P3D Fw: Brackets for twin rigs

["Mark & Marian Blum" <markb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I sent this message 2/22, but it never appeared, so I am resending now.
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Peter Davis writes:
>>I'm interested in knowing what commercially made brackets are available
for
>>twin camera rigs.  I have pair of electronically coupled point-and-shoot
>>cameras and, while I keep toying with the idea of making my own bracket
for
>>them, the reality is that I'll probably never get to it.
>>I'm really looking for something that will hold the two cameras, and
>>optionally fit on a tripod.  Ideally, it will also have a way to help keep
>>the film planes aligned, and really ideally, have a hand grip post on the
>>right through which I can somehow thread the shutter button, etc.
>>I know Reel 3D sells a fairly plane looking bar for about $50 or $60.  Are
>>there other commercially made ones?  Recommendations?
>>
One alternative is the system built and sold by Jasper Engineering. Very
well made and quite adequate for pinot and shoot. However, IMO it is
insufficient for the use of twin SLRs with telephoto lenses, especially in
vertical format. First, there is no simple means to adjust the vertical
camera bodies into alignment with eachother. One must compare images in the
viewfinders and tweak one of the cameras on its mounting pad. This is a
laborious, time consuming process. But the really serious problem is that
because you CAN twist the cameras on the mounts, they are not firmly locked
in place. After 5 minutes of alignment to take a shot, if you pick up your
tripod and move the rig you inevitably find that the alignment has been
lost. The longer and heavier the telephotos, the worse the problem. There
is
even an alignment problem when the cameras are used on the bar
horizontally.
Long lenses simply exert different amounts of force on the camera mounts,
or
the mounts respond differently, so that the vertical alignment gets uneven.
IMO a really functional professional twin camera bar needs to have:1)
readily and finely adjustable,  positive locking mechanisms for the camera
bodies when in the vertical position; 2) vertical adjustment for the bodies
in the horizontal position: and 3) toe in capability.

I have never seen such a bar. The closest I've observed is the system
utilized by 3D Vision for the photography of their 3Discover series. It
didn't allow vertical camera mounting, but did provide fine vertical
adjustment and toe in for twin horizontally mounted camera bodies. (At the
time they used Canon EOS1 and Nikon N90 bodies, which didn't sync well to
flash. The lenses included Nikon 300mm F2.8 monsters that dragged the
cameras out of alignment and necessitated the vertical alignment.) Those
bars (a long and short version) were custom made. The 3 Discover executive
I
dealt with promised me the name of the manufacturer, but hasn't delivered,
and I have no faith that he will.

I would like to hear from anyone else who has dealt with these issues.

Mark Blum
markb@xxxxxxxxxxxx





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