Expo2, Where Are You?

[P3D <JakeKristy@xxxxxxx>]

Greetings, Solid Ones,

I promised a full report on expo2 back (way back) when I had it. I haven't
seen much in photo-3d about ye old box of tricks, so I thought I would give
my input now and ask (1) where is it now, and (2) has anyone tried my comedy
audio cassette to accompany one of the videotapes?

Expo2 was mine for a day or two, and I took full advantage of it (well,
actually I had its written permission).
 
It was easy to choose and vote for my 10 favorite images.  I remember getting
tired of nit-picking after a while and voting for the ^images^ that I
enjoyed, regardless of their lack of 3-D or their mounting errors.  

Here is some sad news: I remember NOT being able to vote for many of the
lenticular or V-M or print card or medium format images because of the
problems I had in viewing them.  It was a simple matter of equipment.  

The V-M shots never did fill up my field of vision, even when I used my
high-magnification Model D viewer.  The V-M images just didn't make me feel
like I was "there."  Plus, when I opened one V-M packet and a shower of
little chips fell onto my table, I put that reel back without ever viewing
it. =(

The lenticular images generally annoyed my eyes 'n' brain.  Am I doing
something wrong when I look at these?  I feel that only about 1 out of 20 of
the very best lenticulars does not have ghosting.  I've tried everything
except changing the spacing of my eyes.  Is there a trick to seeing just TWO
images (preferably stereo) in a lenticular print--besides adjusting the
distance between my nose and the print?

The medium-format images filled up my field of vision (too much so), i.e. the
magnification of the viewer was great enough (too much so).  But I missed
substantial portions of  these images.  I "looked around the edges" of the
viewing lenses, but felt that I was getting a distorted view of things.  Is
there a better (i.e. "standard") viewer out there for medium format, and is
m. f. more impressive when seen through a more appropriate viewer?  I've seen
the Kings Inn(?) viewer, but I don't recall any adjusting mechanisms (focus?
i.o.?).   Larger Format Side Note: I also remember seeing some sort of
medical? curved surface? fish-eyed? viewer at a local 3-D slide show that was
completely impressive.  Seems that the format was larger than "medium" and
that it was like being in an IMAX theater.  Does anyone know the name of this
thing?  (Sorry for the very poor description.)  This was the best
viewer/format of 3-D transparencies I have ever seen.  I'm sure only a few of
there were ever made.

Back to expo2.
The print cards always had some glare on them which caused retinal rivalry
for me.  Is there a preferred method for light these things?  Do I have to
sit in a room-sized diffuse interior globe (painted matte white, like an
integrating sphere used for technical light measurements)?  A second problem
was that the card viewer in the expo at the time was not big enough to hold
the ^bigger^ cards that were included.  Those who have seen expo2 know which
bigger ;) ;) cards I mean.

I had warm anticipation for my first viewing of 3-D TV, but was let down
by--again--the viewing equipment and the medium itself.  After upgrading from
grainy 110 instamatic prints as a child to sharp 3-D slides in a red-button
viewer as an adult, I was disappointed in the low resolution of 3-D TV
images.  The poor little devils only get to use ^one half^ of my TV lines per
picture.  How sad.  Seems that it needs two HDTV (whatever that will come to
be) monitors for proper presentation.  Even then, would it compare to color
transparencies?

In the 2x2x2 format, there were misalignment/mismounting torture devices
incorporated into many of the images.  I guess the root of this lies in
letting standard, default commercial mounting define, seperately, the two
images of such stereo pairs.  I was undaunted by these shortcomings, though.
 I remember voting for an incredibly striking 2x2x2 of some soap bubbles even
though I had to contort my skull and both of the slide mounts to view it in
3-D.

In summary, I was impressed that we constructed expo2 and that it is crawling
around the world (as we type).  There is no other collection of hands-on 3-D
that rivals this, and I look forward to participating in the next one.

Cheers,

--ChrisTheHappyComplainer








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