3D GIFs used to be rare finds back when Tumblr was still relevant. But ever since Mura Masa used 3D photos in his 2016 What If I Go? music video, they were suddenly everywhere. The technique is so popular now that people even call it the “Mura Masa” effect. The secret behind these hypnotic images is the Nishika N8000 stereo camera. It has four lenses that shoot the same scene all at the same time to create the 3D magic. In their latest video, Mango Street’s Daniel and Rachel wanted to see if they can recreate the effect digitally. So will analog trump digital in their little experiment? Let’s take a look and see which medium wins.
The digital rig Daniel and his friend set up looked quite complicated. It comprised two Canon 5D Mark IVs, one Canon 5D Mark III, and one Canon 1Dx Mark II that totaled $20,000. To give a slight orbit effect, they set the cameras on tripods and arranged them in a little arch. They then connected the DSLRs to a computer to control the shutters simultaneously. Unfortunately, the program they used didn’t work, so they had to trigger the cameras manually.
The digital set-up was so complex that according to the video, preparing it took 45 minutes. Meanwhile, all they had to do with the $300 Nishika was load it with film and start shooting.
After the shoot, they aligned the photos on the computer and resized them for a more consistent look. The process was pretty much the same for both the Nishika and the DSLR rig. The only difference was that they had to readjust the scale for the digital photos since the frame sizes varied.
The images from the Nishika were excellent. However, I have to say that the results from the DSLR rig equally impressed me. Daniel and Rachel loved the “haunting” quality of film, but I personally love the details from the DSLR set-up.
So how about you? Do you like the film 3D photos or the digital ones?
The film would be better outside as inside is way to dark, and due to the lens type and the 4 shots on the digital it had a strange effect on her nose.
I use a Nikon D3200 and the 2 shot method but only on fixed subjects, and I then covert them into a video loop, Stereoscopic image, Angalyph and also for 3D TV format.
I guess the most famous person I follow who does 3D photography is Brian May, with 5 books released with Stereoscopic Cards from the past.
If you spell it GIF then it said like GIF, the only JIF I know is a cleaning product.
https://gizmodo.com/the-creator-of-the-gif-says-its-pronounced-jif-he-is-509179289
What do pirates drink?
Rum. But also Gin. Which is pronounced Jin.
I think the comparison might have been better if they actually used some flash. The film photos were horribly underexposed while the digital cameras were better able to handle the low light. Just my 2 cents.
It was cool to see the comparison. Obviously more “apples to oranges” as the results go, but certainly thought-provoking …
Interesting post guys. The film photos really are being undersold without the use of a flash.
Also…Just a heads up. I used the Nimslo camera for the Mura Masa gifs not Nishika :)