Photography

Retro wooden Minuta Stereo camera lets users take 3D photos

Retro wooden Minuta Stereo camera lets users take 3D photos
The Minuta Stereo stereoscopic camera is currently on Kickstarter
The Minuta Stereo stereoscopic camera is currently on Kickstarter
View 4 Images
An example of a wiggle GIF made with the camera and viewer
1/4
An example of a wiggle GIF made with the camera and viewer
The Emulsia Stereo stereoscope likewise has an old-timey look
2/4
The Emulsia Stereo stereoscope likewise has an old-timey look
The Minuta Stereo stereoscopic camera is currently on Kickstarter
3/4
The Minuta Stereo stereoscopic camera is currently on Kickstarter
The back of the Minuta Stereo
4/4
The back of the Minuta Stereo
View gallery - 4 images

Long before the first 3D TVs or movies, people were enjoying three-dimensional stereoscopic photographs. The new Minuta Stereo camera allows users to create their own, in a decidedly vintage fashion.

In a nutshell, stereoscopic photography involves taking two photos of the same subject from slightly different angles, then viewing those photos through a device with two side-by-side eyepieces. Because one eye sees one photo while the other eye sees the other photo, the result is the perception of a single melded three-dimensional image.

While we have seen cameras that incorporate modern technology to achieve the same effect, Munich-based architect and "stereographer" Dominik Oczkowski has stayed quite … authentic with the Minuta Stereo. Along with a wood composite body (albeit one made from laser-cut pieces), the camera also incorporates two fixed f140 pinhole lenses, and it works with both medium format and 35-mm analog film.

It also requires no batteries, with magnets being used in components such as its winding knobs, rear film advance window, and shutter lock.

The Emulsia Stereo stereoscope likewise has an old-timey look
The Emulsia Stereo stereoscope likewise has an old-timey look

Because the camera doesn't offer through-the-lens viewing, users instead line up shots by looking through an assortment of flat viewfinder cards that are slotted in on top. They then simultaneously take two shots of their subject (if they wish to just take regular non-stereoscopic photos, one lens can be covered with a built-in "eyepatch").

Once the film has been processed, the pairs of photos are put in Oczkowski's Emulsia Stereo stereoscope. If slide film was used, the two slides are mounted side-by-side in the device's film tray, then simply viewed through the two eyepieces. If print film was used, the negatives can be placed in the stereoscope, photographed by a smartphone, then rendered into positive-color 3D "wiggle GIFs."

An example of a wiggle GIF made with the camera and viewer
An example of a wiggle GIF made with the camera and viewer

Should you be interested, the Minuta Stereo is presently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign. Pledges range from €124 (about US$150) for a camera-only kit that users have to put together themselves, up to €218 ($263) for a package that includes a fully-assembled camera and viewer. If everything goes according to plan, shipping should take place in July.

There's more information in the following video.

Source: Kickstarter

Minuta Stereo camera

View gallery - 4 images
1 comment
1 comment
riczero-b
This is splendid. But you can take reasonable stereographs by taking the R shot with your weight on the R foot then transferring to weight on L foot; gives about 6 cm separation and a good effect for middle distance. Anamaker is a good tool (Win ) to anaglyptise pics.