P3D Re: it's too easy, what's wrong?

["Dr. George A. Themelis" <DrT-3d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Tom Deering talks about taking and viewing slides in 2x2x2 format
via a pair of point and shoot cameras, and asks:
  
>So my question is, what am I doing wrong?  It's all very simple, the slides
>look great, there's no mounting, the slides are perfectly aligned, and I'm
>having a blast.  So I'm feeling guilty that it should be harder.  It's all
>so easy, I'm sure I'm missing some important factor.

You are not doing anything wrong and you are not missing any important
factors... So, enjoy your carefree approach to stereo, as long as it lasts.

Because I guarantee that it will not last for ever.  Just ask Boris to
confirm this.  With time you will develop a better understanding of
how stereo works, the issue of alignment, etc., you will become
more demanding and you will try and remount some of these pictures to
correct for vertical misalignments and proper setting of the stereo
window (YOU HAVE HEARD OF THE STEREO WINDOW, HAVEN'T YOU??? :-)).  

There is no way to have the slides, as you said, "perfectly aligned" with 
a twin camera system and commercial mounting (no remounting). I don't
want to alarm you... but the time will come when your current approach
will be viewed as inadequate.... especially if you get into projection.
Until that time comes, enjoy your present status of knowledge and
satisfaction, guilt-free.

>Is there any reason I should be mounting these in realist or european
>format?  Is there some inherent problem with viewing and showing my pairs
>as 2x2x2?  The pluses are that I have no mounting to do, and I get a nice
>big film chip.  What are the minuses?

In my opinion, the minuses are that you are limited in terms of
equipment and convenience.  For example, there are not any good
2x2x2 viewers (for a reasonable price).  I personally prefer to have 
my stereo pairs mounted in one frame (mount) with the alignment
locked in it.  You are saying that you do not have any mounting to
do... but many people who use the 2x2x2 system will still remount 
their slides in 2x2 mounts.  Also, I can get a big film chip too, in 
Albion or Spicer wider mounts, view them in my 8p Realist red button
viewer and project them with my TDC 116 projector.

Regards -- George Themelis


------------------------------