P3D Re: Faking it? No!

[jacob@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Gabriel Jacob)]

I don't know where to jump in but I'll make it short...

I have to agree with most of what Greg W. says. I might add
that everyone seems to have not mentioned that most obvious.
That is... 35mm slide film doesn't capture 100% the reality
of being there (disregarding the other sensory deprivations),
simply because  the resolution of 35mm film doesn't equal
the resolving power of the eye.

I don't know about the Grand Canyon but equivalent distant
scenic shots that are supposedly flat, don't look flat to me.
Albeit not too much stereoscopic depth can be seen, BUT the
resolving power of the eye gets alot of 2-D depth cues which
is often overlooked. An example of this is our immediate
surroundings. If you look around a room with one eye, you
don't see stereo but you can discern depth very easily (which
almost looks stereoscopic). This is what is missing in distant
shots and why it looks like a backdrop on film. This is unlike
in real life where it doesn't look like a backdrop (at least
to me). 

Now how do most people compensate for the short comings (as good
as it is) of 35 mm film? There are 2 BAND-AID solutions that I
can think and one REAL solution.

1. The first is the stereotypical suggestion to photograph
   something in the foreground.
2. Shoot with a slightly larger stereobase. This will cause
   it to become hyper but hey... no one said there wouldn't
   be any tradeoffs.
3. Now the real solution is shoot medium or larger format 3-D! 

P.S. Okay it is a bit long!

Gabriel


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