Underwater Stereo Photography Equipment
© PSA Journal written by John Roll
In the preceding article, I tried to explain the difference between 2D
and 3D photography above and below water. Now I'll try to explain what I
know about the equipment.
Commercially available equipment is available from RBT. The S1 model,
usually the 45mm stereo base version, is housed in a polyacetal (delrin)
housing made by UK Germany. This system can be purchased from RBT
(http://www.rbt-3d.de/), 3D Concepts (http://stereoscopy.com/3d-concepts/),
or UK Germany (http://www.uk-germany.com/engl/ stereo.htm). Details of the
camera can be obtained from RBT or 3D Concepts. Details of the housing can
be obtained from UK Germany. The RBT S1 camera uses infrared autofocusing
above water. Underwater, infrared light is rapidly absorbed by the water, so
the autofocus does not work. You must use the camera with manual focus
underwater. The camera can be used in the different modes underwater
(program, aperture priority, and manual) without a flash. When you take
photos underwater with a flash, you must remember that the S1 does not have
flash TTL capability. When the camera uses the dedicated flash, in program
mode, the camera takes the guide number and divides it by the focus distance
to calculate the appropriate f-stop. An underwater flash (or flashes) is
usually set to a manual rather than a TTL setting when used with the S1. If
you program the underwater guide number of the flash into the camera, then
you could have the camera select the f-stop according to the manual focus
distance. The problem with this is that the accuracy may not be high. I use
manual exposure settings, based on test shots, and recently have added an
underwater flash meter to check my exposure settings. True TTL flash control
and autofocus underwater might be nice features in the future for stereo
photography.
Another commercially available underwater system is a housing for two
similar lenticular cameras from Image Tech. The web page is:
http://www.3dsea.com. I have not seen one of these systems and the only
knowledge I have about it is what is on their web page.
In the past, there were attachments available for the Nikonos camera that gave a half-frame stereo format. These are hard to come by now, and I have never actually seen one, but I have seen the results, which are good.
There have been other limited production systems for Nimslo, Realist, and the Verascope as well, but I have not seen them either.
I took a Nimslo that was modified to full frame by Sammy Buehlmann, and further modified it with 28mm Nikon point and shoot lenses. I modified the shutter further, and added fixed f22 apertures behind the lenses. I pleaded with a well-known U.S. underwater housing manufacturer to build a housing for me. They said "NO," but eventually changed their mind when I explained that it was not a standard Nimslo, but rather a highly modified, sophisticated stereo apparatus. Whatever your opinion on the Nimslo is, I can't argue with the results that I get with this setup. If you go this route with personally custom-modified equipment, be prepared for a lot of work!
Other underwater stereo photographers have various stereo camera systems, many of them custom built. Ed Jameson (http:// lab.dce.harvard.edu/extension/environment/edjameson.html) presented his underwater macrostereo slide show at the 1997 ISU in Rolduc, and the 2000 NSA in Mesa. He showed pictures of his macrostereo creation using two Nikonos V cameras and a unit with a half-silvered mirror. He has been working on a new wide-angle system. Mark Blum (http://www.undersea3d.com/), who has published many books of his stereo photography, including his underwater photos, has a variety of camera systems. Most of his macro photos underwater are taken with the versatile Macromiya built by Ton Pennings. This was shown at the trade show at the Bellevue NSA in 1997. I have a unique Macromiya built for me by Ton with underwater photography in mind. This macro stereo camera is in a housing by UK Germany. The results are exceptional.
I have seen pictures of the IMAX camera used for underwater stereo movies, which looks very interesting, but my wife thinks I travel with too much equipment as it is!!
I have investigated the possibility of underwater stereo video, and even had an underwater housing built for a camera with a stereo attachment. After taking delivery of the housing, I found that the housing was too large and heavy for me to travel with. I have seen stereo video underwater in the Bahamas, which was done with an even larger, custom-built setup!
My knowledge about underwater stereo photography equipment is certainly not complete, but I hope this gives you some idea of what is out there in the world of underwater stereo photography. Underwater stereo photography is one of the smallest niches of photography, and if you enjoy diving, and hauling heavy equipment, and never-ending little projects and improvements to custom equipment, then this is for you!
© PSA Journal written by John Roll