by Matt Staroscik

Pinball machines seemed to be a good subject for stereo photography, since they are very intricate. Here are 3d images of games that I own or have owned in the past.

To view the stereo image, click the preview. This will launch a Java applet which will let you change the size and viewing method to suit your tastes. I recommend "parallel" viewing mode and 25% size for beginners. Just relax your eyes and let the images drift into each other until they overlap perfectly. With practice you will be able to do it almost instantly. If you have trouble, reduce the size further with Ctrl-o. Backing away from the monitor will also help, but the ideal situation is a pair of maximum size images seen from your regular viewing distance. I cannot do this with parallel viewing, but cross viewing seems to allow much larger images to be viewed. (See below for links to tips.)

Equipment: The most recent pics (NF) were taken with a Nikon Coolpix 8800, Kirk BH-3 ball head, and Manfrotto 3021B Pro tripod. (The Arca-style mounting plate on the BH-3 allowed me to shift the camera about 3" between exposures with good registration). Lighting was from SP Studio strobes. The older photos were taken with a Nikon 990 and a home-made stereo bracket under poor lighting, and will be re-shot someday.

• If you are new to viewing 3d images, you can read more about how to view them on this site. Viewing tips: Parallel and cross, cross.
  • In my experience, parallel viewing is easier, but it only works for small images. If you can master cross viewing, you can view much larger images and enjoy greater detail. A pair of 800 pixel wide images looks great!
• Each stereo image is big, at least 300k.
• Need the Java runtime? You can get the plugin here.
  • Can't get the Java applet to work? Here is a parallel view sample as a plain jpeg. (86k)
  • The applet doesn't seem to work very well under Safari. You may see a warning about Java and an extra preview image, but you can still click on the upper of the two images to launch the viewer.

The Photos

Johnny Mnemonic

Twilight Zone

Lord of the Rings

No Fear

Tales of the Arabian Nights

Thanks To...

Andreas Petersik for his free Stereoscope Applet.

Last Updated Thursday, October 12 2006 @ 01:50 PM PDT