P3D lens for beamsplitter use

[Mark Shields <beamsplitter@xxxxxxxx>]

It does seem that the lens I have been using most for beamsplitter
use on my Olympus OM-10 is a really excellent choice. While
checking out lens tests on an Olympus Web site I discovered
that the 50mm f/1.8 lens has A and A+ ratings for both center
and edge over a wide range of apertures. I also discovered
that the lens has zero distortion, which is unusual, and especially
important for a beamsplitter, where both halves need to match,
except for the necessary differences for stereo perception.
While a beamsplitter does introduce its own keystone distortion
(which is compensated for by the Pentax viewer), there is no
point adding to it with lens distortion.

In a way it is not surprising that the lens is good, since for
any given camera system, the normal f/1.8 lens is actually a
better lens than the f/1.4, but I was still surprised that it
was _that_ good!

Unfortunately the OM-10 has a horizontally-traveling shutter,
which can (and sometimes has, for me) cause problems with
different left and right images of fast-moving objects
(water balloon toss, hummingbirds).

What would be "perfect" for beamsplitter use would be an SLR
camera system with a vertically-traveling shutter and a normal
lens as good as the Olympus 50mm f/1.8. Pentax? (After all, they
make the most widely used beamsplitter.)

Mark Shields

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beamsplitter@xxxxxxxx
http://www.stmattpitt.org
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