Seacam 3D housing

[Alex_Mustard 0]

Had to share this beauty!

 

Deep wreck photographer Aldo Ferrucci (known for his use of the Nikon 14-24mm and therefore photos of amazing subjects with mushy corners - I wish he'd buy another lens!) shared a series of photos of a new Seacam 3D video system yesterday on Facebook.

 

I've reposted one here:

 

You probably have to be friends with him to see them all:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.493601490670720.109230.100000626218486&type=1

 

But he says that he will be showing off the camera and some of the footage at DEMA. If the footage is half as cool as the housing - it will be a must see.

 

My understanding is that is a one off, rather than a production unit, made for a shoot with Italian photographer and these days film maker Roberto Rinaldi. But I don't know.

 

Alex

[Davide DB 487]

ON RBW there are other photos but, again, you must be logged to see them.

I'll post here just one pc showing how it's huge this housing:

 

EDIT: the housing contains two C300.

 

Edited November 6, 2012 by Davide DB

[CheungyDiver 53]

Dome port for a beamsplitter 3D rig? Impossible. It would be interesting to find out how Harald managed the optical distortion between one C300 to another after setting the inter-axial distance. My guess is that it has a fixed inter-axial distance. May be all for close up wide angle. Love to see some 3D footage from this thing.

[Alex_Mustard 0]

I don't know how beam splitters work - but my understanding from the pictures is that this housing has one camera orientated normally and one pointing down at the beam splitter?

Is that correct, David?

 

If so I guess if will have a working distance sweet spot?

 

Alex

[CheungyDiver 53]

Beamsplitter is basically a half mirror and two cameras mount 90 degrees to each other. One see through the other reflection. Then editing software will combine the two images. The amount of 3D is set by the interaxial distance of the two cameras. Our eyes has an interoccular distance of around 60mm apart and that parallax is what enables our brains to perceive 3D. Its all in the brain I was told. Our eyes and brain constantly adjust to light, distance, contrast, color and focus. There are other ways to make the illusion of 3D but its applicable here for moving images.

 

Normally, as far as I know (i am sure someone will have a different view) a 3D rig can't have a dome or a single lens. A flat port allows separation of one camera to another to achieve the 3D illusion. Its flat so no variation through the port. A dome is different. Its curved. I don't know how this works. Maybe the camera is automatically toeing the other like an optical stabilizer but not in the C300 and even if possible only limited to minute distances inside the lens barrel. I suspect it is a fixed distance close wide angle 3D rig. I could be wrong until I see some footage. It would be a shame if 3d has to be correct in post.

 

Cheers

David

Edited November 6, 2012 by CheungyDiver

[Davide DB 487]

Aldo in his post on RBW wrote: "mirror rig. Inter axe is adjustable while shooting."

[CheungyDiver 53]

Well that's incredible if really true. Flat plane mirror meets dome port and camera lens positions in different axial distances.

 

Here is the picture of the "BEAST" that I know definitely works. Gates and Element Technica Atom 3D rig. It has all sorts of servos and stages to calibrate two Red Epics. If Seacam has miniaturized all these and the lenses. Wow! I can't see how it will work with EF lenses. They are never totally matching and focusing breathes a lot. C300 could use PL mount lenses but then all sorts of automation is needed for focus and iris. Not mention the calibration of the 6 Degrees of freedom adjustment. Geeze if that is fully automated and working kudos to Seacam. I still would love to check on some footage though.

 

 

[Ryan 48]

There is currently a lot of room between 3D and well done 3D... Theoretically the dome isn't a correct solution, but i suppose there is a long enough focal where the distortion isn't noticeable and refractive magnification is reduced.

Edited November 6, 2012 by Ryan

[Roberto Rinaldi 1]

good evening every body. Someone send me the topic about our new housing after Aldo posted it on I do not know which site. all the project came after an Idea I had working for a French production and following the teaching of Cyril Barbancon, a great expert in sterography and a very good DoP. He thought me all I know, and from my old knowledges about dome ports, I get the idea about how to built the right underwater rig. The most difficult part, was to convince Harald Hordosh from Seacam to jump in videography, after so many years of successful involvement in still photography. After I had explained him my theory about the dome in a 3D UW rig, he thought to call his father: this fellow was the real most important man in all the adventure. Harald father struggled months under our suggestions, but than, he came to a very precise drawing. From that point on, Harlad used all his skill and the once of his assistants to put ideas into a computer and built this wonderful machine. YEs, now we can change inter axe and convergece. We have access to all commands of the C300. We can use the 3D assist Panasonic monitor. We are not on the end of the project, yet, and the housing is not perfect as Harald wants, but I am sure we have a wonderful tool in the hands. For sure a 3D tool that we'll not stop from shooting documentaries in the usual way. Our second dive was on 100 + metres on a roman wreck. due to the winter light and to the depth, I was not able to use f stop more than 2,8 or 3,5. So, my depth of field was not perfect But I am sure these images can witness that the quality of the dome is not bad at all. Also considering that these images are just a print screen.

[Davide DB 487]

Hi Roberto,

 

Maybe you forgot to attach those images?

