Stereoscopy Reborn: Mercury Stereo 12
In 2015, Mercury Works brought 3D printing and radical systems engineering to the world of
photographic camera design, and we have been innovating ever since. Now, we are proud to
introduce the culmination of our engineering advances and worldwide customer feedback...
Introducing the Mercury Stereo 12, a medium format (6x6 frame) stereoscopic camera system
featuring interchangeable lenses and interchangeable backs for the first time in history.
Now you can shoot IMAX quality 3D photos with a professional tool that puts you in control
of the entire process.
3D photography was the norm 100 years ago. Somehow the camera and smartphone industries have
convinced photographers that flat, two-dimensional photos are good enough. We aren't buying
it. Once you've experienced high-end stereoscopic photography you will see not only
image-making, but the world itself, in a different way. We want to give you the tools to do
that.
3D photography is a physical, analog form of expression that is inherently shared with your
friends, whether through a vintage stereoscope, on a screen, or in a high-end Mercury
viewer. Pass it around and listen to the gasps as three dimensional scenes envelop them!
Medium format 3D photography is about as good as it gets. Now, finally, there's a camera
system that is affordable, powerful, and fun! The Mercury Stereo 12 combines elements of
medium format and large format camera design to bring professional flexibility and control
to stereography.
Photograph taken with Mercury Stereo 12
Some of the features of the Mercury Stereo 12:
-
Completely modular design. The front stack of the camera that holds
your shutters and lenses is completely reconfigurable and customizable. Likewise,
the
camera is compatible with a wide range of extensions, accessories, and electronics.
Not
only does this give you an enormous number of options now, but it will also grow in
the
future.
-
Interchangeable Lenses. The Stereo 12 is compatible with many leaf
shutters (Copal 0,
Compur 0, Compur 00, Seiko TLR, Seiko LF, etc.) and many lenses. You no longer need
to
be content with just one lens choice. You can now shoot ultrawide, portrait, or
anything
in-between. We have tested and can recommended over 30 different lenses so
far. The list continues to grow, and there are of course many other lenses can be
easily
used with the camera.
Legendary Super Angulon 47mm Lenses
-
Electronic Shutter Actuation: Though you can use many mechanical
shutters with the Stereo 12, internally it uses a fully electronic system to actuate
them. Only electronic actuation can perfectly sync the two shutters to stop motion,
enable the use of flash/strobes, and give you precise, instantaneous triggering via
the onboard handheld trigger or external triggers.
-
Interchangeable backs. The Stereo 12 uses the Graflok 45 /
International back mount, with additional sheet holder capability. It is compatible
with 120 film (via the amazing Horseman 6EXP back, the DaYi 612 back, or 3D printed
backs), with large format film via standard 4x5 sheet film holders or Grafmatic
backs, with 65mm and 70mm long roll film (via the Mercury 65mm/70mm Panoramic Back), and even with panoramic 135 film (via a really special Mercury
back), glass plates, tintypes, 4x5 instant film, etc.
-
Quick-attach side handle. The Stereo 12 is compatible with the
SmallRig side handle standard for cinema rigs, giving you a number of options for a
quick-attach left-side handle for flexibility and ease of use when shooting
handheld. It takes only seconds to add or remove the handle when stowing the camera.
-
Ground Glass system. We've designed a line of ground glass options
to enable ultra-precise control when shooting on a tripod. Unique among stereo
cameras, our ground glass backs enable you to preview both the left and right stereo
“views” that the camera will expose. This is the only way to preview the exact edges
of those separate views, as well as to preview the stereo divergence at different
depth planes. This information enables advanced, precise stereography.
-
Precise zone focusing and DOF information at your fingertips. The
Stereo 12 uses a fast-interchangeable spacing system that gives you complete,
customizable depth of field information for each zone. Stereo shooting is all about
this information, as you usually need to maximize depth of field and know exactly
where your subjects fall within your range. The goal is not to choose a single
subject and isolate it, but rather to compose relationships between subjects/objects
in space. While a continuous focusing option will be offered in the future, we've
designed the camera in its currently offered form to meet the needs of stereography
rather than flat photography.
-
Flexible triggering. Besides the built-in handheld button trigger,
the Stereo 12 incorporates an external trigger port compatible with a range of wired
triggers, including our own Deluxe External Trigger, designed specifically for this
camera and capable of mounting on a top or side cold shoe until you are ready to
expose your shot. You can also connect wireless flash triggers such as PocketWizard
to this port to trigger wirelessly.
-
Built-in Arca-Swiss compatible QR foot. Not only does this provide a
stable platform to set your camera down on flat surfaces, but natively mounts to any
Arca-Swiss QR plate (including very inexpensive generic ones, which in turn can be
mounted on any tripod, monopod, etc. If you find you need to mount your camera on a
different type of tripod plate, a standard 1/4-20 thread on the bottom side of the
foot enables that as well.
-
The Little Details. From a film plane indicator to quick release
camera strap compatibility to various ergonomic details to a range of viewfinders
and other accessories, we've learned from years of experience and customer feedback
from the amazing Mercury community what makes a camera a joy to use.
