Review: Aiptek3D i2 [English]
I’ve got a new electronic toy. It’s a 3D camera. More precise, it’s the Aiptek 3D i2. I consider it as a toy since it’s in the first generation of 3D cameras in the consumer market and it’s around the $200/£190 mark. Aiptek 3D i2 is available from both Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.
Read on to get the details.
Aiptek3D i2 have two lenses placed a couple of centimeters appart from each other. It’s a 5 megapixel camera and have a resolution of 2592×1944 in 2D. It records video in 1280 x 720p @30 fps. When in 3D-mode, the camera saves the video and picture in side-by-side format. Meaning that the horizontal resolution in 3D-mode is halved. Stillpictures are then 1296 x 1944 and the video is 640 x 720 for each eye. The halving in resolution gives you some artifacts in the video. I’ve read on the net of frame issues, but the latest firmware (for hardware version 1.xxx only) fix this problem (direct download here). I haven’t had that problem my self.
The lenses are fixed, meaning no optical zoom. However, it have a 4x digitalzoom which you should stay away from. Digital zoom is never good.
Aiptek use SD/SDHC memorycards and support up to 32GB. I tried a 16GB memorycard and that will hold around 7,5 hours of video. You will run out of batteries before that. I haven’t tested the battery capacity that well, but I could use it for a period of two hours without problem. The pictures are saved in JPG and the video are saved in AVC h.264 (MP4). No surprise there. The bitrate for the video is 7-8Mbit on average for the clips I checked. The bitrate do depend on what you’re capturing.
Aiptek 3D i2 have a 2.4-inch LCD-screen utilizes the Parallax Barrier technology. This means that you can view the pictures and videos on this screen in 3D without any glasses. It works amazingly well and gives you that 3D-depth effect. The screen has a resolution of 480 x 240.
You can also connect Aiptek 3D i2 to a 3D-TV with the supplied HDMI-cable. If you connect it to a non 3D-TV, you will se the video/picture side-by-side. But fear not. You can convert the videos/pictures with the build-in software to anaglyph 3D. I don’t have a 3D-TV, so this will be my choice when watching 3D on YouTube or HDTV.
I’ve seen that more and more videoediting software do support 3D-editing. I used Magix Movie Edit Pro 17 to edit my videos.
One thing that did annoy me with the camera, was the sound it makes when turning it on and off and when taking pictures. There is no option to turn that sound off. But I hope a future firmware-update will make that possible.
It’s easy to handle Aiptek 3D i2 and I like the size of the device. The video quality is OK, but you get some artifacts and there is some ghosting at least in the anaglyph version (I haven’t testet it on a 3D-TV). The stillpictures are very good.
The Aiptek 3D i2 is a fun camera to have if you want to test 3D for the first time. The price is just about right. You probably won’t make the next Avatar in 3D with it, but you will have a lot of fun making 3D videos and taking picture in the new dimension.
Take a look at the gallery in anaglyph 3D (you need those red–cyan glasses) or download them (links bellow). All pictures and videos are released with a Creative Commons by-nc-sa 3.0.
If you have a PlayStation 3 and 3D-TV, or other 3D enabled devices, please download the supplied video and pictures, test it and report back how it look. I have both side-by-side and anaglyph 3D-version of the pictures. Video-download are in side-by-side only.
ZIP download of testpictures (12 pictures):
aiptek3di2_side-by-side.zip [9MB]
aiptek3di2_anaglyph.zip [5MB]
ZIP-download of my hometown in the Winter (38 pictures):
Hometown_3d_side-by-side.zip [23MB]
Hometown_3D_anaglyph.zip [17MB]
I’m using torrent for the video-download on Mininova.org:
Aiptek 3D i2 – side-by-side 3D-test.torrent [166MB]
My hometown in Winter 3D [side-by-side].torrent [169MB]
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I have been trying to get the firmware fix for the Aiptek I2 framerate issue, but the link on the Aiptek.de site no longer works. Can you upload the firmware zip file somewhere to share the firmware? Please help if you can. Thanks.-Robin
Strange, I’ve manage to download the file without problems. But go to the Downloads-tab on this link.
i have that Aiptek i2 since Christmas. The artefacts and ghostings are very disappointing (i see them in your footage too)
I guess we’ll have to live with that. The 2d pics and vids however are quite satisfactory,
For 3D photos that suffer from artefacts/ghosting I found a nice freewareprogram which corrects that problem (Anabuilder). See my short explanation with examples at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLpcSvlY1Y4
Now I look for a program that can do the same with video, but I dodn’t find one until now.
Any idea?
Regards,
rawbear
The new firmware for the Aiptek 3d camera discussed here, is NOT for every camera version! Before installing you should read the helpfile carefully which comes with the firmware, otherwise you risk damaging your camera so seriously that it becomes irrepairabe…
You’re right. I’ve made a small update on this in the text now.
thanks for the nice test and images! i got mine 3days ago and had this framerate issue really bad, but the firmware got it all perfect. now the artifacts are much less in good light conditions. i added two nikon wide lenses and builded a little mount to my copters to get some aerial 3d. looks really funny : http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2077604&id=1005063430&l=3da1d678bb
cheers – robert from wuppertal
Would be cool to see some of your aerial photos.
Thanks _so_ much for posting convenient downloads of your sample Aiptek images –and for letting us share them under that CC license.
I’m trying to determine if the left-to-right color balance problem has been a random problem, or if it was common but is now corrected (in side-by-side still images). If so, this could become quite the “Peoples 3D Camera” for those of us who make print pair stereographs.
‘Bye for now,
Craig (who enjoys exchanging views with others in the Stereoscopic Society of America)
Hi Frank, I’ve just downloaded and viewed your home videos on our new Panasonic 3D enabled television via a PS3. I must say we were very impressed with your efforts and the quality of the Aiptek camera, also the editing with Magix. It seems that when taking video it is best to use a static tripod rather than panning as I’ve noticed that the i2 suffers from juddering frame rates (yes I do have one, love it too) unless its very a slow and smooth pan. I can highly recommend the Panasonic TV, I’ve been using a Fuji W1 3D camera and the photos look amazing on it, well worth the outlay. I’m off to download the Magix free trial now and try to make something as good as yours, wish me luck, regards David.
Nice to hear that the video plays well on 3D TVs. I’ve haven’t got a 3D set (yet), only seen it in anaglyph.
Hi Frank, please help, I’ve been playing around with Magix movie edit pro (very nice stable program) but I’m having problems inserting titles. How did you manage to get the text onto ‘both’ half frames side by side as you have them in your previews. I’ve tried all sorts of ways without any success. Any tips would be most appreciated. Regards, David.
If you mean 3D depth to the text, heres how to do that:
Select the text. Go to the Effects-tab. Under Stereo3D, choose Properties. Move the slider for Stereo depth for 2D object. Move it to the right, the text pop out of the screen. Move it to the left, the text goes in to the screen.
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Good day. The link on the aiptek.de and aiptek.eu sites no longer works. Can you upload the firmware zip file somewhere to share the firmware? Please help if you can.
Sorry, but I don’t have (can’t find) the firmware. It’s 13 years since I wrote this article.