Belplasca FS $695, or why 7-p ain't for me...

[P3D Dr. George A. Themelis <DrT-3d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

First the commercial part:

BELPLASCA Stereo Camera for sale ........................... $695

For those not familiar with this camera, it was produced in Germany
around 1956.  Specifications: 24x30mm image size, coated Tessar 37.5mm
lenses, 64 mm lens separation.  1/200 to 1 sec. plus B.  f/3.5-f/16.
Non-hot shoe flash but x-synch via standard PC terminal at bottom.
One of the few 7-p stereo cameras and very desirable for the super
sharp Carl Zeiss Jena lenses.  In the USA it usually sells for close
to $1000, hence a steal at $695.

BELPLASCA accessories (sold separately because people like Dr. T. 
don't like camera cases...) Buyer of camera has first choice:

- Belplasca field case ..................................... $35
- Custom-made lens hoods ................................... $10
- Skylight filters (screw in place) ........................ $15
- Pair of custom-made orange filters (for B&W) ............. $10
- Pair of custom-made green filters (for B&W) .............. $10
All of the above sold as a set for only .................... $65
- Extra pair of skylight filters ........................... $15

The camera shows average wear and it appears to be in excellent 
mechanical condition.  I have shot one roll with it and was 
impressed by the sharpness of the lenses.  I will supply two 
stereo pairs from this first roll (signed for collectors!)

I did notice one problem which can be classified more as 
"inconvenience":  There is a slight offset in the height of the 
two frames.  To align them, I push the left frame at the bottom 
of the Albion mount and the right frame at the top.  I know that 
other cameras have this and I am sure that it can be fixed if so 
desired (Ron Zakowski fixed my very own Realist for $35).  But the 
camera works fine and one can decide to live with this offset... 

Now, the commentary:

Why do I want to sell this very fine camera for which I had to search
and dream of for a very long time?  The answer is simple:  I cannot 
get used to the 7-p format!  I must be in love with the Realist.  I 
was tempted to mount every single pair from my first roll in 5-p 
mounts!  So, why bother with an expensive Belplasca when my good Realist 
will give me the 5-p pictures and more of them in a single roll??? 
If I want 7-p I can get 7-p from my twin SLRs (inluding hyperestereos, 
fast shutter speeds and other benefits) or even by enlarging 5-p during
duplication for special projection effects.

It might be that the kind of photography that I do (people mostly,
very little landscape) works better with the square 5-p than with the 
landscape 7-p.  It might also be that the Realist viewer which I am 
using is optimized for 5-p and 7-p almost appears too much (I know it 
is different in projection but I do most of my 3-d viewing in a viewer).

In any case, I decided that 7-p classic stereo is not for me and that
there is no space in my camera bag for a Realist, a Belplasca and
a twin SLR outfit.  So, I am selling the Belplaca and I cross the FED
off my list of cameras to consider in the future... 

Thank goodness for the Realist! -- George Themelis


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