[MF3D.FORUM:162] Re: Hello, I am a new member and glad tobehere! STUART JOHNSON

[Greg Erker <erker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>    Yes, I am hoping that Zeiss does the job as I do not have this luxury in
>purchasing used
>lenses at this time...

  Are you going with fairly new lenses or old
chrome ones?

  See my web page for an idea of the FL variation
I found with late 50's Ricoh lenses:
http://www.angelfire.com/ca/erker/lenstest.html
http://www.angelfire.com/ca/erker/twin225.html


>    Thanks for the input on the films!  I have also been leaning towards the
>Velvia due to
>the many images in the recent books and magazines shooting with this film.

  Works well for many things. But not usually for
people and not usually for realistic colours.

  This photo here was done with my SR225 homebuilt
camera using Velvia. It has a bit of that ruddy (sp?)
skin look that you get with Velvia:
http://www.angelfire.com/ca/erker/gallery/EmBethRL.jpg

>    Until I actually receive these cameras I cannot give you the stereo
>base. However, it
>    does appear that I will be a lot better off with it versus the other
>rigs that put the lenses farther apart.

  Okay.

  I recall looking at some Pop Photo MF camera
comparison and seeing that the Hasselblads are about
the narrowest. Don't know how the motordrive affects
that though.

>   I was hoping to print these in the 4x6 size to crop and creat the 3.5 x 7
>or 4 x 7 sized print stereo's.
>    Have you done this?  Is this acceptable for prints?  Also, what would
>the ideal Achromats be for
>    viewing these?  Also, If I went with slides, what achromats would
>"enlarge" them for viewing in a
>    box style viewer?

  If you have the infinity spacing wider than your
eyes you will need to diverge to view the stereo
pair. Old stereoscopes have prism built into the
lenses to allow you to view images about 3.5" apart.
But it does cause colour fringes on the high contrast
edges unless you have an achromatic stereoscope.

  Another way to view wide images is with a Wheatstone
viewer. Daniel Greenhouse built such a viewer for 6x7
slides. See it on Robert Thorpe's MF viewer gallery:
http://www.skep.com/3d/gallery.htm

  Also follow the link to Stephen Kearney's web page
and see his Wheatstone viewer for 4x5 slides.

  And then there is the over/under ViewMagic approach.
I believe RMM sells them. (no lenses so no distortion,
but also not too much magnification). Other options
include cross-eye freeviewing them and Alan Lewis's
Free-viewer's Assistant.

  I haven't done prints much so someone else will have
to help you there.

  Now 6x6 slides, those I have done. My current viewer
has 40mm diameter by 84mm FL achromats. It formerly had
36x82's. The 40x84's aren't available any more but I believe
Edmund Scientific still sells the the 36x82's (about $25
or $30 each I think). These are surplus lenses. They also
sell some commercial grade AR coated 40x80's that John
Bercovitz and Steve Spicer used in their MF viewers. See
the viewer gallery.

  RMM was selling a MF viewer kit for about $130. But it
is currently out of stock until more lenses are found
(or the viewer redesigned for different lenses).

  So and 35 to 45mm diamter by 75-90mm FL achromats will
likely work okay. Some will be better than others. You
can also consider double achromats (at higher cost). Then
you need four 35-45mm dia by 150-ish mm achromats. With
four air-glass surfaces you would likely want AR coated
lenses. Try surplusshack.com or Paul Rini
http://www.crbest.com/proptics/

  Another idea I've always liked is to use two 4 power
loupes for 6x6. More pricey but you can get individual
eye focusing that way. Construction ranges from 2 element
and up. Price from $50 (maybe) to $200 per eye.
Check out B&H loupe page for some ideas:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/photo/loupes/navigation.html

---

  I haven't done much with prints but I believe you can't
match a back lit slide viewed in a good viewer. The
contrast range and clarity just isn't available from
a print. So I'd vote for slides.

Hope this helps - Greg