Robert Rig gets updated

[Jesse Blanchard]

Hi Everyone,

I received tons of great feedback from my beta testers (thank you all!). I'm just about to release the latest version of the Robert Rig. Here's a quick video of the new version.

Robert Rig - Stereoscopic 3D Photos, Video, and HDR made easy on Vimeo

Jesse

[Bob Hart]

Jesse.

Good to see you are successfully evolving and progressing the rig.

[Carlton Bright]

Yes, its great to see the development of this product. It is very straightforward and made of good quality materials.

Currently, I am aligning the two cameras by mounting the second camera on a flex-arm like the one used for the monitor in this video.. then superimposing the reflections of the cameras lenses before locking down the flex arm, (I am using a pair SONY RX-100's. )

Jesse, will there be a video showing two cameras being aligned on the Robert Rig soon?

Again, Congratulations on getting this product up and running!

Carlton

[Jesse Blanchard]

Yes, a whole series of additional tutorial videos are in the works now that the latest design is locked down. I'll do an alignment tutorial with mounted cameras first and send you a link.

Thanks again for your support. Invaluable in getting the rig made.

[Allan Black]

Go Jesse!! What about production and have you thought about marketing with a big outfit?

Cheers.

[Jesse Blanchard]

Hi Allan,

I'm absolutely open to marketing with a large outfit. I have a huge wishlist of projects that I want to shoot in 3D and having a partner help market the rigs would get me out there shooting sooner.

What exactly do you mean for production? Production of the rigs? Currently the Robert Rigs are custom machined and assembled and calibrated by yours truly.

[Allan Black]

Jesse, yes production of the rigs. Once the word gets around and it is now, you'll have to cope with immediate sales. My experience is there'll be a rush
then it'll back off a bit. Have you thought about licencing a bigger company to build .. and market them?

Cheers.

[Wolfgang Schmid]

It is nice to see the development of the product - and to identify some of the improvements suggested by me in the video too. :) The latest improvements have added some additional value to the user - and the adjustment has become easier now.

I think it is really a nice product - and great to use with a lot of cameras. I use here two Sony TD10s (in the 2D mode) to shoot with the rig, and it works fine. I think we can recommend the product really.

[Carlton Bright]

Wolfgang,
I am curious how you actually align the pair of cameras once one camera is mounted.
The flex-arm I mentioned was just to get a test 3D image confirmed, but for actual production, I presume a third party, XYZ stage is needed. ($600.00 -$1800.00) like this one:

562 ULTRAlign Precision Linear Stage, 13mm Travel, Req. 3 Actuators, Left Handed

Thanks,
Carlton

[Wolfgang Schmid]

For me that tools look great, but are much too expensive. And by the way, it is not enough - since it does not allow to compensate the cameras for a slight rotation of the optical axis, but only by movements in the X, Y or Z direction. Since you will always have the issue that you have to adjust always the cameras with scews, you always have to bring the optical axis to parallel axis. That is true for every rig.

Robert Rig foresees the possibility to make an adjustment in both the X, Y and Z direction too - simply by moving the bars back and foreward, or up and down. Beside that you can spin the bars a little bit, even with the new adjustment with 3 screws in the uper bar (what was my idea).

So what you do first is to move the two cameras in the same position, and then you perform the adjustment by loosening the screws of the bars. Look into the mirror and bring the two cameras in the same position it the mirror image. Here you end up with two nice aligned camaras - still not perfect but it is a good adjustment to conitune.

The final adjustment must be done looking through the optical system. Here you align the system in fool zoom - best using a horizontal line in a distance of 80-120 meters. And you make an adjustment in the rotation of the cameras - here you have to loosing the scews where you have connected the camera to the rig, adjust the cameras in a parallel way and then you tight the screws again.

Hint: to avoid that one has to do the adjustment again and again, I have decided to use high quality quick release plates and clams to connect the cameras with the rig. With that it is not necessary to do the adjustment again and again - but to do it only one time.

Amazon.com: SIRUI Arca-type Pro Quick Release Plate TY-50: Camera & Photo

Sirui MP-20 Aluminium Schnellwechselbasis mit Gewinde: Amazon.de: Kamera & Foto

These parts are very precise, and allow you to avoid an ongoing adjustment. And small differences are adjusted in the NLE like Vegas - what works fine.

[Carlton Bright]

Bingo, Thanks Wolfgang,
I was under the impression that the the two rails were aligned and tightened via the hex head bolts before mounting the cameras, and thus, the need for a third party stage to mount and align the two cameras after the rig was aligned and locked down.

I did not think loosening and moving the two rails would be the actual way to align the cameras themselves... it seemed it would be too basic a way to fine-tune camera alignment..but indeed it gets it well into the ballpark of alignment.

Granted , I did switch to a more traditional- sized pair of cameras that sat centered on the mirror,
so moving the rails within the small wiggle-room, allowed alignment to occur, and results were achieved (!)

Here is a 20 second stop-motion test with some props, (and even Green-screen used). I left my hand in one shot for scale,(the interocular was a few mm)

BEAMLADY full sxs on Vimeo

Thanks again for the tip,
Carlton

[Jesse Blanchard]

Looks great, Carlton! I've been working in miniature as well and it was a pleasant surprise that 3D didn't give away the actual size of the pieces.

Your alignment looks good to me. You have the alignment chart, right? That allow you to get your footage pixel-perfect in post.

I recently found these guys.
Manfrotto Sympla Variable Plate - Filmtools

and I might work on an adapter kit for the Robert Rig if people want more control. Of course, they would increase the cost of the rig quite a bit.

[Bob Hart]

There must be something good in the water in Oregon. The innovative Le brothers ( Letus ) are also there and of course there is the legendary Oregon wood, well known world-wide..

[Jesse Blanchard]

Just finished an alignment tutorial for the Robert Rig. This goes over using the mirror reflection for basic alignment.

Robert Rig - Alignment Tutorial on Vimeo