GB968103A - Panoramic motion picture camera arrangement - Google Patents

Abstract

968,103. Panoramic cinematography. WALT DISNEY PRODUCTIONS. June 15, 1961 [Aug.26, 1960], No. 21598/61. Heading G2E. A motion picture camera assembly for photographing a panoramic scene comprises a support, a plurality of motion picture cameras mounted on the support and spaced equi-distantly about a substantially horizontal circle with their optical axes substantially vertical, and a reflecting surface for each camera mounted on the support at an angle to the horizontal and vertical of substantially 45 degrees effectively so as to render the optical axes of the cameras horizontal and projecting radially outwardly, the edges of each reflecting surface being immediately adjacent the edges of its neighbouring surfaces, the distance along the optical axis of each camera from the camera lens to the associated reflecting surface being substantially equal to the horizontal radial distance from the point of deflection of such optical axis on the reflecting surface to the centre of the circle effectively so as to place the camera lenses in substantial optical coincidence at the centre of the circle, whereby each camera photographs substantially a true sector field with the sides of adjacent sector fields in substantial coincidence to avoid gaps and overlaps between the individual camera fields. As shown a plurality of motion picture cameras 12 are uniformly arranged around a cylindrical support column 14 with the axes vertical and each is associated with an aperture 22 in an annular support plate 21 and a plane mirror 31 mounted at 45 degrees to the horizontal. The mirrors are supported by a member 25 having a frusto-conical configuration. Light shields 44, partition shields 37, and transparent plates 23 and 38 are provided supported by the members 25 and/or 21. Synchronous operation of the shutters of the several cameras is ensured, for example, by mechanical coupling shafts 46.