Rangefinder Stereo Cameras

[Vince Lupo]

The pair of Macris-Boucher 'Nil Melior' cameras. I just got the lens/shutter assembly for the one on the left back from Frank this past week, and it works super-duper. I managed to get the 12-plate back all figured out and it's presently loaded with Jason Lane's ASA 25 glass plates (thank you Jason!).

Here's the thing I figured out with the multi-plate back: The septums need to go in a specific way, otherwise the dark slide will jam and you won't be able to push it back into the back. So the butt end of the septums need to be on the right side where the dark slide exits the back, and the open end needs to be on the left. The rounded edge of that end of the septums helps to guide the dark slide back into place. I'm sure that's why so many of these things jammed and resulted in broken glass inside these backs. I just figured this out this morning - thankfully no broken glass.

Interesting that I should prefer these cameras over the Heidoscop or the other stereo cameras I have. These cameras are really primitive in their design, plus they have fixed-focus lenses which theoretically should be inferior to focusable lenses. But they produce great results and I love the way they handle. I wouldn't actually object to getting a couple more!


Nil Meliors 2020 by Vince Lupo, on Flickr

 

[Vince Lupo]

Shot with the Nil Melior, Ilford Pan F.


145th Penna Infantry Stereo by Vince Lupo, on Flickr

 

[Nokton48]

Exceptional. Looks like you are having a blast. Stay safe. Keep going.
-Dan

 

[Vince Lupo]

Exceptional. Looks like you are having a blast. Stay safe. Keep going.
-Dan

Many thanks Dan - I'm really enjoying this entire endeavour. Okay well maybe not the light leaks, but everything else!

Taken with the Nil Melior, Ilford Pan F.


On the Lookout Stereo by Vince Lupo, on Flickr

 

[Vince Lupo]

Making some initial prints for stereo cards. Printed on my Epson 3880 on 13"x19" Epson Hot Press Natural paper. I'll need to determine whether I go with a dark border or a white one for some consistency. I like the dark one, as it kind of disappears into the background, plus it looks a bit more 'vintage' so to speak. And now that I look at these photos together, as much as I like the colorized ones, the black and white ones are fine too. I'll also need to standardize the size of them. Still lots to do!


Stereo Sheet by Vince Lupo, on Flickr

 

[farlymac]

There's really something unsettling about how the colorization turns the statues blue, but other than that it's fine.

It took me awhile to figure out the septums on my Graphmatic film holder too, but like you I persevered. It's such a tricky mechanism.

The "new" cameras look good, keep having fun, Vince.

PF

 

[Vince Lupo]

Many thanks for the encouragement!

The only statues I colorized is the one on the left row, second from the bottom, and the middle shot in the middle row. All the others are monochrome. I tried it on that one on the left just to see what it would look like, plus to give a bit more depth. I don't mind it on that one, plus it is a 'Northern' monument. In the one in the middle row, the right statue is actually yellow/orange, while the one in the background of that shot isn't colorized (other than the pedestal, which is yellow/orange). I'm colorizing by hand ('by hand' I mean painting areas with the brush tool in PhotoShop, opacity set to about 5%). I'm still on the fence about the whole colorizing thing.

 

[Vince Lupo]

Might be heading back up to Gettysburg this weekend - will try to shoot some glass plates with the recently repaired Nil Melior.

On the way to Little Round Top, shot with the Nil Melior, Ilford Pan F.


Little Round Top Stereo5 by Vince Lupo, on Flickr


Little Round Top Stereo5 Colorized by Vince Lupo, on Flickr

 

[Ambro51]

......see if you can round up a few “authentic campaigners”. These are the slightly wacky guys who hang out on the battlefield to give “history lessons” to tourists, and at any given time there ARE guys waaaay back in the woods there in dog tents eating hardtack. ( several decades ago I bought ten pounds of dug musket and minis balls from a relic collecter in Virginia. After cherry picking the interesting ones, I had fun with the rest....throwing handfuls out close to “touristy” areas at g’burg. I’ll bet a Lot of class trip kids became infatuated with the CW after finding one ....and Yes I know you’re not supposed to pick up relics, but these were Not relics...more or less “litter”)

 

[Vince Lupo]

......see if you can round up a few “authentic campaigners”. These are the slightly wacky guys who hang out on the battlefield to give “history lessons” to tourists, and at any given time there ARE guys waaaay back in the woods there in dog tents eating hardtack. ( several decades ago I bought ten pounds of dug musket and minis balls from a relic collecter in Virginia. After cherry picking the interesting ones, I had fun with the rest....throwing handfuls out close to “touristy” areas at g’burg. I’ll bet a Lot of class trip kids became infatuated with the CW after finding one ....and Yes I know you’re not supposed to pick up relics, but these were Not relics...more or less “litter”)

I was hoping to attend the annual Gettysburg reenactment (although the preferred term as I understand it is 'historic interpreters'), but they canceled it this year. It wasn't so much because of the COVID-19 situation but as a result of a planned Glenn Beck event of some kind. This was announced back in January:

https://www.pennlive.com/news/2020/01/gettysburg-civil-war-reenactment-canceled-for-2020.html

If you've not read it, the late Tony Horwitz's book, 'Confederates in the Attic', provides great insight into this reenacting community and the Civil War in general. I just did pick up a vintage copy of 'Gettysburg , A Journey in Time' by William Frassanito, and that's supposed to have great information.

