Realist & print film

[P3D Tim Smith <TSMITH@xxxxxxxxxx>]

After having my Dr. T "brick" now for a few months now I can say that the 
joy of using it grows every day that I use it.  It has earned a place in my 
bag when I go on the road travelling for my company (which is on a weekly 
basis).   I've shot rlls of Senisa, Ektachrome and Kodachrome and have been 
instantly gratified each time I get the processed roll back (well after Dr. 
T straightned me out on mounting proceedures....had to fly to Cleveland for 
that one!).

This morning I drove from Cape Cod to Boston and decided to give a roll of 
print film a whirl.  Not knowing where I would take the film locally for 
processing and printing I shot a 12 exposure test roll on Konica VX100 
(which I've had experience with in SLR's for several years...it's comparable 
in grain,contrast, saturation and latitude to the Fuji Super G).   The test 
roll was a one-handed drive on the expressway with Realist in the otherhand 
(at rush hour) just to burn through the roll.  Shots of the expressway 
approaching the Sumner Tunnel, Chinatown and the Boston skyline...certainly 
nothing atristic.

On the way home I stopped off at my local supermarket and notice that they 
had installed a new Konica multi-process developer and print station.  I 
went back out to the truck, grabbed the Realist, exposed roll and a few 
slides and fold-up viewer I keep in the bag to show off.  I asked him if he 
was up to a challenge today and proceeded to ask him about printing the 
nonstandard frames.   Since all he had was full and half frame negative 
masks I asked him to use the full frame mask, print a whole image and I'd 
trim the excess.    (In the mean time he was marveling at the slides I 
brought in and actually before it was all over the store manager, several 
clerks and employees had seen the slides!  (It was a real rush for me when 
some of them would not just glance at the slides but study them!).  Back to 
the printing.  I also asked him not to crop and to align the negatives for 
each print at the left hand border.  He played around and ran through a set 
using 3 x 5" stock, a set at 4 x 6" and a 3 x 5" set using the half frame 
mask.

The results?  I was absolutly astounded!  First of all the image quality 
rivals some of my fast (expensive) Nikkor glass!  Very pleased with 
exposures (thanks to the wide latitude of the print film) and overall 
quality.  Now....just taking the finished pix and holding them up for free 
viewing I had to let out a "wow" right there in the store.  I am tickled 
beyond pink for my first roll of "brick" print film.   Out of the three runs 
the 3 x 5" prints appear to be the easiest to free-view.

The whole afternoon was a great experience.  I not only ended up with some 
decent stereo views but managed to hook a few others on 3d photography but 
accidently found a one-hour lab that will custom print my views (at $3.97 
any size roll)!

Another thing I learned (and need to learn more about) is mounting 
practices.  Is there  a "standard" for mounting (Keystone cards) so that the 
cards will fit in the viewers?  I notice in viewing the prints the impact of 
adjusting the stereo window....being able to slide the prints apart and 
together while freeviewing you can see the scene expand and flatten out. 
 Any rules for print seperation and mounting?

...like a kid in a candy store!

Tim Smith
Mattapoisett, MA


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End of PHOTO-3D Digest 1339
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