Arrangements of mirrors or prisms used as camera attachments to photograph stereoscopic image pairs with one lens and one exposure are sometimes called "beam splitters", but that is a misnomer, as they are effectively a pair of periscopes redirecting rays of light which are already. Arrangements of mirrors or prisms used as camera attachments to photograph stereoscopic image pairs with one lens and one exposure are sometimes called "beam splitters", but that is a misnomer, as they are effectively a pair of periscopes redirecting rays of light which are already. A beam splitter or beamsplitter is an optical device that splits a beam of light into a transmitted and a reflected beam. It is a crucial part of many optical experimental and measurement systems, such as interferometers, also finding widespread application in fibre optic telecommunications. In its. When integrated into specialised lenses, the beam splitter divides the incoming light into two paths: one beam illuminates the object, while the other is used for image capture. 2. A beam splitter (or beamsplitter, power splitter) is an optical device which can split an incident light beam (e. Beamsplitters are often classified according to their construction: cube or plate.