I stumbled throughout one thing fascinating at The Photography & Video Show 2026 — the type of discover that reminds you why wandering exhibition flooring is a lot enjoyable. Tucked away on Vintage Camera Hut’s stand was a unusual little gem: the Loreo Stereo Panfocus 28mm, a 3D movie digicam that mimics how our personal eyes and mind work collectively.
At first look, it seems like a retro toy digicam. But press the shutter, and it does one thing intelligent. Instead of taking a single picture, it captures two at the very same second utilizing twin 28mm lenses — one for the left eye and one for the best.
These photographs sit facet by facet on a strip of 35mm movie, and when considered correctly, merge right into a single 3D scene. It’s basically recreating stereopsis, the identical course of your mind makes use of to understand depth.
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Of course, viewing the outcomes is a part of the expertise. You can use a devoted stereoscopic viewer, like Loreo’s Mini or Maxi Viewer, to see the pictures pop into three dimensions. You also can attempt the cross-eyed methodology — however except you take pleasure in complications, the viewer is certainly the way in which to go.
What makes this digicam particularly interesting is how easy it’s. There’s no twiddling with settings or overthinking publicity. Focus is mounted from about 2.5feet (80cm) to infinity, the shutter sits at 1/60sec, and also you get simply two aperture decisions: f/11 for flash and f/18 for daylight. It’s point-and-shoot within the purest sense.
One particularly interesting aspect is how this camera changes the way you compose images. Because it’s capturing depth, scenes with strong foreground and background separation suddenly become far more engaging. A simple shot of a street or a portrait gains a layered, almost immersive quality — something flat images often struggle to convey.
With contemporary photography dominated by digital perfection, the Loreo Stereo Panfocus is a playful throwback. It’s less about technical precision and more about rediscovering the joy of perspective — quite literally in three dimensions.
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Read Benedict Brain, a professional UK photographer’s, advice on ‘seeing differently’ with stereoscopic imaging.