Re: Is it a Stereo Camera?

[P3D Michael Kersenbrock <michaelk@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

> Stereo camera:  A camera designed by the manufacturer to take a set of two 
> or more photos simultaneously with a pre-set interocular distance.  A 
> Stereo Camera has a single film path, linked shutters, linked focusing and 
> matched lenses.  This would include all our favorites (Realist, kodak, 
> etc...) as well as the "hand made" cut-n-paste pairs.
> 
> Stereo setup:  Any configuration of one or more single lensed cameras 
> which, when used by the owner, is capable of taking two or more photos of 
> a scene, offset by an interocular distance pre-determined by the 
> photographer.  This would include dual camera setups, slide bars, and even 
> the "weight shift" method.
> 
> Does THIS clarify everything?

I don't think things weren't alwasy clear so much as I think it was more a 
matter of things being "real" or not.  :-)

There also was a bit of discussion in terms of whether something is defined
by its function or by its construction.  In any case, the terms above are
probably close to that which 99.99% of the readers here would understand from
the words.

However, I'd reduce the "stereo camera" qualifications "required". 

Stereo cameras like the Stereo Graphic don't have linked focusing (no focusing
at all, they are fix-focused at *different* distances).

Also, having the lenses matched with a set-interoccular distance are quality issues
rather than functional ones.  If someone modified a realist to have an adjustable
interoccular, I'd still call it a stereo camera.  If one of the two lenses
were replaced and not matched well, I'd still call it a stereo camera, just perhaps
"one with a problem".

Well... okay.  Maybe still muddy to nit-pickers, but perfectly clear to everybody
else!  :-)

Mike K.

P.S. - What if we had a camera with a single lens and single shutter that had a
       *fixed* permanent "beamsplitter" on it's front?  Might look like the
       new Argus camera externally.  Seems like that'd be a stereo camera.

       How about further simplification:

        "Stereo camera:  Camera with single film path that takes more than 
         one image roughly simultaneously".

        "Stereo setup: Anything that takes stereo pictures that doesn't fall
         into the other definition".



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