Hi Jay,

I've experimented with the Pentax K10 DSLRs using one remote (I was able to buy the remote for $29 US at a Ritz camera store). I was very pleased as the one remote will trigger both cameras simultaneously. After triggering remotely, look and listen for the shutters when they operate. If you notice they are out of sync, try another shot. Usually you will obtain pretty good sync. You would know to be still for both anyway if posing so it depends on the circumstances of what you're capturing. You may have to make sure the lenses are focused at the distance you want before remotely triggering. I would also recommend setting the remote to trigger the shutters with the delay timer rather than instantaneously if you're photographing yourself to give you time to lower the hand holding the remote).

Also...

I've discovered what I think is the perfect solution to keep cameras from sliding on the camera rig bar. 3M makes material on a roll that you can cut to length before purchasing. It's normally used for the purpose of surfacing steps so people's feet don't slip. I believe it's about 97 cents a foot (US) and comes in different widths and colors. I found it at Ace Hardware and cut my own length there. I chose the 1 inch width to fit perfectly on a 1" width aluminum bar but they have wider material also. It has a paper backing that you peal off to expose the very sticky surface backing. It seems to hold in place on the bar very well. You can drill holes in the bar if you prefer, before OR after the non slip material is in place. I recommend after it's in place so your drilling goes through the bar and the material at one time. The flat surface helps hold the cameras more level and sturdier on the bar. My old configuration used rubber washers which only supplied contact to a small portion of the camera around the threaded tripod connection. This left the remaining part of the camera essentially in air above the bar with no contact for friction against the bar. I hold the cameras from the underside of the bar using simple thumb screws with a regular washer and a lock washer for tension. I've found with this configuration, I don't need to turn the thumb screws as tight to keep the cameras from moving.

Additional configuration for closer stereo base...

This is not a new idea but, if you want a narrower stereo base, you can use a bolt with no head and just screw the cameras together as shown in my pictures. I tested it out and it works ok. Personally though, I would only use this configuration for portraits or close up non cha-chas. The reason is that the photos will come out portrait mode (long and narrow) but it does accomplish the goal of a smaller stereo base essentially cutting the stereo base in half compared to the minimum horizontal side by side mount. The lens hoods will also fit if you want.

NOTE: Be careful not to tighten the two cameras too tightly or when you want to separate them the bolt may be hard to remove from one of the cameras. I'm working on an idea to permanently mount the bolt to a then bar so that when you separate the cameras the bolt stays fastened to the bar and not one of the cameras. The type of bolt I found has an allen wrench type of socket at one end. It would be nice to have it at both ends but I doubt if they make them that way.

Lastly...

I've included a picture of a 3 foot camera rig for extended stereo base configuration. There are holes up and down the entire aluminum bar for different stereo base configurations. Everything else works the same as the smaller camera rig bar. A flat aluminum bar at this length will bend unless you get a a different design bar or thick piece however, I've found that when I hold the cameras at each end of the bar the weight is taken off the bar and the essential purpose of extending the cameras is easily obtained. In addition I got a 1.5 " bar instead of a 1 " bar for more stability at this greater length. This particular long length is not meant to be fixed to a tripod but hand held since the K10 has the digital stabilizer built into the cameras. I fixed a small bubble level to the center of this rig with two sided tape.

Cheers,

Brian

----- Original Message -----

From: Jucarbi

To: anaglyphs(-at-)yahoogroups.com

Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2008 3:48 AM

Subject: Re: [Anaglyphs] Marshall/Duke-Icy night

Thanks for your replies. I've recently twinned two K10's on a bar. Haven't had much success as yet. Will persevere and try using the delay. These have a remote sensor on the rear but I haven't experimented with triggering both yet.
Jay

----- Original Message ----
From: Marshall Rubin <mrubin(-at-)hvc.rr.com>
To: anaglyphs(-at-)yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, 13 February, 2008 11:38:17 PM
Subject: Re: [Anaglyphs] Duke-Icy night

Some digital cameras come with remotes. If the infrared sensor is in a convenient spot on each camera, both can be tripped using only

one of the remotes. If the IR sensors are in the back of the cameras (most unlikely) it becomes easy to set then off. If in the front, so long as they are on self-timer,

both cameras can be set off with the remote, then you quickly pull the hand back behind the cameras, and wait for them to go off. If the cameras allow for some

degree of manual controls, pre-set the cameras for the fastest shutter speed possible. This technique works even better when the cameras and twin bar are

mounted on a tripod.

Beware, for even under the best of conditions, some moving object, like a damn bird will fly across the sky during the dual exposures, and only appear in one of the chips. Sometimes

that can be removed later in an image editor like Photoshop.

Marshall

----- Original Message -----

From: Duke

To: anaglyphs(-at-)yahoogrou ps.com

Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2008 1:33 AM

Subject: Re: [Anaglyphs] Duke-Icy night

The idea is to press both shutter buttons at the same time. When shooting in such low light as in this shot, the shutter speed is fairly long (I think it was about 1/6 sec). Pressing both buttons with some degree of force would shake both cameras and cause blur at this slow speed. If you use the 2-sec timer delay, it doesn't matter if you shake the cameras at the time of the presses, the pictures aren't taken until two seconds later. This gives me time hold the bar-mounted cameras as still as possible until the shutters open. Any residual unsteadiness in my hand is (hopefully) eliminated by the optical image stabilization in the cameras.

If I didn't do it this way, there is no way I could get a sharp hand-held picture at 1/6 second (or without the image stabilization) . If the cameras were mounted on a tripod, it would be a different story. However, I think I would still use the 2-sec delay to insure that I didn't shake the cameras when pressing the buttons. Finger-syncing two cameras is difficult with a light, easy push. It has to be more deliberate to make sure the presses are as simultaneous as possible.

Hope this made some sense!

Duke

On 2/13/08, Jucarbi <jucarbi2005(-at-) yahoo.com> wrote:

Looks really slushy. I don't understand the "finger-synch (w/2-sec.timer) " Why did you do that?
Jay

----- Original Message ----
From: Duke <stereospace(-at-) gmail.com>
To: anaglyphs Yahoo <anaglyphs(-at-)yahoogrou ps.com>; Exchange Domeus <stereo-photography(-at-) domeus.co. uk>
Sent: Wednesday, 13 February, 2008 3:27:08 PM
Subject: [Anaglyphs] Icy night

My car in my driveway with freezing rain falling after an earlier snowfall.

Panasonic Lumix twins, finger-sync (w/2-sec. timer), SPM, Photoshop.

Duke
--
a.k.a. Dimensionally Demented Duke

Get the name you always wanted with the new y7mail email address.

--
a.k.a. Dimensionally Demented Duke

Get the name you always wanted with the new y7mail email address.

__._,_.___

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