P3D re: the "rule" is not a rule at all

[Tom Deering <tmd@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

George Themelis wrote:

>"The right numbers" exist only in your imagination Tom.

Why so nasty, George?  I heard you were "personally very charming and 
even charismatic".  Your math phobia is no reason to be impolite.

>There are no right or wrong numbers.

I'll overlook this comment, I know it will be retracted later.  After 
all, if there are no right numbers, what is the 1/30 "rule" supposed 
to yield?

>And you certainly don't need a programmable calculator to do
>stereo photography.

Absolutely true, in the same way that you don't need a $2000 RBT camera.

Folks, please forgive me.  My comments were clearly addressed to 
beginners.  If you are a beginner trying to sort out this issue, try 
this simple example:

Set your Realist on a tripod over a bed of flowers.  Tilt the camera 
down so that nothing is farther than 10 feet away, and nothing closer 
than 4 feet.

Four feet?  (You mean, not seven feet, like the 1/30 "rule" says?) 
That's right, here is a common example where the "rule" is way, way 
off.  Set the focus of your camera to 6 feet, and the diaphragm to 
F16, and take yourself a handsome stereo photo. Nice and clear, with 
good depth.

When you get this photo back, you will have learned something that 
Mr. Themelis doesn't know: in lots of cases, the 1/30 "rule" is 
*flat* wrong.

Cheers,

Tom

P.S. For a long time I kept a paper chart in my camera bag that does 
what the 1/30 "rule" is supposed to do.  If you want one, visit 
http://www.deering.org