Sony fights 3-D with gimmicks and backlighting

Knowing they are likely to be blown away this fall when Fuji introduces its 3-D camera (which SmartPlanet saw in June) Sony is using the dog days of August to show its response.

That response consists of one small step for backlighting and one giant leap for gimmickry.

Let's start with the small step. (Picture from C|Net's Joshua Goldman, credit to Sony.)

Exmor R capability is a way to light the back of a sensor chip, as well as the front, which really does improve the resolution of a picture in low light. This is cool because flash pictures often end up looking like the subject was just awakened from a nap. You can also get the last shots of sunset with the new camera.

Unfortunately this isn't really new. Sony previously showed this capability in its Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 digital camera.

Thus the need for the gimmick,an automated tripod that can swivel the camera and click the shutter (as well as the flash) at random intervals.

Lori Grunin of C|Net had a natural reaction to the demonstration, parodying the five stages of grief. But it might be useful for employees who want to be the "fly on the wall" in a secret meeting. Just slip the camera and tripod into the room beforehand and get it out after.

There is also some spying potential here, if you can get remote control over the unit after it's in place.

Grunin reports you can control the rotation angle, shooting frequency and flash of the unit. Let me do that from some distance away, maybe using a cell phone, and let me turn it on remotely, too.

Maybe I can slip it into the next Bond movie as product placement. Just slip me a check and give me a taste. (That's a joke. I know there's a business here, but I am not in it.)

The smart play, if you're looking for something truly different, is to wait for the Fuji 3-D before you buy anything.

This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com