Advice on Setting up a Stereo Camera

Stereoscopic imaging is a very complex field of endeavor. It is extremely subjective. As such, it is possible, in the right circumstances to use an amazing array of equipment and procedures. That said, this very complexity also means that, unless you really understand it, not getting it right is quite likely.

There are certain generalizations, or guidelines that can be helpful. For example, you will likely find the you will be using shorter focal length lenses much more than longer, since long focal lengths tend to "flatten" the subject. This is true also in 2D, but it is much more obvious in 3D.

Sync is often more critical than most imagine. If you are shooting a stereo pair of a perfectly still subject, say a building with no people or other moving objects, on a tripod, you can usually get away with several minutes between exposures. However, say there is a tree in the picture and a breeze, the flutter of the leaves will require fairly accurate sync to avoid what is called "retinal rivalry".

I would recommend that you read some of the free books in the Stereoscopic Virtual Library http://www.stereoscopic.org/library/index.html

As a start, I would suggest McKay's book, as it was written with the beginner in mind, and it has a bibliography of commonly used words and terms that are useful to get defined before reading the other books.

Most of these books were written several years ago, in the days of analog film stereography.  However, most of the basic principles outlined in them apply to digital imaging as well.  In fact, digital stereography often makes it easier (and cheaper to experiment).