Proper Use of Stereoscopes

1. Be sure that the photos are properly aligned, preferably with the shadows toward the
viewer.
2. Be sure to keep the eye base and the long axis of the stereoscope parallel to the flight
line.
3. Try to maintain an even glare free illumination of the images and make yourself
comfortable.
4. Keep the lenses of your stereoscope clean.
5. Do not attempt stereo viewing for long periods in the beginning.
Methods And Instruments In Stereoscopic Observation
Pocket stereoscope - portable device for studying aerial photographs.
Parallax wedge - simplest device in determining differential parallax.
Parallax bar - movable floating mark can be placed at base and top of the objects to
measure differential parallax.
Problems/Issues Involved in Viewing Stereo
1. People with eyes of unequal strength may have difficulty seeing stereo. (If you wear
glasses it is best that they are worn when stereo viewing.)
2. Poor photographic illumination, misaligned prints or uncomfortable viewing positions
may result in eye fatigue.
3. Illness or severe emotional distress may create sensations of dizziness when using
stereoscopes.
4. Pseudo stereo can be caused by:
a. Erroneous reversal of prints
b. Viewing photos with shadows falling away rather than towards the interpreter.
5. Objects which change position from one photo to another cannot be viewed in stereo.
6. In areas of high vertical relief, scale differences in adjacent photos may make it difficult
to obtain a 3D effect.
7. Dark shadows or clouds may prohibit stereoscopic study by obscuring details of the
scene on one print or the other.
 8. Individuals who have difficulty with stereoscopic viewing should not attempt unaided
eye stereo viewing.
Fiducial Marks, Principal Points, and Conjugate Principal Points
• Fiducial marks are photographed each time aerial photograph is recorded.
• These marks are of varying shape or form and may appear in the corners or the middle
of each side of the photo or in all eight locations.
• These marks allow users to locate the precise center of a photograph, the principal point
(PP). Drawing a line between opposite fiducial marks locates the principal point of the
photograph.
• By carefully examining the vicinity of the principal point on a photograph, its location
can be visually transferred to each of the two adjacent photos in the flight line. The
transferred principal point is commonly called conjugate principal point (CPP).
PARALLAX
• Parallax - the displacement of an object caused by a change in the point of observation.
• Stereoscopic Parallax – caused by taking photographs of the same object but from
different points of observation.
• Differential Parallax – the difference between the stereoscopic parallax at the top and
base of the object.