A stereo endoscope system comprising: a plurality of stereo endoscopes with differing working lengths, working diameters and directions of view, wherein each of the plurality of stereo endoscopes comprises two identical optical systems (60a, 60b) where every pair of the corresponding components (52a, 52b, 56a-f, 58a, 58b) is permanently coupled in a sideways orientation; and a stereo video camera configured to be removeably coupled in succession to any of the plurality of stereo endoscopes in two 180-degree reversed positions with a bayonet adapter, wherein the stereo video camera comprises a flat prism block positioned between the stereo endoscope and an optical camera element of the stereo video camera, wherein the prism block further comprises two coupled prisms (164a, 164b), and wherein the stereo video camera further comprises a first and a second objective positioned within the optical path of the first and second prisms (164a, 164b) respectively, wherein each objective comprises a first, second and third camera objective lens (170, 172, 174) with an air gap (171, 173, 175) between each of the camera objective lenses (170, 172, 174), and wherein all of the camera objective lenses (170, 172, 174) are adhered to a common block, the objective lenses (170, 172, 174) are movable along a common axis in a forwards and backwards direction, and wherein the common block is located in the prism block; wherein the stereo video camera further comprises a first video chip aligned in the focus of the first objective and a second video chip aligned in the focus of the second objective and wherein the prism block extends the optical axes of the two identical optical systems a distance that is equal to the distance between the first video chip and the second video chip so that the first video chip and the second video chip may be positioned in the prism block in close proximity to each other. a plurality of stereo endoscopes with differing working lengths, working diameters and directions of view, wherein each of the plurality of stereo endoscopes comprises two identical optical systems (60a, 60b) where every pair of the corresponding components (52a, 52b, 56a-f, 58a, 58b) is permanently coupled in a sideways orientation; and a stereo video camera configured to be removeably coupled in succession to any of the plurality of stereo endoscopes in two 180-degree reversed positions with a bayonet adapter, wherein the stereo video camera comprises a flat prism block positioned between the stereo endoscope and an optical camera element of the stereo video camera, wherein the prism block further comprises two coupled prisms (164a, 164b), and wherein the stereo video camera further comprises a first and a second objective positioned within the optical path of the first and second prisms (164a, 164b) respectively, wherein each objective comprises a first, second and third camera objective lens (170, 172, 174) with an air gap (171, 173, 175) between each of the camera objective lenses (170, 172, 174), and wherein all of the camera objective lenses (170, 172, 174) are adhered to a common block, the objective lenses (170, 172, 174) are movable along a common axis in a forwards and backwards direction, and wherein the common block is located in the prism block; wherein the stereo video camera further comprises a first video chip aligned in the focus of the first objective and a second video chip aligned in the focus of the second objective and wherein the prism block extends the optical axes of the two identical optical systems a distance that is equal to the distance between the first video chip and the second video chip so that the first video chip and the second video chip may be positioned in the prism block in close proximity to each other.