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Stereo Photography Track - quick and dirty

Stereo Photography Track - quick and dirty
 Some time ago I stumbled (again) over some stereo pictures. This time I had to build my  own simple rig. I am not going in depth of the principles of stereo or 3D photography; there are many and very detailed web pages about this subject. I rather show a solution that practically everyone can build by her(him)self  (At least with the help of a good friend).
In the last step you find a few pictures for 'cross-eyed' and 'parallel' viewing.
A little guide to 3D viewing you find HERE
 
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Step 1Find the Materials

Find the Materials
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  • stereo track01_01.JPG
  • stereo track01_02.JPG
  • stereo track01_03.JPG
Question was, how do I move my camera 2.5" or ~6.5cm in either direction. Somehow it has to slide to the left and right. Alright, you need a 'track' and you need a carrier for the camera.
I sifted through all the stuff in my basement and found this steel track, maybe once used for a sliding door. Also a nice piece of hardwood where a cutoff piece of this track would ride on.
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44 comments
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Nov 13, 2010. 9:49 AMcefn says:
I had fun working on a servo-driven 3D camera track with Tinkerlondon last year...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tinker_it/3922690548/

Our project was based on a camera in a Nokia N900, and I wrote some software to put the stereoscopic images in the right place on the phone's screen so a Viewmaster could view them immediately after you'd taken them.

The video output on the phone was also wired into an LCD projector to throw read/cyan anaglyphic 3D images you could see with colored specs.

There's more background on the project in general here...
http://tinkerlondon.com/now/2009/09/15/rewind-rethinking-old-school-devices-using-the-nokia-n900/

Cefn
http://cefn.com
Jul 17, 2010. 7:11 AMyellowcatt says:
I made a similar system some years ago as part of a college project, I was taking macro 3D shots on film. The camera on rail system works well enough for a still subject, for a moving subject you would need to use two cameras. For viewing the results there are several options there is freeware anaglyph software here http://www.stereoeye.jp/software/3dsp_e.html I have not used it so do not know how well it works. Another option would be to use a viewer, there are several types types designed for viewing prints: http://www.crystalcanyons.net/pages/TechNotes/Mirror-View.shtm http://www.loreo.com/pages/products/loreo_lite_3d_viewer.html http://www.rmm3d.com/viewers/vm.econ.html An interesting option would be to modify a viewer for stereo transparencies to take a pair of keyring digital photo frames .
Jun 5, 2010. 5:25 PM92033 says:
I'm from the Old School when photography was 'Photography'. Good idea on your adaptation but these ole eyes have had over 64 YEARS of Killer Migraine Headaches and will not contribute to creating them again with 'cross eyed' viewing. Get yourself a REAL stereo camera. Stereo Realist with f/2.8 lenses like I had. Uses film. So??? You can't live without digital? :-)
May 27, 2010. 3:31 PMtrubbleguy says:
I found a simple way of creating the same 3d photos is to simply put a dot in the centre of my lcd viewer on my camera, take the first shot with the dot on a distant target, move the camera six inches left, (width of eye separation) put the dot back on the previous distant target and take second shot, when viewed side by side cross eyed, they are perfect, when out in scenic locations i always do this and get wonderful results. i have some wonderful 3d shots of the grand canyon somewhere i took 15 years ago like this.
Jun 3, 2010. 3:40 PMGartholameau says:
I've been freehanding my stereo shots for a few years and it works well, although sometimes the alingment can be out a bit.  I've found a wonderful freeware program called StereoPhoto Maker that will align pairs of stereo pictures.  You can Google "StereoPhoto Maker" or go to http://stereo.jpn.org/eng/stphmkr/ 
May 29, 2010. 2:05 AMtrubbleguy says:
Oops, i did mean 6cm lol, i have never used a tripod for them, always used the dot to set the focal point and moved camera 6 CENTIMETERS left.....trubbleguy.com/3d.zip this is a word.doc with pics properly aligned, all taken standing or sitting without tripod and a extra mars 3d pair, thats awsome to look at.
Jun 1, 2010. 3:33 PMtrubbleguy says:
yes, i find i cannot make exposures of 1/60 or less by hand either as they blur, your slider mount solves that problem perfectly, its a well designed tool and simple to use. great job.
Jun 1, 2010. 3:40 PMtrubbleguy says:
www.trubbleguy.com/3d.zip for those who cannot see the 3d effect, my document i made with sample 3d photos in word format explains how to train your eyes to see them, download the zip file here and follow the instructions.
May 31, 2010. 3:46 PMldb477 says:
Cool, I was about to mention that some are backwards which makes the closer things seem further away but then I read a little.  I can do the "parallel" aproach extremely easy but cannot for the life of me do the cross eyed way.
May 25, 2010. 8:29 AMlofty says:
 Nicely done :)

I opened the pictures in stereoscopic player from www.3dtv.at and viewed them on my iZ3D monitor, they look great !

