Underwater Apo Island, Philippines, in VR 3D-180

I am excited about this stereoscopic 180 vignette from Apo Island in Dumaguete, Philippines! See it in Oculus headsets by clicking over to Oculus Media Studio and “Saving to VR.” Once you do this, you’ll find the video in headset in Library->Saved.

I spent 2 weeks in December at Atlantis Dive Resorts & Liveaboards in Dumaguete celebrating the 70th birthdays of Marty Snyderman and Howard Hall Productions. Instead of shooting a normal underwater cameras, I brought a prototype stereoscopic underwater rig comprised of two Z CAM E2 cameras, iZugar MKX200 lenses, a custom housing by Blue Ring Imaging, and two Gates Underwater Products GT14 lights. The cameras are perfectly synchronized. An internal Raspberry Pi computer and Ethernet switch allow the housing to control the cameras, and also provide preview images from both cameras.

I’m particularly excited for the new content possibilities here, as the stereo from this setup is the best I’ve seen from any recent underwater VR experience. As with all custom 3D-180 work, there is competent stitching required in Mistika VR (or equivalent), and if you’re moving the camera, careful stabilization. I collaborated with James Donald of Stokefarm Productions in this short piece, and he did an amazing job.

If you’re interested in the rig, please contact Casey Sapp at Blue Ring Imaging. The cameras and lenses are off the shelf from Z CAM and iZugar. I had older firmware during this test, so it was very difficult to get good color. The new firmware is more flexible in white balance, and when combined with filters and/or lighting, should yield stunning footage.

See all of Eric’s VR videos over at Oculus Media Studio.