P3D Re: Could digital produce more lifelike stereo ?

["Greg Wageman" <gjw@xxxxxxxxxx>]

From: Dr. George A. Themelis <DrT-3d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>



>>The area I think where computer technology may eventually overhaul other
viewing
>>systems would be the ability to have real-time depth of field adjustment
>>controlled by eye movement. A device similar to current VR glasses could
>>detect and feedback what part of the scene the viewer was looking at and
>>de-focus the rest of the scene, effectively putting in real-time
>>depth-of-field adjustment similar to the way eye/brain processing works (as I
>>perceive it) and effectively doing away with any 'cardboarding' effects.
>
>Hmmm... Interesting.  Never given second thought to the fact that in
>real life the background is out of focus while when viewing a stereo
>picture it is not.  Does not seem to bother me.  But what does this
>have to do with 'cardboarding' effects?


I can't speak for anyone else's eyes, but this isn't how mine work most of the
time.
(Of course, I'm a glasses-wearer,  am moderately myopic,  and rapidly
approaching
40, so this may have a significant bearing on the situation; your mileage may
vary.)

Except when viewing very close objects (within a few feet of me), I find that my
entire field of view is pretty much "in focus".  Some objects may be "doubled",
depending on where my eyes are converged, but such objects are not also
out-of-focus.  Of course natural vision isn't sharp at the periphery, but the
typical stereo photo that we are dealing with (Realist, Holmes card, etc.)
doesn't involve the peripheral vision anyway.

Try this.  Focus on an object around six feet or more away.  Now, while
maintaining focus on this object, point your index finger at the ceiling, and
put it about a foot away from your face.  For me, the finger is clearly
out-of-focus, as well as doubled.  Now, still maintaining focus on the distant
object, slowly move your finger away from your face.   I find that I can see my
fingertip slowly coming into focus, and when it's about as far away as I can
reach (roughly a yard away),  it looks pretty sharp (though still doubled if
you've maintained focus and vergence on the more distant object).

If other folks' eyes work very differently than this (as I said, quite possible
since I can only report the behavior of my own), it may help to explain the wide
variety of reactions to stereo that we've all encountered or at least read
about.

     -Greg W. (gjw@xxxxxxxxxx)



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