Some of them needed vertically adjusting as they weren't aligned properly and after adjusting the convergence point they looked really good.
May 29, 2010. 4:06 AMlofty says:
 It's possible, just re-align them in photoshop or something as you stitch them together
May 29, 2010. 3:15 AMAlpvax says:
Many people have been complaining that they can't see the pictures using the cross eye method, but i find it is the reverse, i can see all of them cross eyed, but none parallel, they just get blurry. I'm only 16, could age have anything to do with it?

Awesome idea for making them, never really thought about making any myself, just enjoyed looking at them :)
May 27, 2010. 6:51 PMtinkertoy says:
Great project. Love the simplicity. I like the projects that are simplistic yet are impressive. Kudos, you accomplished both. If I'm not mistaken, tripods and cameras use a 1/4"-20 thread, not 24. You don't want to mess up the threads. If I'm wrong or maybe there are cameras that are different, I humbly apologize.If you're not sure, pick up both at a hardware store and try each one. There should be no resistance. Again, great project.
May 27, 2010. 8:41 PMkewlkiwi says:
In step 3 you mention that cameras have a 1/4 by 24 thread - are you sure about this? I thought it was 1/4 by 20

Bob
May 28, 2010. 7:44 AMinc_b says:
I'd recommend allowing for a spacing greater than the distance between the eyes - sounds odd, but it's extremely handy if you want to take landscape pictures. Because of the distances, they generally look kinda flat at normal eye spacing.
If I remember right, you can actually work out the best spacing by simply dividing the distance to the subject by thirty. So a subject thirty feet away would work best with a one foot spacing between the cameras.
Nice photos though! Using one camera for this kind of thing is always difficult and you've taken some great shots.
May 28, 2010. 7:26 AMTreknology says:
Unfortunately, I can't cross my eyes to look at something other than the tip of my nose.

I do like the idea that you've brought the lens distance closer together to better mimic the natural seperation of the eyes.

Just as unfortunately convenional methods of 3D projection, polarized or color seperation, cause me severe headaches!
May 27, 2010. 9:49 PMAusm says:
I was wondering how to make these pics myself. I was always under the impression that it involved some rotation between the two images.
May 27, 2010. 10:02 AMsmrp1984 says:
Very cool!
May 27, 2010. 9:57 AMArnoldofingo says:
Love your innovation. I find that when I use Picassa I can adjust the size of the photo, eh -your photo to a dimensional size that enables me to see it in full stereo. Albeit, the image clarity is compromised...
May 26, 2010. 2:59 PMthepelton says:
An antique steriopticon makes a good viewer of stereo photographs, if you can find one.
May 25, 2010. 4:32 PMPAWZ says:
I've always just took the 2 pictures first holding the camera to one eye and then the other! Simple and has always worked out fine for me :-)
May 26, 2010. 2:30 PMPAWZ says:
Ah I see. I only used basic point and shoot cameras when I have done it, so I guess, for longer exposures you would need it! :-)
May 26, 2010. 3:15 AMmrvoodoo says:
Took a little bit to adjust my eyes to see it right.. but wow that's awesome.
May 25, 2010. 2:40 PMthepelton says:
If they still make those disposable cameras in the cardboard box, why not just tape two together side by side?
May 25, 2010. 1:44 PMjanern says:
my god, That's awesome! and a little bit painful after awhile. i find the parallell viewing approach easier. what is the difference in the pictures?
May 25, 2010. 9:07 AMbloomautomatic says:
I made a similar setup with a linear slide I salvaged from a piece of machinery.  Wouldn't be cheap to buy it new.  I got similar results with my pictures, but I don't have any on this computer to share.

vince

May 25, 2010. 3:26 PMbloomautomatic says:
Here's 2 of them i did using the same method described here. 

for me to view them, they need to be relatively small on the screen and i need to remove my glasses (i'm near sighted) and get close to the screen and cross my eyes.  can't explain it any more than that.
May 25, 2010. 3:02 PMChikara says:
i wish i could see it :(
May 25, 2010. 12:02 PMzigzagchris says:
I have a old  machine for viewing these but every time i try doing it (parrallel methode) with just my eyes i have a hard problem focusing on letters and they all look so blurry. i can baeely type this
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