Stereoscopic camera and viewing systems with undistorted depth presentation and reduced or eliminated erroneous acceleration and deceleration perceptions, or with perceptions produced or enhanced for special effects

Methods for providing stereoscopic image presentation and stereoscopic configurations using stereoscopic viewing systems having converged or parallel cameras may be set up to reduce or eliminate erroneously perceived accelerations and decelerations by proper selection of parameters, such as an image magnification factor, q, and intercamera distance, 2w. For converged cameras, q is selected to be equal to Ve - qwl = 0, where V is the camera distance, e is half the interocular distance of an observer, w is half the intercamera distance, and l is the actual distance from the first nodal point of each camera to the convergence point, and for parallel cameras, q is selected to be equal to e/w. While converged cameras cannot be set up to provide fully undistorted three-dimensional views, they can be set up to provide a linear relationship between real and apparent depth and thus minimize erroneously perceived accelerations and decelerations for three sagittal planes, x = -w, x = 0, and x = +w which are indicated to the observer. Parallel cameras can be set up to provide fully undistorted three-dimensional views by controlling the location of the observer and by magnification and shifting of left and right images. In addition, the teachings of this disclosure can be used to provide methods of stereoscopic image presentation and stereoscopic camera configurations to produce a nonlinear relation between perceived and real depth, and erroneously produce or enhance perceived accelerations and decelerations in order to provide special effects for entertainment, training, or educational purposes.