P3D Re: New Stereo Cameras for 9 Grand American

[jeremy.hinton@xxxxxxxxx]

Bob Maxey wrote:

>Subject: P3D New Stereo Cameras for 9 Grand American
>Message-ID: <8725667D.007DB126.00@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

>I received some info on a camera that has been around for some time.
>It is the Roundshot 35MM and in reading the fine print, I have 
>learned that it will shoot panoramic images as well as stereo. Anyone 
>have experience with this camera? Since the camera is under 
>microprocessor control and designed to rotate, I assume that it will 
>might move side to side for stereo?

This might refer to the 'SpaceShot' camera which I saw demonstrated a 
few years ago (and wrote a bit in P3D). It is based on the 'Roundshot' 
(made by Seitz), which is a 360degree panoramic camera. The camera 
rotates on its pedestal and the film is exposed through a slit. The 
SpaceShot is a stereoscopic version devised by a bloke called Jerry 
Kew, and it is essentially a siamesed Roundshot. The whole stereo 
camera rotates. I think that it turns through 720 degrees to avoid any 
endstop problems. Somewhere I have some good photos of it. I haven't 
been able to find much on the web, but the following sites refer to 
it: 

http://www.icon-ltd.co.uk/spceshot.htm 

http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~robodyne/inventors-world/spshot.htm

The resulting filmstrips are made into loops in a cassette, and viewed 
in a stereo viewer which has a gyroscope so that it can transport the 
film so that as the viewer turns, their view of the (sterescopic) 
world appears stationary (ie you can pan right around the 
scene/space).
The demo, even at prototype stage, was impressive. 


Jeremy Hinton 


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