3-D Reference Books

[deck_0@xxxxxxxxxxxxx (Chuck Hassen)]

This is my first post to this news group.
I am working in a field closely related to 3-d photography, namely the
creation of stereographic holograms, made from many photographs or computer
views.  I also have a recently acquired true mint condition NIMSLO, so I
have several reasons to lurk here. A recent poster asked:

>Does the focal length of the 
>lenses affect the distance or separation that the two panoramic cirkut 
>cameras should be placed from one another.  Is there a good technical 
>book on the mathematics and physics of 3D photography out there that 
>one might browse to resolve these issues. 

Here are a couple of helpful references:

Applied Photographic Optics, by Sidney F. Ray, published 1988 by Focal Press
This book is well-illustrated with clear drawings and detailed equations.
In particular, the chapter Optics of Stereoscopic Systems, should answer
most of your questions about appropriate spacing.  This is a complete
treatment of image parallax, with enough detail to provide the equations to
assure that images minimize shape distortions such as 'flatness',
'gigantism' and the 'model effect' (also known as lilliputianism).
Actually, this would be very useful reading for many of the contributors to
this group, particularly those who question exactly why such effects occur.
Other topics include stereo projection, anaglyphs, and autostereoscopic systems.

The World of 3-D: A Practical Guide to Stereo Photography, by Jac. G
Ferwerda, published 1987 by 3-D Book Productions, Borger, The Netherlands.
This is probably the best, and easiest to understand book on the subject of
stereo photography, with many excellent photographs of stereo cameras,
stereo pairs, special purpose hardware, and some less rigorous optical
formulations.  From a practical point of view, IMO, this seems to be the one
to beat, with clear explanations of basic to advanced stereo methods,
including macro-photographic work.  The image on the cover-- a digger-wasp
dragging its hapless caterpillar prey into a hole, is by itself reason
enough to find this book in your local library.

Enjoy


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