Re: Underwater Stereo

[jerry@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Jeremiah M. Faries)]

I have been reading this list for some time now but in digest
mode it is not straightforward to fire off a reply.  But, I've a little
time on my hands and here I go snipping and initiating a post...

On Tue, 12 Dec 1995 08:03:23 -0700 (MST)
Joel.Alpers@xxxxxxxxxxx writes:

>Don't know about the Realist - I sell underwater housings that fit 
>the Image Tech "3D 1000" camera. Haven't had a chance to _try_ one
>yet (Elliott, have you tried yours??). 
>
>#It seems that the world down there would be perfect for stereo.
>

I've been meaning to send mail to Joel since this past summer so
this will suffice.  I bought a Rittai camera from him at Atlanta
with the express purpose of taking it underwater (in a housing of course).
I did so in Bermuda in July and August and had some success and loads of
fun.  I found an old ANSCO underwater housing after looking around for
months (Joel hadn't started advertizing his or my search would have
been easier) and greatly modified it to fit and trigger the Rittai.  
I tested it in the bathtub and a pool (sans camera) and finally 
headed to the shore.  Because of the limited control the Rittai 
offers I had to shoot some test rolls at the few settings I had 
available.  I tried different film speeds (25 to 200) to multiply 
my options.  

For those interested,in Bermuda midday summer sun in no more 
than 30 ft of water, the best results were obtained with 
ASA 25 negative film with the aperture setting set between 
f16 and f5.8 a little closer the the f16 side than the 5.8
(I think the middle setting is 5.8...).  I would set the aperture 
before heading out by fiddling and looking at the aperture size
through the open camera... I was going for f11.  Not an exact 
procedure but my kodaks and realists don't have winders...and 
the extra latitude of negative film over slides gave me comfort.
I actually processed the negs on the Island and checked the exposure
guessings by examining the negatives and this allowed me to 
calibrate somewhat.  

After I returned to Chicago I sent the negatives to DALE labs for
positive dupes and mounted them in half frame mounts for viewing in a
Realist format viewer.  The added contrast from the duping process is
what makes the 25 ASA results superior to the ASA 50 or 64 slide films
I tried.  Kodachrome 64 worked well too at f16 and I suspect it will be 
worth it to try the Elite underwater balanced film (50 ASA) at
some point.  An added bonus for using print film is that I can 
send the better pictures to IMAGETECH for lenticular underwater shots.  

As an aside, I can *send* them to IMAGETECH but it remains to be seen 
if/when I'll get them back.  It's been three months now and I haven't
received them.  Discussing the issues with the customer service rep
is much too frustrating to go into much detail.  If someone knows a 
technical reason for this outrageous delay please enlighten me.  It
seems more like a marketing ploy to force us all to buy their 
cameras... which I'm sure are fine pieces of equipment and I'd gladly
buy their stuff if the outside lenses were just a little further apart.
I don't like feeling animosity towards a company that is supporting
stereo photography (even if it's not my favourite format) so I would
really like a convincing explanation. The Rittai with it's normal 
lens separation and automatic winder was exactly what I needed.  Of 
course using all four lenses allows me to cheat on some pics.  For 
example, I was suprised by a small Barracuda.  By using chips from 
adjacent lenses the barracuda can look much larger than it really 
was and I can pretend to be brave and adventurous when in reality 
I think I accidently tripped the shutter in my dismay at seeing 
the fierce mug of the 'cuda.  

Anyway, the reason I wanted to write Joel was because when I bought the
camera I was pestering him with questions about its durability because 
I knew I was going to be taking it in the surf and underwater.  He had 
no data so I'm now giving him some.  On the second day of shooting I 
got some sand in the seal after a film change.  Sound travels well 
underwater and after half a roll I could no longer hear the winder 
motor.  I looked down to see water half filling the housing.  The 
camera was completely dead or, rather, sleeping.  I quickly drove back
to my folk's place and cleared a table to spread Rittai parts out 
to dry.  I dismantled the camera considerably, washed what I 
could, assmbled the parts as they dried and began to test it.  Slowly
the functions began to return.  First the winder started and 
wouldn't stop (not exactly functional but a hopeful sign).  
Eventually all features returned (the last to return was 
automatic rewind, but the manual override worked so that was 
a minor problem until it, too, returned).  I used it for the
next two weeks almost daily and it presented no problems.  I was
religious about cleaning the seals of the housing.  I haven't used 
it since the summer but I put in batteries every so often to try 
it out and it still seems fine.  

So, the Rittai's are somewhat rugged... though apparently no longer 
supported.  I also suppose this story precludes any future warranty 
claim even if the company were still listening :)...

>
>Coral reef photos and photos with _lots_ of fish turn out well, IMHO.
>

and are a thrill and a challenge to obtain.  I also agree with Joel
that there are a few great shots in the Wonders of the Deep VM reel
set and I'd love to know what equipment they used.  Most are with
a strobe which gives better colour than available light which is
what I shot.


--Jerry Faries

jerry@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Assistant Professor
Psychology and Learning Sciences
Northwestern University
Evanston Il, 60201







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