Rangefinder Stereo Cameras

[Vince Lupo]

Can someone tell me what the separation is between the pairs of images? Would the pair be the equivalent of a 24x36mm frame? Or is it wider?

 

[wpb]

It is wider than a single frame. You get 29 pairs on a 36 exposure roll; and there is little to no space between the images.

 

[Vince Lupo]

It is wider than a single frame. You get 29 pairs on a 36 exposure roll; and there is little to no space between the images.

Gotcha - I guess I’ll have to scan each frame individually, not a big deal. I’ll try to just match up the spacing and size with an original stereo card.

This is very exciting 🙂

 

[Ambro51]

Realist format images are 5 perfs. The images come close, and often do, exactly touch each other. So, each image, left and right, has two other images between it ( or say separated by 10 perfs. Stereo cameras and viewers are designed to exactly replicate the eyes view. In other words, if you take a picture, and mount the slides and look through the viewer, the view is repeated. Look at the scene with your eyes, then hold up the viewer with a picture of that scene, the view is identical. One recent mprovement available to all internally illuminated viewers are single LED bulbs to replace the incandescent flashlight bulb original lay supplied. The LED raises the light level and light color temp for more pleasing outdoor views. •••••• a previous poster praised the Realist and Rightly So! I own many varieties and of All, the earliest made cameras (under SN 10000) used Superb Ilex Paragon lenses. Most shooters agree there are the sharpest lenses ever, and in stereo, sharpness is Everything. Now here’s the glitch with the standard David White 3.5, it vignettes at smaller aperature. Not too noticeable in a handheld viewer, but not good at all with stereo projectors (a whole level above handheld viewers). ••••••. Not for the Revere, only the Realist, is an amazing device .... the Steinheil Munchen Redufocus Wide angle lens set attachment. This converts the 35mm standard fl lenses to a 25mm fl wide angle! Though fitting any Realist, they work best on the F2.8 models, the 1042 and 1050.

 

[Dwig]

The problem with stereo today in 2020 is that hardly anyone is willing to “do it” like it was meant to be. That is, slide film correctly mounted and looked at through a hand held viewer. ...

That was the then newbie method and hardly the original way it was meant to be.


Viewing stereo images predates photography. Sir Charles Wheatstone was one of the originators and demonstrated a successful, but rather impractical, view using drawings in 1838. One of the first practical viewers for stereo photographs was that of Sir David Brewster from about a decade later. The major "standard" format back in the day was the simple inexpensive view designed by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., in 1861. It became the dominate specification and was used by the extremely popular views from Underwood & Underwood in the later part of the 19th century.


Personally, since I only shoot digital these days, I prefer printing cards to the Holmes format for viewing in simple viewers.

 

[rfaspen]

What Dwig said. This would be the approximation of Brian May's published work.
... which I really enjoy.

 

[mothertrucker]

I have a pilot friend who will stick his camera out the window while flying past a downtown and take a few subsequent images. The distance between the shots lets him make out together hyperstereo images.

Another great place to look for images is:https://www.greatwarin3d.org/images.html

Unfortunately the proprietor of the website, Doug Jordan, just passed away this January. But the collection is still up.

Stereo photography was really huge in World War I - if I were to get another stereo camera I would be seriously tempted by a WWI era Jules Richard Verascope with 35mm back.

 

[Ambro51]

In my wet plate days I used a 5x8 Camera. Now.....for cards, that’s the way to go. Contact print a wet plate neg and it has the required sharpness. BTW the OP needs to understand the transposition of images right to left, and having a bit less “info” on the left image.

 

[Vince Lupo]

In my wet plate days I used a 5x8 Camera. Now.....for cards, that’s the way to go. Contact print a wet plate neg and it has the required sharpness. BTW the OP needs to understand the transposition of images right to left, and having a bit less “info” on the left image.

Yup got that covered - I should be receiving my camera tomorrow, and maybe might even shoot some this weekend. Very excited 🙂

Wet plate - mmm don’t think that’s going to happen at my end anytime soon. I gave up my darkroom almost 20 years ago, so I’ll have to suffer with my Plustek 8200i. But, I am willing to give the slides a try, so I’m not completely a hopeless case.

 

[farlymac]

Vince, you should get a Sputnik! A 120 stereo camera from the Soviet days. I think maybe you can just proof print them for a proper stereo card.

http://www.analogadvocates.com/page/sputnik

PF

 

[Vince Lupo]

Vince, you should get a Sputnik! A 120 stereo camera from the Soviet days. I think maybe you can just proof print them for a proper stereo card.

http://www.analogadvocates.com/page/sputnik

PF

This is going to be (hopefully!) one of those rare occasions in which I stick to one camera. Too many cameras in my life is getting too confusing for me.

