Re: To Box or Not?

[Tom Deering <tdeering@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>Opinions?
>Considering that almost all stereo photographs are taken at
>f16-f32, is there any reasonable arguments against not making a
>fixed hyperfocus box stereo camera? If the focus is set at, say,
>30ft, most depth of field ranges would span from 8-10ft to
>infinity at f16+. This would greatly simplify camera
>construction. Any significant drawbacks?

I live in the city.  I don't take that many landscapes, and usually none of
my photos have the horizon in the shot. Just the opposite, I tend to get
things as close to the lens as I can.  So a camera that could get no closer
than 10 ft would be a problem for me.

If the ten foot limitation okay with you, then I don't see a problem.  I
tend to shoot F16 or F22 exclusively, myself.

On the other hand, I have used this principle for closeup cameras, since
these cameras have a stereo window built in that precludes their use at
normal distances.  For this purpose, a fixed aperture and focus isn't
uncommon, especially with a fixed flash as a light source.

Tom