stereo cameras

Kodak 35mm stereo cameras. After developing film resulting in pairs of

negatives, how are they prepared for viewing? I have seen the cameras and the

kodak viewers, but what is done with the negatives? are they mounted in special

holders like pairs of slides? if so, can the mounts still be obtained? do you

use positive (Slide) film or negative film? thanks!

Google "Doctor T stereo."<P> Use slide film.<P> I've never heard of anyone using a "modern" stereo camera with negative film to print Brewster of Wheatstone views, but it's an interesting thought.

I have always used negative film. I mount the pairs on a 4x7" matte board and either use free viewing or use a stereo viewer.

 

Below is a sample of the viewing system and then a 3D photo which, if you can do free viewing (parallel viewing) it will pop-out on the monitor.<div></div>

Here is a print card that you can view here and get it to pop into 3D if you "stare through it and beyond" paralleling your eyes.<div></div>

The most typical thing to do with this type of stereo

camera is: shoot positive (slide) film. Mount each

pair of slides in a stereo mount. View in a viewer.

(Stereo projection is also possible from such a

mounted pair.)

 

Mounts are available in several different styles from

several different vendors.

 

There isn't generally any reason to mount stereo

negatives the way you'd mount stereo slides. You

are unlikely to want to view negatives in a viewer

or project them, which is what mounting is really for.

About the only reason I can think of to mount them

is if it is part of your master plan for storage

and archiving: it would keep them together in pairs,

you could store them with your stereo slides, and

it might give someone in the distant future a clue

that these are stereo pairs. But the point is:

don't mount negatives unless you can articulate a

reason to do so.

 

So assuming you have negatives you have already

shot, what DO you do with stereo negatives? It

really depends on how you want to present the

images. The final output in stereo can be presented

in a lot of different ways (stereocards, hand

viewers, projection, anaglyph, gallery installations,

lenticulars, "phantograms," side-by-side prints,

over-and-under prints, books with built-in viewing

devices, ViewMaster reels, and on and on). Once you

decide what you're trying to end up with, I think

you'll know how to get there given a negative as

a starting point.

<p>Michael<br>In the 50s and 60s stereo pairs were made by contact printing

the negatives - 6 x 4.5cm on 127 film was commonly used.<br>There is a free

program called Callipygian which will produce red/green anaglyphs - the ones

you need coloured glasses to view - which can be very effective - see</p>

<p><a href="http://www.callipygian.com/3D/">http://www.callipygian.com/3D/</a></p>

<p>Brian</p>

You can get slide mounts in different sizes from Dr. T or from 3dstereo.com. Mounting is easy, but at first you may want to get a book or DVD that demonstrates mounting slides. I make both stereographs and stereo slides with my Realist, but the Kodak Stereo 35 was my first stereo camera. There are some very nice stereo slide viewers out there, some lighted and some steal the light. There is really nothing like a good stereo slide - it's like View-Master but much bigger. Once you get the swing of it you can do medium format slides and really feel like you're there.

 

There are a number of groups for stereo photography out there, but to get started joining the Yahoo! groups film3d and photo-3d would be a good start. The PSA also has a stereo division and there are a number of organizations around the world for stereo photographers.

 

- Randy

Dunno where you are, but Detroit MI and Cleveland OH both have active stereo photography clubs. Dr. T, mentioned above, is the founder of the one in Cleveland. I suspect other big cities do too. Lotta info available that route, F2F.

Once you view the stereo image, and I found slide film to be the most impressive, you will never understand why it was a brief fad that surfaced from time to time. Depending on your subject, the results can be breathtaking. You also need to be aware of composition as you are photographing. Camera held level, put an element in the foreground. It doesn't do well without that contrast. Landscapes and such are not as impressive without a striking element that stands out.

FWIW:

I'll be using modern film to create some stereopticon cards. Small town I live in has a heritage festival in late October, and I've been asked to do an exhibit on photography (because I'm an enthusiast hobbyist with an interest / collection of antique cameras).

 

Local general store has some stereopticons on display, and a bunch of vintage cards. I plan on shooting some stereo stuff with a Rollei TLR and a slide bracket, and then printing the results for viewing in the stereo viewers.

 

I also have some modern viewers and slide holders, purchased from Dr. T, in medium format and in 35mm.

 

While I'm playing with stereo and learning, I just free-view on the computer screen after scanning in the negs.

I can't get my eyes to see the stereo effect in free view. Cross eyed is better for me. I know this isn't the forum for it, but I wonder if there will eb a true stereo digital camera in our future as the fad recycles once again.

It will most likely be a digital stereo camera...LOL

If any one is still reading:

 

Free viewing is not easy to explain but once you get-it it's easy. If you've ever done the trick of putting your index fingers in front of your eyes and then focus on infinity and you see a floating finger in the middle, free viewing of stereo images is like that. You don't focus your eyes on the two images on the card. You look directly at the center of the double images but focus beyond the card to infinity. That will parallel your eyes. Keep staring beyond and through the photo and soon there will be a third image in the center that will be the stereo image. Your eyes will want to move and refocus on the card images, but resist the temptation and keep focusing on infinity. You really need to force your eyes to defocus on the card images to do this. At first your eyes may hurt a bit like eye strain but, once you have it, it's quick and easy to do.