Just like many people, Curiosity's two camera "eyes" do not
have the same exact vision. The right-eye camera looks through
a telephoto lens. It can distinguish a basketball from a
football at a distance of seven football fields or read "ONE
CENT" on a penny on the ground beside the rover. That's three
times better resolution than past rover cameras. The left-eye
camera provides a broader view of the terrain around the
rover.
By collecting color Images, 3D stereo images, and video of the
Martian terrain, these cameras aid Curiosity in studying the
Martian landscape, rocks, and soils; viewing changes in frost,
cloud, and dust movements, and, supporting the driving and
sampling operations of the rover.
Beyond helping us understand if Mars ever could have been a
habitat for microbial life, the cameras can give us a real
sense of what standing there ourselves would be like. Because
Curiosity's "head" can swivel nearly all the way around, it can
provide a 360° panoramic view of Mars. Much the way you might
experience a visit to a national park, its HD capabilities also
allow an unprecedented "tourist-style" family video of Mars!