The Realist red button viewer...

[P3D Dr. George A. Themelis <fj834@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Lately I've been busy working on the 2nd edition of my book on the 
Realist red button viewer.  A few interesting thoughts crossed my mind:

It's a fact that cameras are worshiped and viewers are neglected.  I 
know people who own very expensive cameras but use a $3 plastic viewer 
to view their slides... That's sad...

Do you realize how much the Realist red button viewer contributed to the 
success of the Realist camera and the stereo revolution of the 50s?  The 
David White company clearly understood the importance of coming out with 
a complete system and not just a camera.  They spent many-many years 
developing the system.  And the system included a great viewer, the red 
button viewer.  Imagine what would have happened if accompanying the 
Stereo Realist camera was a crappy little junkie viewer...  

This is from the program in the NSA convention in Milwaukee: 

"The well designed, lighted Realist stereo slide viewer, used to show 
the brilliant color slides, became the (David White) company's star 
'sales representative'.  To the person new to stereo vision, one glimpse 
into the three dimensional slide viewer developed an interest in owning 
the camera themselves."

Almost 50 years later, the Realist camera has fallen behind 
technologically.  Everything today is auto-this and auto-that.  The 
"indestructible" Realist camera looks out of time and place next to the 
last generation of SLRs.  But the Realist red button viewer is as good 
as a viewer can be.  Progress in this area has only brought us cheap 
plastic lenses, cheap plastic non-adjustable components that wear out 
fast.  

Compared to what is offered new in the market today, the Stereo 
Realist red button viewer is still one of the best stereo viewers that a 
person can own.  And, once properly maintained, enlarged for 7-p, fitted 
with a bright halogen bulb, etc., it is the best viewer that one can use.

George Themelis


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