I'm very fortunate that I can be in Gettysburg in an hour from our house, and Antietam, Monocacy are even closer. Virginia sites are a bit further (Appomattox Court House, for example), but really no more than a couple of hours. I hope to make it to Petersburg sometime this year.

Given the current situation, I'm not sure if Gettysburg will have any activities scheduled for the year. This might also restrict any reenactors/historical interpreters from setting up camp near or on the battlefield sites.

 

[Vince Lupo]

At Devil's Den, Gettysburg. Nil Melior and Ilford Pan F, monochrome and colorized versions.


At Devil's Den Stereo by Vince Lupo, on Flickr


At Devil's Den Stereo Colorized by Vince Lupo, on Flickr

 

[Ambro51]

Ohhh. I lived the re-enactment thing both as a soldier and as a vendor doing Ambrotype sand tintypes. No, it’s not a Glen Beck thing....rather after the high point in the 1990s (read Ken Burns here), it’s been a steady decline in participant numbers and the $$$$$ Working our right to allow large scale land use. Also. George Lomas passed away and his connections and influence made many events happen. OMG back in the day these events were Huge! I was set up doing wet Plate portraits at one BIG gburg event, and I needed to refill my two five gallon jugs. Nearest water was approx 1/2 mile back of the Reb camps. As I’m trudging down the path this “guy” appears in a golf cart and asks if I need a lift. OH YES and a ride back to sutler row. So we’re driving to the water buffalo and this reb “sentry” comes running out (seriously, musket at the Ready) demands we get out ASAP turn around GO blah blah blah. The Guy I’m with says “I’m Mike Yuingling and I Own this farm”. Reb walks away. 🙂

 

[farlymac]

Many thanks for the encouragement!

The only statues I colorized is the one on the left row, second from the bottom, and the middle shot in the middle row. All the others are monochrome. I tried it on that one on the left just to see what it would look like, plus to give a bit more depth. I don't mind it on that one, plus it is a 'Northern' monument. In the one in the middle row, the right statue is actually yellow/orange, while the one in the background of that shot isn't colorized (other than the pedestal, which is yellow/orange). I'm colorizing by hand ('by hand' I mean painting areas with the brush tool in PhotoShop, opacity set to about 5%). I'm still on the fence about the whole colorizing thing.

That was about one of the first set of photos you did around Gettysburg, I don't know maybe a month ago. There were three statues, all quite blue, and it just looked weird. Most of the time you do a great job on the colorization. Keep 'em coming.


PF

 

[Vince Lupo]

That was about one of the first set of photos you did around Gettysburg, I don't know maybe a month ago. There were three statues, all quite blue, and it just looked weird. Most of the time you do a great job on the colorization. Keep 'em coming.


PF

Can’t seem to find that one you’re referring to, but I’m trying now to be more judicious with my colors, so I’ll bear it all in mind. I appreciate the encouragement!

The one problem I am continuing to have is my cropping - for example, if I were to use the frames from the Nil Melior exactly as shot, they’d be ‘wrong’. Meaning, there’d be more on the left side of the left frame, and more on the right side of the right frame. So not only do I have to reverse the frames for viewing with a stereo viewer, but then I have to reverse the cropping as well. That means that I have to crop in on both frames equally and then shift the crops so that they are ‘correct’. I work on both frames simultaneously in Adobe Camera RAW in PhotoShop so that I have the same size of cropping, plus the top and bottom edges are the same, then shift each crop side to side. It’s a bit of a challenge sometimes, as the edges of each frame aren’t perfectly straight, and I think one frame is slightly larger than the other (don’t forget, I’m dealing with 100+ year-old handmade cameras). I am glad I’m able to do this part of the process in the computer 🙂

 

[Ambro51]

I’d say you’re cropping system is correct. I’m thinking you know how very very important it is to keep a level camera. I assume you use a tripod, get a small level and put it on top of the camera. Back in the day, negatives of 5x8 inches were routinely used for contact printing to standard Holmes card format, so you can see how Much crop room existed. You’re cropping far less of an equivalent area on your dry plates, so more care in composition in the camera is needed. But, in a nutshell, you’re doing it Right.

 

[Out to Lunch]

Thanks for sharing. As a child, I went through hundreds of these stereo pictures taken by my mysterious neighbor who spent most of his life in Indonesia. Good memories.

 

[Vince Lupo]

......most stereo cards by Anthony’s were made by child labor.

I’m pretty sure that’s one historical activity I won’t be reenacting!

 

[Ambro51]

An interesting analysis of a Gardner stereo Negative from Gburg. https://www.gettysburgdaily.com/unfit-for-service/

 

[Vince Lupo]

An interesting analysis of a Gardner stereo Negative from Gburg. https://www.gettysburgdaily.com/unfit-for-service/

It's interesting to know that most of the images from Gettysburg were stereos!

 

[Vince Lupo]

My first marginally decent glass plate stereo image. Taken with the Nil Melior, Jason Lane ASA 25 orthochromatic glass plates.


Gettysburg Glass Plate Stereo1 by Vince Lupo, on Flickr


Gettysburg Glass Plate Stereo Colorized1 by Vince Lupo, on Flickr

The right lens in the camera is hopelessly hazy, so I may end up melding the two Nil Meliors into one.