JVC Everio GSTD1 3D video camera

The two lenses, in sync with each other even zooming in and out (5x optical zoom in 3D mode; 10x in 2D) are what gives you the 3D effect, either combined into one picture you can view directly on 3D TVs with the right glasses on (the ones that come with the TV, I imagine) or as a dual picture which is what, according to JVC’s advice, TV broadcasters prefer (below). 

Opening the large swing-out LCD turns it on. There’s no viewfinder. The LCD can show a kind of dull, doubled 3D-ish image or shoot in 3D and display in 2D, which is sharper and brighter and I reckon most will use it like this.
It can also shoot in 2D, which just uses one lens, and a snapshot button lets you take stills, which are excellent quality at 3.2MBs . 
This 3D consumer camcorder offers 3D video recording in full high definition (1080p) which can be viewed on any 3D TV. The 3D video captured on the GS-TD1 can be burned to Blu-ray disc or DVD-R for 3D playback on a compatible Blu-ray player, which is a limiting factor for Macs, as Apple spurns Bu-ray (and looks set to continue to, developing streaming and cloud data models in its stead). 
The JVC GS-TD1 features a pair of 3.32 megapixel CMOS sensors. These are teamed with a new JVC-developed 'high-speed' imaging engine that processes the two Full HD images – left and right images at 1920 x 1080 resolution – the same resolution (in 2D) as the Canon 5D MkII. 
Three shooting modes are offered, a key feature that provides several options for HD resolution and archiving of 3D footage. The three shooting modes are: a new “LR Independent” format (MP4 MVC) that records in Full HD, the widely used “Side-by-Side” format (960 x 1080 X 2) for AVCHD 3D recording, and 2D AVCHD shooting.
It shoots in good quality, although it seems a little slow adjusting focus and exposure compared to the single-lens camcorders of today. I guess that’s due to all the two-stream, double processing it has to do.
JVC incorporated Biphonic technology for 3D sound. The sound recordings sound good, I couldn’t hear any machine noise and you do get a stereo effect (the mics are set either side of the lenses). 
Charging it is easy – just plug the whole thing into a power point with the included AC cord. Opening the battery compartment is a strange experience, as the battery is much smaller than the space it sits in. After looking inside Apple devices, where every square millimetre is carefully used, this seems really odd. But this little battery last one hour of continuous 3D shooting – a more powerful battery is available as an accessory, and I hope and imagine this fills the roomy compartment (?).
The LCD is a touch screen and it’s a little clumsy as it seems to require quite a hard press, which must stress the hinges over time. A swipe is also available, but this isn’t always convenient. 
One cool thing is the wide-tele toggle on the camera top is replicated on the touch-screen, which is convenient if you are using the LCD as a stabilising second hand-hold. It’s large at 3.5-inches diagonally  displaying 920K pixels, but in 3D mode it’s virtually impossible to see detail on the screen if the sun is out. 
On the back is a large silver button labeled '3D'. This glows blue in 3D mode – press it again and the glow disappears and it's in 2D mode. This is surrounded by five smaller buttons: Adjustment, Info, User, Movie/Still and Manual/Auto. Adjustment takes you to the tweaks available in Manual mode (the scroll wheel at bottom left dials in the changes). 
Info shows the amount of recording time and battery life you have left while User activates your presets. Movie/Still lets you quickly jump between modes and Manual/Auto goes from point-and-record Intelligent Auto to Manual which has a wide range of options (focus, brightness, white balance and so on, for the serious videographers). 
The record button is at far right and a headphone jack sits above that. A compartment houses mini HDMI out and DC-in for the AC adapter (which is included). The big 3D button with its blue backlighting is the switch between 3D and 2D recording. There’s tripod mount on the bottom and a switch on the right side of the lens which opens and closes the lens covers. 
Shooting is easy enough, but resulting footage doesn’t like rapid swings, so serious shooters will need to take this into consideration. Slow and gentle does it for crisp results – swinging even slightly faster than optimum when panning results in horizontal scan lines appearing along edges. You might wan to avoid it completely, and the same goes for vertical swings and zooming should likewise be done with caution. 

Results
I couldn’t see them in 3D. I don’t have a 3D TV; apparently best is a 3D HDTV watched through active shutter glasses. Whatever ‘active shutter glasses’ are. 
For stills, you can’t print them out in 3D (obviously!) but you can view them on your 3D HDTV in 3D. 
The GSTD1 doesn't like low-light much – if you plan on a 3D movie shot indoors, you’ll need  movie lights with a good spread. 

Plugging it into a Mac, no software installed, immediately booted Image Capture on my MacBook Pro, once I let the camera know (via its touchscreen, above) that I wanted to ‘Upload’ to ‘PC’. The clips came in straight away. They’re big, and since I don’t have a 3D TV, I have no idea what editing does to 3D output and viewing, sorry. But you do get an idea of three dimensions and depth viewing footage on the built-in viewer, to some extent. 
But how will you edit the movies? I don’t know whether booting the movies into iMovie actually outputs a 3D result once you have don’t some editing, but I imagine it doesn't change the fundamental property of the video; it's just that, on your monitor, it looks 2D. 

But you can edit them, for sure, I tried (below). One can only assume they're OK, but I'd find out before plonking down nearly 3K on a JVC 3D handycam. 

Conclusion — a brave step into 3D, especially when 3D media viewing may not become accepted (a whole page taken up by the manual relating to nausea and eye-strain being anything to go by). The onboard 64GB of memory is an excellent feature – and you can add more into the convenient SDXC card slot. 

What's great — usable, portable, High Definition 3D in your hand. onboard 64GB memory

What's not — no viewfinder. Touchscreen a little hard to handle (if you're used to iPads and iPhones, anyway). Expensive.

Needs — a project from which 3D would be an advantage, careful interior lighting and well scripted, non-panning shooting

JVC Everio GSTD1, RRP $2799
Available from — electronics retailers

Further info — JVC NZ
System — Doesn’t mention Macs in the literature I found, but it worked immediately just by plugging it in. Amongst the Windows specs, it says "HD Video requires Intel CoreTM Duo 1.66GHz or higher (Intel® CoreTM 2 Duo 2.13GHz or higher recommended), Intel CoreTM i7 2.53GHz or higher recommended for HD video editing and 3D playback of AVCHD video."

It certainly worked fine on my dual i7 2.66GHz MacBook Pro.
Video formats catered to are MP4 MVC Video: MPEG-4 MVC/H.264, Audio: AAC in 3D mode; MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, 1920x1080/50i x2 Audio: Dolby Digital (2ch) and MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, Audio: Dolby Digital (2ch) in 2D. 

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