Two ixus 860is line up

[rathy]

I need to line up 2 IXUS 860 on a bar for stereo work. I know I can line up the 2 left and right photos at the 3d editing stage but would prefer to know the cameras are line up when I take the shot.
Any thoughts please.

[Jon]

Best bet is going to be to make a custom bar out of an angle brace so the backs can be braced against it. But you may find matching zooms will be even more of a challenge than getting the cameras square.

[rathy]

Best bet is going to be to make a custom bar out of an angle brace so the backs can be braced against it. But you may find matching zooms will be even more of a challenge than getting the cameras square.

Thanks for your reply and advice Jon.
I already have a bracket. In the 3d shots I take the only zoom(very very rare indeed)would be full optical on both cameras.

I did not explain well enough. The guide lines in the display show me the cameras are not lined up I would like to tweek one of the cameras without using spacers.

Kind regards

[Jon]

If you use an angle bracket (angle iron/aluminum) and back the cameras against it, the backs will have to be aligned. If you mean that the two cameras don't cover the exact same area, well they won't, because they're not at the exact same spot. If you mean something else, you'll have to try to explain it in a little more detail because I don't see it.

[rathy]

If you use an angle bracket (angle iron/aluminum) and back the cameras against it, the backs will have to be aligned. If you mean that the two cameras don't cover the exact same area, well they won't, because they're not at the exact same spot. If you mean something else, you'll have to try to explain it in a little more detail because I don't see it.

Thanks again Jon

Imagine the following
Both cameras on an angle bracket set on tripod level checked with spirit level correct
switch both cameras on
Line up on a dead straight horizontal line say 10 feet away using the middle grid line in the LCD monitor of the camera
view information displayed on both cameras

the horizontal grid line that is lined up on this straight line shows one camera higher than the other
I am not talking about vertical.

Anyway Jon I have taken and processed into 3d many photographs to my satisfaction it is just being able to set both cameras the same would be nice. Dont spend any more of your time on this
Thank you very much
Bob

[Jon]

OK - so what you're finding is that the two are vertically misaligned? Is the bracket free of warping? Have you tried setting the rig up, leveled as you typically do, and resting a carpenter's level across the two cameras? You might need a very stiff bracket to ensure it doesn't have a slight bow along the length or a slight twist between the ends.

[rathy]

Thanks again Jon
I have actually tried all the things you mentioned. Now that you know what I am talking about (sorry it took me so long to explain)I have now come to the conclusion that the both cameras are not matched.
Anyway thanks for all your help I will live with it.
PS would you like to see one of my 3d shots
Regards
Bob

[Jon]

That'd be interesting. I wonder if I can still see 'em without a stereoscope (lot of photointerpretation background).

Matched gear is the real challenge in multi-camera stereo. If you're not photographing something dynamic it's often easier to just move the single camera. They used to sell image-splitters that would take the stereo pair on a single frame, too. Couple of prisms to achieve the baseline separation mounted in front of the lens.

[thepanoguy]

The guys you want to speak to are the StereoDataMaker Group.
They have all the expertise on mounting stereo cameras.
Even NASA is using their guides and software in terrain applications.

StereoDataMaker Web Site:
http://stereo.jpn.org/eng/sdm/index.htm

StereoDataMaker Forum:
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/StereoDataMaker/