I’ve been playing with the Sony 3D link kit for the F3. I’m still discovering some of the fine details of how and what exactly it gives you, but what I will say right now is that it really, really simplifies 3D with a pair of PMW-F3’s.

The kit comprises of a couple of SxS cards with the software keys required to activate the cameras plus a special cable that connects the two cameras together. After loading the software keys on to both cameras you get an additional menu option to activate the 3D link in one of two modes, master or slave. With one camera connected to the other and one set as master, the other as slave the first thing that happens is that the cameras will sync with each other. My initial testing indicates that this is more than just Genlock, it appears to be full shutter sync. I’ve tried a few fast shutter speeds and so far have not seen anything to suggest the shutters are not in sync, but a proper test is still needed to confirm this.

Other things that happen is that the cameras will both go in and out of record in sync and the timecode of the master camera is used by the slave. If you change the shutter on the master camera the slave also changes. I’m still learning more about the way the 3D link system works and I really like it a lot. Anyone doing a lot of 3D work should seriously consider it. It is pricey at around $5k for the kit for a pair of cameras (although it does also include a couple of SxS cards) but the stable sync, dual start/stop and small things like the sync shutter speed changes does remove another set of things to worry about during your 3D shoot.

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