Shel B

I am not the most computer literate person around. In fact, I am the opposite. I struggle with all things electronic including post production of my photographs. Here's my problem. I love to shoot 3D or stereo photography...I have an old, 1950's era Kodak stereo camera that I want to retire. I want to move into digital 3d...but I have no idea about how to proceed. Is anyone out there up to date and proficient at shooting digital 3d? Are there cameras that are designed for 3d? How do you view digital 3d? Do you need the virtual reality head sets? I have looked for good articles on the internet but they either don't exist or I don't know how to find them. I need all the help I can get. Your suggestions are much appreciated. Thanks. I am not really interested in the panoramic virtual reality. I just want to learn to shoot the old "View Master" type of 3d....only in digital. Or am I way out in left field?

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

It can be done. There's a couple of folks here that have accomplished it. However, it's not as easy as the 3D Kodak and view master viewer thing. The two most notable on here are SoHillGuy and Uuglypher. Each of them uses a different technique. I'd suggest sending a PM to each of them and see if they will help you along.

I've done some of this type of thing, but really don't find it all that inspiring to pursue it much more than dabble.
--Bob

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

Yes, there are cameras designed for 3D. They have one significant advantage - they capture two images at the same instant. Their main disadvantage is that the separation between the lenses is fixed so you only get the 3D effect for nearby subjects.

But with a little bit of knowledge you can do our own 3D with whatever digital camera or smartphone you already have. Take a look at How to Create Your Own 3D Images, 3D From an iPhone and 3D - How a Stereo Image Pair Can Be Displayed.

Be wary of advice from anyone who doesn't understand the significance of 3D - Horizontal vs. Vertical Displacement.

There are also plenty of 3D images posted by SoHillGuy created from two images or converted to 3D from a single image. And you can find many 3D images I have posted which are almost all created from two originals.

Bobspez Loc: Southern NJ, USA

Selmslie, the links you provided are 3D images using red/cyan glasses or required cross eyed viewing. The OP was asking about viewmaster type images, two pics in full color taken a certain distance and angle of view apart to create a 3D stereo image, viewed through a binocualr device. Of course those were film transparencies that we were looking at with the viewmasters.

For a short time the big box stores were selling 3D TV's with limited content available on Netflix or cable TV, viewable in full color through special electronic glasses. Also there were 3D gameboy devices that supposedly showed 3D without the need for glasses.

I wonder if any of that 3D technology, either film or digital is available to the consumer?

To the OP, how did you view your Kodak 3D film camera 3D pics?

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

There is no simple replacement for the View Master process. The stereo images were mounted as seven pairs of square images (probably 8mm transparency film, initially Kodachrome) on a disk that was about 6 inched in diameter. The resolution was quite low.

The Stereo Realist was a more sophisticated version that used 35mm Kodachrome film exposed in half frame format (18x24mm). It was processed and mounted in glass slides and viewed with a dedicated viewer. As you would expect, the resolution was quite high - about half the resolution of a full 24x36mm slide.

Of course, you could make digital prints to fit in a stereo viewer like the ones popular more than a century ago, if you can find one.

Until someone comes up with another way to view either of these formats on transparency film or directly on a smartphone (Google has tried) it's not likely that we will see something better than either free viewing parallel or cross eyed small images or anaglyph versions of large images.

The most practical way to see a large stereo image on your smartphone or computer is with an anaglyph. It may need to be B&W to preserve any red in the scene.

Anagyph - requires red/cyan glasses and can be viewed at any size

(Download)

Cross eyed viewing - need to view on a small display or back away from the screen

(Download)