Is this the perfect form factor for a 3D camera?

Sony DEV-50V

This is a product that I wouldn't normally look at. Binoculars for me are purely optical devices and while they're useful, of course, sometimes, they're not something I pay much attention to. So it was with a mild feeling of indifference that I watched this video. But then it dawned on me that the whole industry should be looking at this new Sony product

These new digital binoculars from Sony are very well designed, and pretty useful. In fact, if I had a spare $2000, I'd consider getting some: they're actually a pretty cool gadget. But then it occurred to me: these binoculars are actually a 3D video camera. In fact, they're almost the perfect form-factor for any 3D camera

For a start, you can see the image you're shooting in 3D. You can even playback through the eyepieces in 3D.

If I ever take up 3D video seriously, this is how I'd like to do it.

Panacea?

So is this the panacea for all 3D image acquisition?

I don't think so. You can't change the lenses on these 'bins, and you don't have the sort of control that you'd need for serious filmmaking - especially the deep adjustments you need for convincing 3D like inter-ocular spacing (the distance between the centre of the lenses).

And because all 3D shooting is afflicted by the same "Cardboard cutout" syndrome when you're using long focal lengths (the raison d'être of binoculars) this would be an ongoing feature of the look of your productions.

But even so, for day to day, or even documentary shooting, if you need 3D, this is probably a better way to do it.