Wait a sec - did I just say that??? Something must be wrong with me 🙂

 

[Ambro51]

Haha...I’ve got all kinds of stereo cameras, though no 120 or “WW1” era. The trick with stereo is composition and depth of field. Most stereo cameras follow the realist format, but there are a few that do it differently. An example is the Haneel TriVision. This little gem uses closer lens spacing and 828 film! Sort of an “undiscovered gem” is the KinDar Stereo Camera. Another Seton Rochwite design, built for ease of use.

 

[Derek Leath]

Great thread.

I use to shoot a lot of stereo slides, mostly with Realist cameras. Found a cool FED in the UK that's full frame. I have an old Richard and a bunch of glass slides from the early 1900's some in colour, very cool stuff.

 

[Vince Lupo]

Well I just took the plunge and also bought a viewer and some slide mounts. So yeah, I guess I will be shooting some slide film. Hmm....guess I need to buy some of that too!

 

[wpb]

You really need an Alignment Gauge Set for Mounting 3-D Slides; this will assist in making the pairs aligned properly.

A bubble level, shoe mounted or otherwise, is also very helpful in keeping the camera level. When the level is off, even just a bit, you'll have to rectify that in mounting making a tedious process that much more difficult.

 

[Vince Lupo]

You really need an Alignment Gauge Set for Mounting 3-D Slides; this will assist in making the pairs aligned properly.

A bubble level, shoe mounted or otherwise, is also very helpful in keeping the camera level. When the level is off, even just a bit, you'll have to rectify that in mounting making a tedious process that much more difficult.

Good advice. The viewfinder has a bubble level in it, so I’ll have to keep a squinty eye on it. I’ll post a few photos of it when I have a chance. I’ll see if I can locate an alignment gauge set.

 

[Ambro51]

That level Will divert your attention as you hold the camera. After awhile you won’t need it, the feel isn’t any different from holding any eye level camera correctly. ....as to an alignment gauge, maybe, but I never used one. More important is a negative cutter. You Must split the images correctly, and keep them the proper positions (left,right). Look inside your camera at the film openings. You’ll see a notch on one side. That’s so you can tell them apart. The left image in the camera becomes the right image in the slide. Properly mounted, the slide images align when the eyes are relaxed. Remember to use the slowest ISO film you can. These cameras are designed to use Kodachrome, remember that. Always use at least F11, zone focusing and depth of field tend to make using the rangefinder almost unneeded. (I’ve got the same basic camera, a Wollensak 10, But never liked using it. The Stereo Realist Just gets it “so right”.)

 

[Ambro51]

If you want to see Great Stereo Photography, get the Harold Lloyd “Hollywood Nudes” book. Mr. Lloyd, who’s image I borrowed for my Avatar here, was a prolific stereo shooter from the instant a friend gave him a Realist. Over the next decade he took 300,000 Stereo photographs!!!

 

[Vince Lupo]

Here are some photos of the newly-acquired camera:


Revere Stereo1 by Vince Lupo, on Flickr


Revere Stereo2 by Vince Lupo, on Flickr


Revere Stereo3 by Vince Lupo, on Flickr


Revere Stereo4 by Vince Lupo, on Flickr


Revere Stereo5 by Vince Lupo, on Flickr


Paul Burgess - Stereo Camera by Vince Lupo, on Flickr

It's in very nice condition -- all the shutter speeds seem right on the money, aperture is fine and focus seems okay (though the vertical alignment of the rangefinder is off a bit and a little bit hazy). I may possibly send it to my camera guru, Frank Marshman / Camera Wiz, just to give it the spit'n'polish.

The last photo - if you're wondering - is of the original owner of this camera, Paul Burgess. Based upon the info that's on the original receipt, I simply Googled 'Oak Lawn High School Yearbook 1953' and a PDF of Oak Lawn's 1958 yearbook popped up. I scrolled through it and found Paul. Neat to see a photo of the original owner of this camera!

One thing I did notice on the receipt was that he also purchased a Model 22 viewer, so I found one online. Should be here next week.

 

[Vince Lupo]

Not that I'm buying another camera -- but do you guys know anything about those Duplex 120 cameras? They produce a 24x24 image on 120 film. Do they require special 'Duplex' slide mounts? Just curious!