view finders in a binocular-type viewing device that 
would allow accurate assessment of the stereoscopic 
coverage before the photographs are taken. 
The price of such a universal stereometric camera 
does not need to be astronomically high. With the 
exception of the metrical chambers, which should be 
of the highest possible quality and performance, the 
provisions suggested and listed above do not need to 
be of ultra high precision. In the phase of data 
reduction, analytically or according to an analogue 
approach, it suffices, in most cases, to have good 
approximations for the parameters of the outer orien- 
tation. This remark is, of course, not valid in case 
of the few simplified restitution equipment designed 
specifically for the normal case of photogrammetry. 
The eight capabilities listed above are presented from the 
point of view of the user of stereometric cameras, without being 
restricted by eventual manufacturing difficulties or policies. 
These ideas are presented with the hope that a universal stereo- 
metric camera will be materialized in the not too distant future. 
With the current availability of excellent data reduction 
and data processing systems, the introduction of a universal 
stereometric camera would be of great significance. It is our 
conviction that the materialization of a universal stereometric 
system promises to have a far reaching impact on many engineering 
and scientific disciplines where on-site measurements under 
test conditions play an important role.