Stereotar C and Proxars

[dsymes]

I am hoping someone in the forum has the experience or the reference materials to answer this question. I have seen several Stereotar C units which are being sold with a Contatest and three Proxar close up lenses in the leather case made for the unit. However, when I inquire further, I find that the Proxars are 913/20, 913/30, and 913/50 -- the same as the ones in my stand-alone Contatest Kit, and are therefore presumably made for a 50mm lens. My Contax price list Mo. 58 (1955) list accessory Proxars for the Stereotar C as "Stereo Proxars" with the part numbers 925/20, 925/30, and 925/50.

Am I correct in concluding that these Stereotar C units with the 913/xx lenses have the wrong Proxars?

On the other hand, I did a few calculations, and if the optical separation between the 50mm lens and the Proxar is 15mm and the separation between the 35mm stereotar C and the Proxar is 10.5mm, a given Proxar should give the same object distance for both focal lengths, which is what is needed to work correctly with a Contatest.

On the other other hand, I bow to empirical experience. Has anyone on the forum fooled around with this stuff??

dsymes

 

[ZeissFan]

For this type of question, you might want to post this on the Zeiss Ikon Collectors Group on Yahoo.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZICG/

This is one of those questions that requires more expertise and knowledge than most have here.

 

[dsymes]

Thanks Mike, I'll inquire there too. However, I'm interested in using these accessories, not just collecting them, which is whay I inquired here. Any insight into the stereotar from a users perspective would be welcome.

dsymes

 

[contax3d]

Stereotar & proxars

Stereotar & proxars

Briefly: Only the 925 proxars are correct they push fit into a clip and are deeper and not threaded like the 5cm version. You must mean a contameter and not a contatest as this does not work with the stereotar.
If you dont already own one of these stereotars you dont know what you are missing it is one of the most user friendly 3D 35mm kits around and all the close up stuff is equally useable. I now rarely use any of my realist type cameras for this reason.
Hope this helps, Mike.

 

[dsymes]

Contax3D - Thanks for the info. You are right - I got muddled as I was writing - I have both Contatest and a Contameter and got the names confused.

Have you ever seen the 925/xx proxars outside a Stereotar kit?

What kind of viewing system do you use? The Zeiss hand viewer? Projection? Prints mounted for a stereopticon?

Thanks,
dsymes

 

[contax3d]

stereotar close-up & image viewing.

stereotar close-up & image viewing.

d-symes:- As for the proxars yes I have seen a separate set but with no contameter ( I will let you know directly about these ), this shouldn't be a problem as the last version of the proper ZI contameter has the frame line for half -frame 3D.
For viewing I have the proper Zeiss 00 viewer but find a realist one is much better as you can adjust focus and inter-ocular separation. They are also easier to clean as the Zeiss one has its optics glued in place when made. The only problem is you will need to cut each frame and transpose the images for the realist mounts.
I also intend to try some prints by scanning my existing transparencies but I cant decide on a suitable high quality scanner yet.
Projection is far to laborious and doesn't have the WOW factor of the hand viewer.
Please let me know if the 925 proxars interest you.
Mike.

 

[dsymes]

Mike,

I did stereo 3D projection in a rather peculiar forum years ago, and recall that it can have a certain "wow" factor. I designed and built a series of stereo cameras for a professor of orthodontics at UC San Francisco. We built one camera to take stereo pairs of patients' mouths for measurement purposes rather than visual 3D -- the separation between the lenses was a bit more than ideal for visual 3D. Just to see what they looked like, we got the Oakland, CA stereo club to let us project them at one of their monthly meetings where all the other projected images were classic stereo camera club fare. Due to the excessive separation, the impression of depth was highly exagerated, and I think we made some of the club members a bit queasy. I think back on it as my "deep throat" experience. Say "Ahhhhhhh!"

I am interested in the 925/xx proxars and have sent a PM.

dsymes