Re: What is APS?

[P3D Michael Kersenbrock <michaelk@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

> Before we discuss stereo APS, can someone tell me what is APS?

The "new" Advanced Photo System.  For a small premium you can use
a smaller film format camera that still has the same size physically
so you don't feel you're getting less when you pay more!  The
film is in cartridges that are a bit smaller and a bit more angular
in shape.  No leader.. user never sees the film.  Comes in the
cartridge, and stays in it after processing.  Film is smaller.

Theoretically the cameras should be able to get smaller than 35mm 
ones, but ones I've seen so far are about the same size.  Probably
retooled 35mm products.

It's called "advanced", and it does have some advantages, but the
advantages are really unaggressively wimpy.  To put it mildly.  They
could have done a *LOT* more, but I suppose it's like designing a
sitcom for broadcast TV... they kept it as dumb and dumber as they could.
Some "features" are Nishika-like (sorry Nishika lovers).  It has
various modes like "panorama", "normal", etc.  My understanding is
that it changes nothing on the film itself, but writes on the film
what format was chosen, and this changes the magnification/cropping
done at the photofinisher.  A useful feature, but kinda deceptive.  :-)

Being smaller format, one (RBT?) might be able to make a smaller
stereo camera, however, there would be some hurdles to cross.  One
being that it doesn't support slides.  No slide film for it at all.
*Even* if there were slide film, there'd be a serious problem.  The film
never leaves it's cartridge (or not for long anyway).  It stays a single
piece of film and stays in the cartridge.  

Why is that bad?  If you want to pick your slides from several rolls
of film and make them a group (sequenced or not), you're out of luck.
You'd have to have to have all of your images be in a single roll.  Right.
Maybe for some, but not for me.  :-)  When one's, uh..., "yield" of
keepers gets low -- you still have to keep'em all.  You keep track of
where things are by little "proof" cards you get from the photofinisher
(you get these with regular 35mm too now).

In other words, editing of images in terms of sequencing within
in a roll or set of rolls and in terms of multiple sequences/subjects
that may be in the same roll are severely limited.  If you want to
submit an image to NSA or a PSA event, the whole roll goes as well. Etc.
I think the manipulation/organizational strait jacket is clear.

Further, there's the lack of editing.  A smart viewer might change
interoccular spacing, but probably won't have custom masking abilities,
etc.  There are other pragmatic problems with what a viewer would need to do
for even simple corrections, but I'm getting a bit long already, so
I'll leave that for others to suggest.

Things get even more interesting for projection purposes, which is
the purpose that propelled me out of using a MSA into realist-format.

I suppose one could cut it open and use 3-perf mounts, but then, 
why?

In other words, it likely could be used for stereo prints, but the reasons
for doing so (over current methods) isn't clear.  If cameras do get smaller
someday then twinning cameras may get a better spacing.  This remains to be
seen however.

I'll wait for high-res digital where manipulation is a king (while in APS
manipulation is a pawn).  Or maybe for APS-Plus! or APS-II, or some such.

I suspect APS was mostly invented to make life easier in Kodak's reqcquired
film processing plants.  Not a bad thing mind you, but not something that
looks overly exciting to me.  Especially when they make you pay *more* for it. 
The pricing may be that way for strategic reasons -- to make one think it's
a premium "upgrade", and for the mass of point and shooter's, it probably is.
A little.  

Sigh.....

Mike K.


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