Re: question about Sputnik

[Joel.Alpers@xxxxxxxxxxx]

#Hi photo-3d gurus:

No gurus here, sorry, just me ;)

#Staying silent and not getting active I followed with growing interest 
#the discussion- and information-flow in this list. Half a year ago I 
#bought my first (real) stereo camera (FED stereo) on a fleemarket.
#
#Yesterday a guy has offered a Sputnik camera for approx. US$ 150. Looking 
#in the 3D-FAQ I found not much information. Unfortunately I missed the 
#Sputnik discussion on the net some times ago.

Great price, these are currently running $250 - $300. If you don't want
it, would you mind picking it up for me?

#It would be great if somebody could tell me some details about this 
#camera, its advantages and weaknesses, and on what to concentrate while 
#purchasing a used one.

Well, someone else recently wrote describing some of the flaws of the
camera. Those are certainly all true, though on the two I've used,
they didn't seem as bad as the one described.

I like my Sputnik and use it a lot. It is not without it's quirks,
but I find it easy to use, _very_ lightweight (OK, my main non-3D
camera (gasp! He has a NON-3D camera! shudder ;)  is a Pentax 6x7,
so obviously almost _any_ camera seems light) and compact.

Shutter speeds are B, 1/10, 1/25, 1/50, and 1/100. Apertures range
from f/16 to (I think) f/4 (?). Lenses are generally reasonable,
but prone to flare when there is a light source in, or just near
the subject. I suspect a lens hood would help a lot, but I haven't
done the work to make one.

As the earlier poster mentioned, the focusing is done by a helical
thread on each lens - the lenses are "geared" via the viewfinder
lens. This is certainly not the best way to focus - there is often
some gear "backlash" that can cause the two lenses to be focused
differently. Usually it is best to approach the focus point from
one direction to minimize this.

Summary: If you don't mind dealing with a few quirks, these are
very servicable cameras.

Joel Alpers
Rocky Mountain Memories - Equipment and Supplies for the 3D Photographer
rkymtmem@xxxxxxxxxxx


------------------------------