User Manual

CNC Milled Aluminum Mount for Twin Sony DSC-V3 Digital Cameras and a LANC Shepherd Controller

Quick Start: Using a sharp knife, shave the bumps off of the bottom of each camera to keep the bumps from tearing or rolling up the rubber on the mount. Mount one of the cameras. Rotate the camera back 90 degrees. Mount the other camera. Twist the first camera back into position. Attach Velcro tape to the back of the LANC Shepherd, and mount the LANC Shepherd on the outrigger part of the mount. Plug in the LANC Shepherd cables to the cameras. Power on the cameras and line up the images by slightly twisting either camera. Start shooting.

The Kit: The picture at right shows mounting kit as shipped. Included are the aluminum mount with pre-installed cushioning rubber strips, the pre-mounted 1/4x20 flat head camera mounting screws, premounted Velcro, and an opposing strip of Velcro for the back of the LANC Shepherd. Included also two small strips of Velcro to secure the cables along the outrigger. An additional 1/4x20 flat head machine screw is also included for mounting a cold shoe (a cold shoe is not included). The mount includes a slot for a neck strap, and a tripod mounting foot with a standard 1/4x20 thread.

Mounting the LANC Shepherd: The kit is set up for quick mounting with Velcro tape. Just apply the supplied strip of Velcro tape to the back of the LANC Shepherd, and stick the LANC Shepherd to the mount. The Velcro holds the controller securely but allows a slight cushioning for a smoother shutter switch press on the controller.

Mounting a Cold Shoe for an external Flash: A cold shoe (not included in the kit) can be purchased from camera suppliers. The pictured cold shoe was purchased from http://www.bhphotovideo.com, part number HAAS.25B (Hama Accessory Shoe HA6959). A 1/4"-20 flat head mounting screw for the cold shoe is included in the kit. Mount the cold shoe on the top of the mount at the 1/4" hole.

The pictured cold shoe has a simple spring retention, but will not in itself hold the flash hot shoe in position. If the flash to be used does not have its own retention screw tightening system (like the Sony flash units do), a cold shoe mount with a more positive retention system will need to be used.

Removing the Bumps on the Bottom of each Camera: Prior to installing the cameras on the mount, the tiny bumps on the bottom of each camera will need to be shaved off using a sharp knife (for example an X-Acto hobby knife). One of the bumps is magnesium, but it too can be shaved off carefully with a knife. The cushioning rubber on the mount ("Ultra-strength BUNA-A Rubber Adhesive-Backed, 1/32", 2" strip, part number 8969K903 from http://www.mcmaster.com) can be torn or rolled by the bumps as the cameras are twisted onto the mount otherwise.

The most important bump to remove is the thumb grip on the battery compartment door (at the "OPEN"), as it has sharp margins. The edges of the rubber have been glued down as partial protection with "Extra Strength Cyanoacrylate" (also known as "tire glue" as it contains powdered black rubber from old tires, acquired at a local hobby shop).

Installing the Cameras: Follow the sequence of pictures at right to adjust the mounting screws and install the cameras. The system uses two opposing flat head 1/4"-20 machine screws that have been trimmed to the right length for the cameras. The concept here is to have lots of friction between the beveled hole in the aluminum mount and the screw itself, but no friction between the camera and the screw. The head of the screw has been coated with some contact cement ("Elmer's Rubber Cement" purchased at a local office supply store), and this cement provides a thick, sticky, gummy scum between the screw and the mount.
The hole in the cushioning rubber is also a little smaller than the head of the screw, helping to hold the screw in position. The screw threads meanwhile turn easily in the camera base. In this way, the cameras can be turned on the mount without turning the screw in the mount. Be careful not to drop a camera! This way of mounting is a bit different than the usual, but works well with attention to the following method:

1. Turn one camera onto the mount. Use a screw driver or coin then to adjust the screw tension so that the camera is firm, but can still be rotated counterclockwise off.

2. Turn the same camera back counterclockwise 90 degrees to expose the screw head for the other camera.

3. Turn the other camera onto the mount. Use a screw driver or coin to adjust the screw tension so that the camera is firmly positioned, but can be rotated off if needed.

4. Rotate the first camera back clockwise 90 degrees so that the cameras are lined up. Try rotating each camera a little. If a camera rotates too easily to reasonably hold position, rotate the opposite camera back 90 degrees, firm up the first camera screw with a screw driver or coin, and rotate the second camera back into alignment.

5. When installing the LANC Shepherd cables to the cameras, one may need to rotate back 45 degrees the right camera to allow room to install the cable plug. The USB port of the right camera can be accessed in a similar fashion.

6. Install the LANC Shepherd or LANC Shepherd Pro by applying the Velcro hook-and-loop tape to the back of the controller and pressing the controller onto the outrigger of the mount. Use the strips of Velcro to secure the cables to the outrigger. Power up the cameras. Zoom in both cameras. Use the LCD display on each camera in a picture taking mode to make final adjustments to camera positions so that the optical axis of the cameras are matched (make sure the top and bottom of the LCD images match up).

Start shooting digital stereo!

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Digital Stereo Photography Home

Installing the Cameras: Follow the sequence of pictures at right to adjust the mounting screws and install the cameras. The system uses two opposing flat head 1/4"-20 machine screws that have been trimmed to the right length for the cameras. The concept here is to have lots of friction between the beveled hole in the aluminum mount and the screw itself, but no friction between the camera and the screw. The head of the screw has been coated with some contact cement ("Elmer's Rubber Cement" purchased at a local office supply store), and this cement provides a thick, sticky, gummy scum between the screw and the mount. The hole in the cushioning rubber is also a little smaller than the head of the screw, helping to hold the screw in position. The screw threads meanwhile turn easily in the camera base. In this way, the cameras can be turned on the mount without turning the screw in the mount. Be careful not to drop a camera! This way of mounting is a bit different than the usual, but works well with attention to the following method:
1. Turn one camera onto the mount. Use a screw driver or coin then to adjust the screw tension so that the camera is firm, but can still be rotated counterclockwise off.
2. Turn the same camera back counterclockwise 90 degrees to expose the screw head for the other camera.
3. Turn the other camera onto the mount. Use a screw driver or coin to adjust the screw tension so that the camera is firmly positioned, but can be rotated off if needed.
4. Rotate the first camera back clockwise 90 degrees so that the cameras are lined up. Try rotating each camera a little. If a camera rotates too easily to reasonably hold position, rotate the opposite camera back 90 degrees, firm up the first camera screw with a screw driver or coin, and rotate the second camera back into alignment.
5. When installing the LANC Shepherd cables to the cameras, one may need to rotate back 45 degrees the right camera to allow room to install the cable plug. The USB port of the right camera can be accessed in a similar fashion.
6. Install the LANC Shepherd or LANC Shepherd Pro by applying the Velcro hook-and-loop tape to the back of the controller and pressing the controller onto the outrigger of the mount. Use the strips of Velcro to secure the cables to the outrigger. Power up the cameras. Zoom in both cameras. Use the LCD display on each camera in a picture taking mode to make final adjustments to camera positions so that the optical axis of the cameras are matched (make sure the top and bottom of the LCD images match up).