Category Archives: 3D

My 3D Camera Mounts

The photos below do not show all the mounts I have built but you get the general idea. For example, several mounts are just pieces of drilled out steel or aluminum mounted to a tripod adapter.

One problem with putting cameras side by side on a length of aluminum is that you need to put a hole and fastening nut for the tripod mount, in between the cameras, which means 3/4 to 1 inch extra gap between the cameras, spacing the lens wider than necessary.

That led to this bracket which puts the cameras on the top level and the tripod mount on the bottom level. These metal brackets are steel straps sold at a local hardware store, then drilled out for the desired spacing.

1/4-20 screws attached to knobs (available at a hardware store) are used to connect cameras on top of the top rail. I also have a version of this that has 3 levels – the middle level, like above, holds the cameras. A third level above the cameras holds mounts for shot gun mics. I’ll have to post a photo of that some day!

A seldom used mount is this very wide angle setup, which is made from two oversized calipers, used in drafting. The two camera mounts are adjustable to provide lens spacing of up to about 2 feet. But keep in mind there are very few situations (big landscape shots mostly) where you will ever need something this big.

I recently purchased this milled piece of aluminum bar which provides an adjustable camera mount. The center contains both a 1/4-20 and a 3/8 tripod threaded mounting hole.

After this photo was taken, I modified the bar slightly so I could mount it in the earlier 3D mount, above. With the adjustable rail, I can get the two Canon HF M301 video cameras down to a 2 3/4″ lens separation (center to center), plus where needed, I can also spread the cameras apart.

 

 

The rough rule of thumb is that the main object in 3D space should be at least 30x the lens spacing away from the cameras. At 6″ camera spacing, the minimum subject distance should be 15 feet (6″ x 30 = 15 feet). At 2 3/4″ we can cut that distance in half. And that is really a minimum – I find better results when the subject distance is kept beyond the minimum.

But there are other considerations when setting the camera spacing. For some situations moving the lenses further apart helps to emphasize the depth effect. For example, when I was shooting Hoopfest at 3″ spacing, the depth effect disappeared around 150 feet (or so) from the camera. But when I set the lens spacing to about 6″, the depth effect was nicely visible down the whole city block.

 

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Two 3D Still Photos – red/cyan stereoscopic anaglyph

Shot both of these with a used Kodak Playsport camera (Zx3). Stereoscopic image processed in Stereomaker. Red/cyan glasses needed for viewing. Original images are just 5 megapixels; if you click on the image you can view the full size photo.

 

 

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Amazon rumored to not include 3D in next tablet

Makes sense to me, at this point:

But if the past is any indication of the future, Amazon will not be including 3D in any new tablet — regardless of whether the price point would be increased as a result of the technology. 3D isn’t considered all that important or, to be more charitable, exciting. If this turns out to be correct, Amazon will have missed a real chance, no make that an opportunity, to propel a new tablet into the forefront of the minds of jaded consumers who know and like 3D, but don’t see where it applies to a mobile device due to a small screen.

That attitude could change over the course of the next few months, though, as the Nintendo 3DS XL makes it way onto the shelves. The 3DS XL has a glasses free, 3D screen that is many times bigger than that of the 3DS. And with a price point of under $250 — which includes the “guts” for a whole passel of technologies, including a complete portable video game console with WiFi, a touch-sensitive screen and all kinds of other goodies — it’s fair to say that the cost of the 3D tech itself screen and associated would not be off-putting.

via Does Amazon Hate 3D? | 3D TV.

My guess is Amazon will not include a 3D display in a 2013 era product but could appear in 2014. Except for 3D games, the content picture for 3D is not there yet. Some argue that content won’t arrive until the devices, and the devices won’t arrive until there is 3D content!

3D content may emerge online first, as Google’s Youtube supports 3D today. When you see the quality of work done by emerging 2D video artists on Youtube, it is easy to see that similar 3D quality may follow soon enough. While some look to the growth of 3D from Hollywood or cable/satellite TV delivery, the future of video seems to be moving rapidly to online distribution – and out of the control of a few big corporations and into the hands of individuals.

When shooting #3D, objects in mirror really are further away than they appear

I was experimenting with some 3D lens positioning and took a photo of my Honda Fit car in the driveway. In processing the image, I discovered that items reflected in the windows and the car itself end up appearing further away in 3D space. Which is a very cool effect!

Now I want to find a building with mirrored windows and take some photos of that in 3D – should produce a very interesting depth effect where objects in the mirror really are more distant!

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