Reflective Leggs Egg

[SnarkDarkler]

I have tried to get an old Leggs egg like when I was a kid that has a reflective surface.

What I need is a parabolic mirror with a steep curve ( a perfect half sphere, convex ).

Like the eggs used to have.

 

What I would like to do is point a digital camera at this mirror.

And then using 3D programming un-wrap the image. Allowing for a live 360 degree image that could be scrolled with the mouse.

I have seen it done and it would be interesting to try it on my own.

 

Anyways,.. just a passing interest and if anyone has an alternative, I'd love to hear it.

 

Thanks

 

Jeremy

Edited August 17, 2011 by SnarkDarkler

[swansont]

Sounds like a neat project. I've seen commercially-available systems to do this for DSLRs, and they're expensive.

 

I found metallic eggs (not L'eggs though, and not silver) with a quick google search. I wonder how easy it would be to coat a regular plastic egg with a reflective surface?

http://www.centurynovelty.com/items.jsp?category=156&page=2

http://www.partycity.com/product/jumbo+pastel+metallic+fillable+easter+eggs+4ct.do?sortby=ourPicks&pp=60&size=all&navSet=111306

[Schrödinger's hat]

Perhaps a chrome drawbar or doornob or similar?

[imatfaal]

Wouldn't you be maxed out at coverage of a hemisphere (if you just unmap the reflection) - or are you considering having the mirror to get what is behind you (so to speak) and the rest of the image showing what is in front of you. On Tom Swanson blog he demonstrated a digital camera getting a full hemisphere view by being placed underwater - might be an idea, but of course you could only do the sky and to the horizon!

[swansont]

Wouldn't you be maxed out at coverage of a hemisphere (if you just unmap the reflection) - or are you considering having the mirror to get what is behind you (so to speak) and the rest of the image showing what is in front of you. On Tom Swanson blog he demonstrated a digital camera getting a full hemisphere view by being placed underwater - might be an idea, but of course you could only do the sky and to the horizon!

 

A convex parabolic mirror allows you to do something similar without carrying a pool around with you.

[imatfaal]

A convex parabolic mirror allows you to do something similar without carrying a pool around with you.

 

True, but you can't have a swim in a parabolic mirror once you have taken your photos.

 

Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of a bucket of water filled to the brim - wouldn't that have much the same effect, even if with less light gathering area.

 

Follow-up - would you get enough light from starlight to take an entire hemisphere nightsky photo ie without needing to leave shutter open so long you get rotation?

[swansont]

True, but you can't have a swim in a parabolic mirror once you have taken your photos.

 

Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of a bucket of water filled to the brim - wouldn't that have much the same effect, even if with less light gathering area.

 

Follow-up - would you get enough light from starlight to take an entire hemisphere nightsky photo ie without needing to leave shutter open so long you get rotation?

That depends on the lens settings and sensitivity of the sensor. I can't recall where I saw it, but I happened on a guide for stellar photography and they had a guide for aperture and ISO settings, and I think the gist was that if you can keep the exposure to 20 sec or less, the rotation isn't very apparent.

 

edit: the other problem with the water is that disrupting the surface messes up the picture.