for 2D.
The 2.4-inch 3D panel shows your 3D video without the need for glasses and truly has the wow factor the first time you view it. To view the videos on your computer you’ll need some software supplied that it comes supplied with and some neat red/cyan glasses from the 80s.
Moreover, video can be uploaded to YouTube in 3D and you can also watch your footage by hooking it up to a 3D TV via a HDMI cable. Other than the 3D features, it can also shoot in 2D high def and can take pictures too which are all easy to switch to using the dedicated buttons on the front.
A big screen also brings out the shortcomings of the Aiptek’s video quality. Details are soft, and although the i2 is advertised as a “3D HD device”, the 1,280 x 720 resolution is available for 2D recordings only: 3D mode splits the stream in two, giving an anamorphic 640 x 720 recording.
Worse, although the camera produces 30fps H.264 video files, many frames in our test recordings were duplicated, giving an actual frame rate closer to a jerky 15fps. That makes the i2 an unsatisfactory choice for anyone at all serious about their home videos.
Bundled with the Aiptek i2 3D camcorder you get a pair of plastic red-cyan anaglyph glasses that you can use to view the 3D photos and videos on pretty much any normal LCD monitor or TV set. Of course you will need a player that can have Side by Side input and display the 3D photos/videos in anaglyph format, as I’ve already mentioned the device records 3D in Side by Side format (squashed).
Among the accessories you also get a USB cable for connecting to a PC as well as a mini-HDMI to HDMI video cable that you can use to connect the device to a TV set and preview the recorded content on a bigger display. Notice that the device has very basic set of controls that are easy to use, aside from the joystick that is not that convenient and you may need some time to get used to its specifics.
The Aiptek i2 has a dedicated button to easily switch between 2D and 3D mode that can be used when preparing to shoot as well as when previewing content, have in mind however that when shooting 2D content you get only 2D images and videos and when in 3D mode you get only 3D content recorded.
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