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<\/p>\nWhen the action is moving and you ant to catch it in 3D, a single camera won’t do. Here’s how to create a support for two cameras that you can shoot simultaneously for 3D action photography!<\/p>\n
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Greater Swiss Mountain Dog running. Photo by David FitzSimmons using the author’s Two-Camera Rig for 3D, outfitted with two Sigma DP1 cameras<\/p>\n
Shooting Wiggle 3D images with one camera is really quite simple for stationary subjects: you take a shot, move four inches to the side, and shoot again. Sure, it helps to use a tripod, keep the camera aligned properly, and maintain manual settings as much as possible. But there are situations where the short time it takes between snapping the first image and snapping the second just will not do. Action shots, like the one above, are the best example. For these, simultaneous capture is a must.<\/p>\n
\nThe only way to capture Wiggle 3D images of moving subjects is to shoot two pictures simultaneously, and that either calls for a specialized 3D camera, which can get quite pricey, or building a camera rig that holds two identical cameras. The latter is a simple project that involves little more than the cost of the cameras and a trip to the hardware store.<\/p>\n
\nBuilding a Two-Camera Rig<\/p>\n
\nFor my rig, I chose two Sigma DP1 cameras. If you already have a suitable point-and-shoot camera, consider finding an identical model on eBay. I decided to mount the two DP1s on a short piece of hardwood. Oak, hickory, ash\u2026nearly any hardwood will do. My red oak board measures 1 \u00bd\u201d wide, \u00be\u201d tall, and about 12\u201d long.<\/p>\n
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\nTools and materials for Two-Camera Rig. Photo by David FitzSimmons.<\/p>\n
Additional materials from the hardware store include:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Two 1\u201d long \u00bc – 20 thumbscrews,<\/p>\n
\u2022 Two \u00bd\u201d washers for the thumbscrews,<\/p>\n
\u2022 One 5\/8\u201d long \u00bc – 20 T-nut for attaching the bar to a quick-release plate (or a tripod head)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Black spray paint.<\/p>\n
\nTools:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Drill<\/p>\n
\u2022 17\/64\u201d and 15\/64″ bits, and 7\/8\u201d spade bit<\/p>\n
\u2022 hammer.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Pliers for gently tightening the thumbscrews holding the two camera bodies.<\/p>\n
\nFirst, align the cameras so the center of the lenses are about 4 inches apart on the center of the board and mark the tripod socket locations. Drill these holes with a 15\/64\u201d metal bit. Temporarily mount the cameras, and mark the spot halfway between the shutter release buttons. This is where to drill the hole for the T-nut that receives the tripod screw.<\/p>\n
\nPlace it between the two shutter release buttons so that when the shutters are pressed, it doesn’t unbalance the rig. The hole for the T-nut is drilled with a 17\/64\u201d metal bit and needs to be countersunk. Use a 7\/8\u201d spade bit to drop the T-nut below the surface of the mounting bar (so that the cameras sit firmly on the wooden mounting bar) and to allow the short \u00bc – 20 bolt of the quick release plate to reach the threads of the T-nut.<\/p>\n
\nIn addition, I drilled a couple 15\/64\u201d holes a bit further out on each end of the mounting bar so that I could experiment with camera separation distances. After tapping the T-nut into place, I spray-painted the wooden bar with semi-gloss black paint (you can skip this step, but it makes it look more polished.) Finally, I mounted the cameras with the thumb screws, inserted through washers.<\/p>\n
\nVoila! I had a working two-camera rig. Besides the cameras, the total cost for the rig was less than five dollars.<\/p>\n
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Two-Camera Rig with Sigma DP1 cameras. Malabar Farm State Park, Richland County, Ohio. Photo by David FitzSimmons.<\/p>\n
\nShooting with a Two-Camera 3D Rig<\/p>\n
\nTaking 3D images with the two-camera rig requires special attention to several techniques. First of all, make sure that the mounting bar is level side-to-side. Tilting front to back is fine, but our eyes are positioned horizontally. So take your 3D photographs with bar aligned horizontally. A bubble level placed in one of the camera\u2019s hot shoes helps with this. If your cameras do not have hot shoes, then carry any kind of level, even a small carpenter\u2019s level, to check the alignment of the bar.<\/p>\n
Secondly, make sure that your cameras are in line with each other. That is, the sensors should be aligned on the same plane, with each camera back parallel to the mounting bar. While some Wiggle 3D shooters suggest turning or \u201ctoeing-in\u201d the cameras\u2014so that each camera\u2019s lens is pointed directly at the subject\u2014I would advise against this approach for anything other than close-ups.<\/p>\n