 

Ciaoooo

[Roberto Rinaldi 1]

No, I was not able to attach them, i try again

[Alex_Mustard 0]

Thank you for the information, Roberto.

 

You should be able to attach the photos to your post. You have to do it one photo at a time (choose the image, upload it, then add it to the post) then you can add another photo.

 

Alex

[Roberto Rinaldi 1]

MAybe I have found the way to send some screen freeze

 

ops, twice the same...

[CheungyDiver 53]

Beautifully shot images Roberto. Care to let us know which pair of lenses was used?

 

cheers

David

[CheungyDiver 53]

"There is currently a lot of room between 3D and well done 3D... "

 

Absolutely! I have had my fair share of the wrong side of good 3D. Wasted a small fortune trying out gadgets that leads to dead ends. Its really depends on what you want 3D for and for what venue. Internet or for the big projected screen. When I decide to get properly educated on the subject. Boy was I in for a surprise. It is really a difficult thing to do right. Anything from hardware, image acquisition and production could scupper the final reel. On the hardware side especially in the consumer market, I think there is lots of myths and interesting claims. 3D is not new technology and almost anything has been tried including single lens and dome. With better automation and technology I am sure clever people could make these impossible concepts to work. I am really excited with this 3D Seacam. Looks great but really need to see the footage on a big screen before I would say this is a technological breakthrough. Just my two cents.

[jonny shaw 16]

Will wait to see some images, very compact for what it is but I reckon you will need a flat port.

[aldo ferrucci 1]

Hi Alex,

thanks for yours comments. I'm not a professional photographer, and the problem with my 12 24 was a wrong length on extension ring (my fault), problem found by my friend Roberto Rinaldi.

 

Best

Aldo

[Davide DB 487]

Hi Aldo and Roberto,

 

thank you for sharing your project. Could you share some photos of the housing? Some of us are not on FB nor RBW and we cannot see those pics.

Which lens are you using?

When it will be possible to see this beast and some footage?

 

Ciaoooo

[Alex_Mustard 0]

thanks for yours comments. I'm not a professional photographer, and the problem with my 12 24 was a wrong length on extension ring (my fault), problem found by my friend Roberto Rinaldi.

 

Sorry Aldo! I really enjoy looking at your photos. It takes a lot of talent, preparation and effort to get a camera in front of them and to use it well at the depths you do. I just find it frustrating that the images have not made their full potential because of a mistake in equipment choice at the surface. But definitely better you concentrate on the dive equipment than the photo equipment! I am very happy that you have the correct equipment now.

 

Good luck with the 3D project, the housing looks amazing and I, like many, are excited to see the footage. Please come and say hello if you come back to La Maddalena to dive on the Me-323 next year.

 

Alex

 

p.s. The grapevine tells me that this is not the only work Seacam are doing with the C300 - but I'll not pre-empt the official release by passing on unconfirmed rumours.

[aldo ferrucci 1]

Hi Alex,

i'll change my 12-24 asap, with a fixed optic, surely better than mine. But it's not my priority ;-((((((, I need to invest on my business before.

Send me a message when you will come in Sardinia, it'll be a pleasure dive and learn from a professional

 

Best

 

Aldo

[Drew 0]

Hmmm I would think Harald is more a Krug drinker rather than Veuve. I think he'd object to his housing sitting next to a bottle of Veuve! LOL

Glad to see the housing is finally out in public! I think we may get test clips with the official announcement.

[jonny shaw 16]

LOL, I just noticed the bottle of Veuve next to the housing...... You guys are all class

[UW3D 0]

With two cameras and a semi translucent mirror there is a big problem to overcome, namely image loss appears with change of the stereo base. It can be limited by converging one of the cameras, and apparently that is what this rig does.

 

Ciao

[davelew 4]

Normally, as far as I know (i am sure someone will have a different view) a 3D rig can't have a dome or a single lens. A flat port allows separation of one camera to another to achieve the 3D illusion. Its flat so no variation through the port. A dome is different. Its curved. I don't know how this works. Maybe the camera is automatically toeing the other like an optical stabilizer but not in the C300 and even if possible only limited to minute distances inside the lens barrel. I suspect it is a fixed distance close wide angle 3D rig. I could be wrong until I see some footage. It would be a shame if 3d has to be correct in post.

 

I have no idea if this is how they are doing it, but here's a way to get 3D through a dome port: have the axis of both lenses pass through the theoretical center of the dome. The trick is that the two cameras can't be exactly parallel to each other (or, if using a beam splitter, they can't be exactly 90 degrees off from each other). If you want the cameras pointed at the same subject, and that subject moves to a different distance, you would have to move the cameras as though on a curved track (both rotating and translating them).

[CheungyDiver 53]

Care to elaborate how these asymmetrical beamsplitter that you described works? It would be some breakthrough if it is true. I doubt Harald did that. Last time we spoke he was looking at my 3D beamsplitter rig but did not mentioned anything like what you described. I am looking at this not for the computer screen but cinema projection level as the two C300 footage is capable of. Any flaws or misalignment will show up and cause headaches. Dome and flat mirror are fundamentally impossible for beamsplitters but I really would like to be proven wrong.

 

Anyone seen one at the Seacam booth at DEMA ?

 

Cheers

David