Stereoscopic Macro Lens Shows Two Is Better Than One

Stereoscopic Macro Lens Shows Two Is Better Than One

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You’d be forgiven if you thought [Nicholas Sherlock’s] new lens design was a macro lens that was 3D printed. In fact, it is, but it is also a macro lens that takes 3D images using two different cameras. If you have a pair of Sony E/FEs, you can 3D print your own copy today. If you don’t, you might have to adjust the design or wait for future releases. In any event, you are sure to enjoy the example photos, and there’s a video review of the device you can watch below.

The design merges two 4x microscope lenses to provide a 2X stereo image with a 5mm baseline. As you might expect, the secret is a prism in the assembly that allows one camera to shoot directly at the subject and the other to shoot with a 5mm offset. This is trickier than you might think because the cameras shift the image some, also.

If you have 3D glasses, you can see the result of a video on YouTube using the lens below, too. The method allows both lenses to point at a target without angling them, which reduces distortion. The design also allows for handheld shooting, which means you can go to the tiny subjects instead of bringing them into a studio.

We’ll admit, we don’t know you’d focus stack 3D images. If you’ll settle for 2D images, you can get buy with a lot less, of course.

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