The Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S is a phone that we’ve been looking forwards to seeing ever since its announcement last week.
Besides being a souped up version of the Xperia Arc, Sony Ericsson’s awesome camera phone, the Arc S also manages to shoehorn 3D video recording into its 8.1-megapixel camera. Impressively, it manages to do this through a single lens, instead of going for the twin stereoscopic set up that we’ve seen on the LG Optimus 3D and HTC Evo 3D.
You can record panoramic video sweeps in either 2D or 3D and then play the clips on a compatible TV set via the HDMI connection.
When recording video (either 2D or 3D) there’s an option to record so that clips fit on a TV with a 16:9 aspect ratio, or a standard 4:3.
When recording a panoramic sweep, we were told that to get optimum results you’ll need to fix your Xperia Arc S to a camera tripod or something similar in order to get a clean, stable video sweep.
In the demo we were seen the results were pretty good when played back on a Sony 3D Bravia TV set, the kind that requires active shutter 3D glasses to work.
The 3D effect was perhaps more impressive and convincing than the overall quality of the video we saw. But the Arc S we saw was unfinished, so hopefully there’ll be some changes in this department by the time they hit the shops.
3D pans aside, we also spotted a ‘multi angle sweep’ option in the camera app, but we couldn’t get this to work as it’s not finished yet – the Arc S we saw was an early in-progress model.
Slated for release next month, there’s been no network price or release date or pricing for the Arc S, although the ever-quick-off-the-mark Clove have already priced it up for £349.99 ex VAT.
2D panoramic sweeps are offered alongside 3D ones. There’s that enigmatic multi-angle sweep option on the bottom left, we’re curious to see what effects can be achieved with this.
16:9 and 4:3 standard sizes, depending on what your TV at home can display.
Tapping the screen acts as a shutter when taking panoramic shots. There’s an on screen control that shows you where to pan.
When you’re done capturing everything, simply load up the Arc S’s gallery and connect it up to a TV set via HDMI.
The 3D set we saw the panorama on was one of Sony’s Bravia’s; again, there’s not really any way that we can properly convey the 3D effect by simply taking a 2D picture on an SLR.
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