P3D What the heck

[Rod Sage <rsage@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>I went to a camera show yesterday, and saw a really odd stereo device.
it
>had two arms with windows on the ends, attached to the main body, so
that
>the arms could swing outwards from a folded position where the
apertures
>were separated by a "normal" distance to an unfolded position, which
had a
>seperation of maybe half a meter or so. All this was done with prisms.
The
>attachment used a huge bayonet type ring, that would lock to something
>that had a  diameter of about 60mm or so, and two big posts to lock the

>bayonet ring. I've never seen anything that attaches that way.
>It had a sort of military look to it- it was very solidly built, and
>rotated very smoothly, it must have originally been rather expensive.
>Does this ring any bells? And was I stupid not to buy it?

>Rob Cruickshank      Toronto, Canada

Almost sounds like it could be a type of rangefinder for tracking
rockets etc. A wide base is needed to measure objects at a far distance.

Which makes me wonder if anyone has made a device to increase the stereo
base for a regular stereo camera using mirrors and/or prisms. Similar to
sticking periscopes out both left and right.
RDS