P3D Re: 3-D beam splitter statement & info needed for new 3D camera

[SHIELDS@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Joseph,

I'm sorry you had such a bad experience with the Franka beamsplitter.
I know it uses second-surface mirrors, so the optical quality can't be
that great. I now know from what you say that the mechanical quality is 
lousy, too. And I know that if your filter ring rotates for any reason
(one of my lenses has the f/stops on that ring) it can be a pain--actually
I don't think I'd try using a beamsplitter if that ring focused! I do
now use mine with the Olympus 50mm f/1.8, which has a fixed, non-rotating
filter thread. I'll just throw in that I've never used a beamsplitter
with adjustable mirrors--I think that would unnecessarily complicate
things, even though it might help in some cases.

This is not to say you should go out and buy another beamsplitter, but I
can't stand by and let anyone get the impression that beamsplitters as such are
no good. I have two--a Pentax and a Stereo-tach, and they are excellent.
Both have front-surface mirrors, and despite its much lower price, I just
took the portraits of my life on K64 with the Stereo-tach--I'm talking
breathtakingly wonderful shots of the most important person in my life!
I also just showed about 9 months worth of my best slides to some friends.
They were gasping the whole way about how sharp and clear they were.
I made my own adapter ring for the Stereo-tach, but the Pentax has its own,
and it rotates so you can position it properly (I still wouldn't use it
on a lens that had the filter threads rotate for any reason).

There are lots of ways to do stereo photography, and I hope you find one
that suits you!

Mark Shields

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shields@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.netcom.com/~northws1/stmatt.htm
"Let the little children come to Me," Jesus said, "and don't keep
 them away. The kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
  -Matthew 19:14



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