Customer Reviews

Minoru 3D Webcam (Red/Chrome)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I don't have a lot to say, since I only tried this cam briefly at the CES 2009 show where they were launched. But since there are no other reviews, I figure I could help you some.

These devices DID work, but the image is not crystal clear. It reminds me a lot of those old 3D movies, like Creature From The Black Lagoon. People need to wear the goofy two color 3D glasses to see the image, and it still looks blurry...but it IS 3D, which is cool.

I'm going to buy one for the novelty of it, but certainly won't make it my main USB camera. I love the top of the line Logitechs, and they offer such a good image over Skype that anyone can see, not just people with special glasses. If you just want a great image, I highly recommend the Logitech Quickcam Pro 9000 - it's worth the price.

If you are interested in 3D fun, go for this one. And don't forget that it can also run just one camera and send a normal 2D image.

Yes, it is terribly cute. Yes, the amuzing little arms and legs don't really let it cling to a monitor very well (that's why duct tape was invented). But the thing actually works properly!

All one needs to remember is REMOVE any other camera drivers/applications and then reboot BEFORE installing the drivers and software for this. Also, the CD that ships with it has a down-level driver, don't even bother with it. Just download the current software from their web site and all will be good.

We are using it for machine vision applications and have found that the optics are adequate for most "normal" uses and that cameras work as advertised. It works properly with the universal camera capture routines in OpenCV and does everything the Microsoft generic camera driver needs. If it falls to the floor (remember the funny arms/legs thing) it won't break.

Besides the arms/legs, the only negative points are the physical tightness of the focus rings (a bit hard to turn) and up/down tilt is hard because it will fall off whatever it's trying to hang on to.

If the manufacturer could put powered pan and tilt on it for a reasonable price it would be really good.

Yes, we're buying more of them.

I've played with the Minoru 3D Webcam for a few hours now. On the upside: it works pretty much as advertised. The quality is what one would expect from two combined webcams that cost $45 each.

It has some downsides too, none of which disqualify the product, but they add up.

1. It crashed my computer the first time after I installed the software, but it's working smoothly since then.

2. Calibrating the cameras is non-trivial. If you follow the instructions from the user manual, the image will not look good. You may end up seeing 3D, but there will be shadow copies of everything in the image. The manual tells you to overlap the images during the horizontal calibration. I found it actually works a lot better when you don't. The shadow images went away after I tried a few rounds of calibration.

3. You (or whoever is looking at you) needs to take a step away from the screen to see 3D. When you sit too close to the screen your eyes and brain won't "switch" to 3D. This isn't necessarily the fault of the product itself, but it affects my willingness to subject other people to the experience. They will have to sit an awkward distance away from their display.

4. Support seems absent. The minoru website seems to target distributors more than customers. As opposed to what is printed on the inside of the glasses (of which you get 5), you cannot order more of them on the minoru website. Amazon sells---unrelated to minoru---red/cyan 3D glasses separately.

Overall, it's a fun little toy, but don't expect the kind of experience you get in a 3D movie. For regular webcam use, I expect to switch back to my normal 2D webcam soon.

Poor image quality, funky software, and most importantly, no drivers for Macintosh. Mac would be an ideal target for a good 3D input device, but they seem disinterested.

Definitely not a serious tool for artists, but it does the job if you aren't looking for high picture quality and want to have a little fun.

I've had my camera for about 4 weeks now, kinda neat. The set-up is easy and fast. I've downloaded one update so far for the drivers.

Please note, this camera is for indoor use only. Outside the video is a total white-out. Let me repeat: indoor use only (as in: indoor lighting only. sunlight is too bright and totally washes out the picture to a solid white screen). It might be possible to use outdoors during the post-sunset period when the street lights are first coming on. It's low light performance is poor.

And I also learned there are several types of 2-color 3D glasses. This one uses Red/Cyan only. It comes with 5 pair of paper glasses and extras are easily available online if you search a bit, and also some plastic frame glasses for cheap on Amazon. If you buy more, make sure you get the correct choice of colors.

Update: Minoru offers frequent software updates, still no daylight use capability. This is an indoor lighting use only device. Due to use of colored glasses problems displaying certain colors is evident. Do not expect this camera in 3D mode to offer accurate color reproduction. It is an interesting concept and a fun toy to play with. For really nice outdoor 3D stills try any digital camera and use Zoner Photo Studio to "render" a 3D shot instead of buying a 3D camera. This camera would really be the bomb if it could be use outside during the day. The manufacturer suggests trying sunglasses, I think not.

they are not the best quality cams. Its hard to get good light for clarity. The 3D technology is there and the goofy glasses never bothered me. It would have been better to take the software and make a tripod supporting two real vidcams. Opps did I give away a new idea. Otherwise it is a fun unit. I would only recommend it if you want to support the next generation model.

Minoru3D, a working inexpensive stereoscopic webcamera, will give hours of fun to you and to your chat pals. But 3D enthusiasts will find it no more than just a 3D toy or yet another item in their dusting stereoscopic collection.

Pros:
1. Cute eye catching design.
2. Elegant and convenient mounting.
3. Simple in use
4. Allows to use internal cameras with third party software

Cons:
1. Cameras are not calibrated by manufacturer, you have to do calibration yourself
2. Current driver missing image control and picture looks overexposed
3. No hardware synchronization of the cameras
4. USB cable is short

I've been using the 3D Minoru Webcam daily for several weeks now on my LaBelle, Florida webcam broadcasts and find it a very attractive piece of technology. It can be used for still or video 3D photography, video conferencing, and my favorite, webcasting live on the internet.

Viewers must have 3D glasses with red and cyan lenses to see the 3D effects, (also called stereoscopic anaglyph), or use the "side by side" viewing technique without glasses.

(Five pair of glasses come with the camera and 3D glasses can be obtained free from many places (google "free 3D glasses") or you can make them with red and cyan colored plastic or cellophane. Some have mentioned you can print the colors on transparency plastics with your home printer.)

The "side by side" format places a photo taken with the left lens adjacent to the right lens photo and you look between the two photos and the third picture appears in full 3D with the original colors and realistic depth.

With a bit of experimentation on the best camera settings for your subject you can make pretty cool videos and stills with the Minoru webcam.

I've written a fuller Minoru 3D webcam review on my justin.tv/kq4ym webcam site.

I needed a top of the line webcam for my new desktop & after looking around I came across the Minoru 3D Webcam. After doing some homework on the webcam I decided to buy it & I'm so glad I did, It has three different modes picture in picture & also 2D mode & 3D mode.It also works with any instant messenger client that has a webcam feature. The 3D mode is perfect when using Skype to video call with friends & family. Also it is a very cute webcam and sits perfectly on your monitor or anywhere else you would like to clip it.

The Minoru web cam is the easiest way today to stream 3-D video. The camera has an interesting appearance which actually works quite well as a tripod or hanging on your monitor. The 3-D is pretty good. It comes with several pairs of glasses. The biggest problem with this camera is that is has no brightness/contrast adjustment. I have had other webcams that did this really nice right through the software. Hopefully they will have a software update that will implement this. If you want to do anything outside with even a bit of sun forget it - you will only see white. You pretty much need an overcast day to see anything. You can put a filter such as a pair of sunglasses over the lenses to get a picture, but this is a far from perfect solution. The price is a bit expensive for this. I think value wise it should be priced at around 55.00 dollars. The setup is quite easy and the software works well. If you are into 3-D then you should probably get this for your collection. I would like to see a High Def version that would take pictures in all light levels. That would be worth the asking price.