Sony Introduces 3D Bloggie Camcorder

At CES in Las Vegas, Sony unveiled a number of new additions to its Bloggie line of ultracompact camcorders—including a new 3D camcorder called the Bloggie FS3. Sony also showed off its new Bloggie Duo FS2, which features a front-facing LCD, and the company launched a new entry-level Bloggie FS1.

The Bloggie 3D FS3 comes with a launch price of $249 and has the same 1/2.5-inch CMOS sensor that is found in all of Sony's Bloggie camcorders. The model is equipped with two sensors and two lenses, however, which definitely sets it apart from the crowd (both visually and specs-wise). In addition to offering 1080p Full HD 3D recording, the Bloggie 3D FS3 can also capture still photos in 3D. The camcorder has a 2.4-inch LCD, a stereo mic, and 8GB of internal flash memory.

According to Sony, the Bloggie 3D should be compatible with all 3D TVs and it should also display content fine on regular 2D televisions. Sony also claims the uploading of 3D content to YouTube should work fine, but we have reservations about the quality of 3D playback on YouTube.

For those who don't want to record 3D, the new Bloggie Duo FS2 offers a different unique feature: a 2-inch, front-facing LCD. The camcorder still has a 2.7-inch screen on its back that is used for regular recording, but the front-facing screen is ideal for making recordings or taking photos of yourself. This is essentially the same concept as a rotating LCD that allows you to look at yourself (like a mirror) while you record. The Bloggie FS2 also comes equipped with an LED light, 4GB of internal memory and a built-in battery that charges via USB.

The new entry-level Bloggie FS1 is similar to the FS2 except that it lacks a front-facing LCD. The camcorder's dimensions are 15 x 55 x 108mm, which makes it nearly identical in size to last year's Bloggie Touch camcorders. The Bloggie FS1 has an autofocus mechanism that will switch to macro focus when you're recording close-ups, and it includes 4GB of internal memory. It, like all Bloggie camcorders, comes with built-in software that is compatible with both Macs and PCs.

The Bloggie 3D MHS-FS3 will retail for $249 and is expected to hit stores in April, 2011. The Bloggie Duo MHS-FS2 carries a $169 price tag and sales should begin in March. The entry-level Bloggie MHS-FS1 will also come out in March, but has a cheaper MSRP of $149.

In addition to these three new Bloggies, Sony will continue to offer last year's Bloggie Touch models TS20 and TS10 in 2011.

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