PentaCam VSC 3000 Hydra Camera

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A company called The Focal Pont introduced this unusual still video camera in 1994. It consisted of a Sony video camera combined with a Nikon F4S 35mm SLR film camera. It could take still or video images, but required a videotape recorder, frame grabber, computer, and of course a lens, none of which were included in the $23,000 price. The video camera sees the world through the viewfinder of the 35mm camera, and the operator sees everything through the video camera's preview screen. This is not as bad as it sounds; the standard viewfinder lens has been replaced by custom optics that deliver a sharp, correctly scaled image to the video ccd. Because everything is seen through the same lens, all images have the same focus and composition; there is no parallax error.

Special thanks to Ron Volmershausen for providing picture material and info