There is already an excellent article by 3Dstereopics  “How to take and make 3d photographs” using just a single camera, Compact, Bridge or DSLR, and showing how this is done, and as the author says it is not too easy to change camera positions quickly and smoothly whilst keeping alignment.  It still requires a tripod or secure base for stability.

My article shows you how to make a simple device for taking these 3d photographs as explained in the  3Dstereopics tutorial using a single Camera and how to keep the camera alignment and make a quick change from camera position 1 to position 2.

The dimensions given are for my Fuji S100fs camera. For your own camera, Compact, Bridge or DSLR all you need do is to take some measurements of the critical points e.g.  the distance from the centre of the tripod socket on the camera to the left hand side of the camera body, the distance from the left hand edge of the camera to the centre point of the lens (usually shown on the lens barrel and probably the same as for the tripod socket),  from the centre point of the barrel measure off approx. 80mm.  This will give you the new position of the cameras centre point of the lens. From the centre point of the lenses new position measure the distance from the lens centre to the right hand side of the camera body.  By adding these together this will give you the approximate width of the transport rack base and rod/tube length.

For Example:  Distance from LHS of camera body to tripod socket/lens centre point say 45mm + separation of 80mm + distance centre of lens barrel to the  RH edge of the camera body say 85mm.  Giving a total rack length of approximately  210mm.

The rest of the construction is not size critical. The cube is 60 x 50 x 50mm, the sides are from ¼” MDF  60 x 100mm with a small stay (this is not shown in the diagrams) in each corner. The rod/tube is around 3/8” to 1/2 “ diameter. The base unit needs to be approx. 19mm thick, either MDF, wood or ply can be used.  I was lucky and found an old piece of Formica table top even looks pretty!

The hole in the cube must be such as to allow free and smooth travel along its length.  One way to do this if drilling the hole is a problem then first drill the hole as accurately as you can, and then mark out the distances, cut and square up the cube afterwards.

Mounted on top of the cube is a square of 1-1 ½ mm metal plate. This acts as a retainer for the tripod screw which will hold the camera body. I suggest the hole is made slightly smaller than the screw diameter and that you force thread it through so it can’t get lost.  If you file away a small section immediately below the screw head it remains in place but is free to rotate. The plate is fixed to the top with 4 countersunk No.6 screws x 3/8” - 1/2“. I glued some baize to the top of the plate to avoid scratching the underside of the camera.

The method of attaching the camera easily to the mounting block was achieved by cutting right through the block about 8-10 mm from top and then refitting it, using  a small hinge, 2 small catches are then fixed to the side faces so locking it together.  I also had to pack the underside of the plate using a piece of vinyl this took up any excess thread length of the tripod screw.

All dimensions in the accompanying diagrams are in millimetres and many are flexible and show the various stages of construction.

Once completed setting up is straightforward. Mount the rack on the tripod or a secure base. Set the camera body against the left hand side vertical support, take the photo then quickly slide the camera over to the right hand edge of the vertical support. This will have moved the lens approximately 80mm to provide 2 photos from slightly different points. 

 Please read the article by 3Dstereopics to give you a clear idea as to how to get the best results from your efforts.  My little device simply helps toward that end.

Tools needed are in general everyday use. The vital point is to achieve a smooth surface on the base-plate and also on the bottom of the cube so movement is fast and smooth.  No great skill is needed but you will need patience to fine tune the various measurements.

I have had no training in technical drawing so if it seems ‘hammy’ then I apologise.

Most photos of the set-up were taken using a 3 meg mobile phone.

The left and right stereo shots were taken with the S100fs and loaded into a free download program 3D Journal. You simply download the left and right images and click merge. Unfortunately you cannot copy images direct from here, so all I could think of was to take a picture direct from my PC screen of the merged shot.  The lines of white dots are impressed on the picture, to lose them you have to buy the full version. Looking at it with a pair of home-made red/green specs, it looks quite good. I suggest you zoom in to full screen to view the combined 3d image.

The set-up photos were taken before final finishing touches were applied  to prove it actually works.

That's it. Hope you found it interesting. Don't forget have a little patience it's worth it.