P3D Re: My Maiden 3D Question Engaged

[Brian Reynolds <reynolds@xxxxxxxxx>]

Bruce Springsteen wrote:
> Gabriel said:
> > Bruce (Still Free-Standing) Springsteen writes:
> > >On May 23, 1998 I posted my first question to Photo 3D:
> > 
> > > 1.  How is the anamorphosis achieved in photographs?  Optically
> > > or by computer?
> >
> > I think your guess is as good (or better) as mine! That is a view
> > camera should be able to achieve this effect. Very interesting
> > topic indeed! Assuming it can be done by shifting the film/lens
> > plane, another option other than a view camera might be replacing
> > a standard 35mm camera lens with a perspective-correction lens.
> 
> View cameras are very costly.  I'll bet stereo view cameras are
> too. ;-) The geometry of the projection is pretty straight forward,
> are image manipulating softwares able to distort scans based on a
> specific geometry?  I'm a yokel and I got no fancy compooters and
> stuff. :-(
> 

View cameras do not have to be expensive.  I originally skipped Medium
Format and went straight to Large Format because I could get a used
(or even a new) 4x5 view camera for much less than the price of a new
MF camera.  The Calumet Cadet, Tachihara, and Toyo 45CX (all of which
are new cameras) can be bought for less than the cost of an upper end
35mm SLR body (e.g., a Canon EOS A2E), or for much less than the price
of any MF camera body (not counting the Lubitels, Seagulls and
Holgas).  The current Calumet deal is $750 for the regular Cadet, a
150mm Caltar II-E (rebadged Rodenstock) lens (about normal focal
length for 4x5), a couple of film holders, a dark cloth and an
introductory booklet on LF photography.  Add a good tripod (e.g., the
Bogen 3021 with a 3047 head) and some film and you're all set.
For the do-it-yourself-er, the Bender camera doesn't take long to
build (provided you don't spend a lot of time contemplating every
change you want to make to it :) and is a pretty good camera.

In the LF world used equipment will not only save money, but it can
provide some really excellent equipment. (e.g., the Kodak Commercial
Ektar lenses are all color corrected and coated).  I recently bought a
5x7 view camera for less than $200 that will make a nice stereo view
camera with the addition of a septum and a pair of lenses.  It is
quite possible that an older version of this camera was stereo.
Hopefully I'll soon be making Holmes cards from 5x7 contact prints.

As far as 35mm perspective control lenses go, all the ones I know
about use rise/fall so that you can keep the camera body level (and
the film plane vertical) and move the lens up to see the top of a
building.  I think that what you would need for anamorphosis is tilt
of either the lens plane, the film plane, or both.

-- 
Brian Reynolds     | "Dee Dee!  Don't touch that button!"
reynolds@xxxxxxxxx | "Oooh!"
NAR# 54438         |    -- Dexter and Dee Dee
                   |       "Dexter's Laboratory"


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