Stereoscopic Photography...the Science of Solid Viewing

Introduction

Stereoscopic photographs are literally 3 dimensional solid-sight photographs. The 3rd. dimension not only gives the picture depth but it also increase the amount of detail seen by the viewer, since the left and right vision information tends to add. It is a very old concept. In England around 1860 one company sent photographers all over the world to amass 10,000 pairs that could be copied and sold at 1s 6d a copy pair. However the taking and viewing requires special cumbersome equipment. That was and still is stereoscopic photography's great weakness from a commercial point of view. But for special case amateur work stereoscopic pictures can be both rewarding and fascinating.

Stereoscopic photographs can be made using an optical splitter that mounts onto a standard 35mm camera. This attachment splits the single lens view, by means of mirrors, into a left and a right half view 60mm apart. Thus the film image is split into a narrow width left and right view. This narrow width stereoscopic image is good for taking people standing up but was deemed too limited for this project.

This is an account of an amateur development project to make high quality wide view stereoscopic pictures. The project went only to the laboratory prototype level. To go beyond that level to general public viewing would require great expenditure of money, time and effort - far beyond my resources.

Cameras

Two ordinary old style film high quality 35 mm cameras fitted with wide angle lenses. These are mounted nested together on a frame that holds them in alignment, with a common shutter release. (Search the secondhand shops for those that are left).

Prints

To see the prints a stereoscope is needed that precisely aligns the prints with the viewer's eyes. The print pairs are changed without disturbing the viewer's gaze by a process similar to that used to move the warp plates in a Jacquard loom. Stereoscope print pairs are each mounted on their respective left and right Jacquard card belts. Print sizes are normal 127 mm x 178 mm (5 x7 inches) 35 mm film enlargements. There is no commercial instrument that achieves the exact requirements for this system. Though there are some that come close and can be adapted. Truly instruments for this system have to be made in a home workshop.

Projection

To see projected 3D pictures two projectors fitted with polarizing filters are needed and the viewers wear inexpensive polarized glasses. This system does use standard commercial equipment though it must be modified. Front or rear projection maybe used but both require special screens that are hard to get and are expensive. The projectors must have high quality long focal length projection lenses and if possible bright projection lamps. (This equipment is in total expensive.)

Test

For a test stare at the white dot until you see three pictures with the middle one in full depth. See if you can fool your eyes into seeing a 3D picture of the street scene without a stereoscope. But do NOT ruin your eyes on a gimmick.

(click for larger image)

Uses

This is a cumbersome system that makes very clear wide vision three dimensional pictures. But the stereoscopic viewing system severely restricts the number of viewers. This is quite contrary to the normal picture usage; which is convenient taking and wide general, almost careless, reproduction and viewing. This is a high cost low yield system. It can only appeal to a small very intensely interested number of viewers. You could conjure up the concept of a steam railway enthusiast who tours distant museums taking photographs; then he returns to show his fellows exotic pictures of old locomotives. (Machinery is a forte of this system.)