Re: Viewer Question

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

Hi! I am staying at home today so you will hear my voice more
often!  Especially when I read postings like this!!!

Tim Maffia says that he likes the images in his $3 plastic viewer
more than his "Dr. T modified" Kodaslide II.  He wonders if this
is the result of the $3 viewer being more "ortho" than the 
Kodaslide and thus more pleasing.  He is also wondering if the
Gold Realist macro viewer is also more ortho and thus better
than the red button.

Tim, it is EXACTLY the OPPOSITE!!!

The $3 is less ortho than any of the viewers you mentioned.
That's why you like it!  The Gold Realist viewer is more ortho
than the rest and I can assure you that you will absolutely
hate it!!!

I posted in the past about the appeal that longer FL viewers
have.  You can get addicted to viewing images with longer FL
lenses and end up liking them.  This is similar to sitting in 
the back of the projection room or freeviewing at a distance.

One effect that long FL lenses have is that since they show a
smaller image, you cannot pay attention to details (usually flaws
in the slides that you don't want to see them in the first place ;))

Here is a little story I have not told before:  When I got 
started in 3d back in 1988 I was using the $3 viewer and it was
OK.  I decided to upgrade by buying a red button viewer for
$60.  At first I could not stand this viewer!  I felt I wasted
good $60 for a viewer that was not better than the $3 one!
My problem was that I could not get used to the shorter FL of
the red button (more ortho!) and I did not like some of the
distracting problems in my favorite slides that now were more
obvious in the red button!  Gradually I got used to the red button
I learned to see better and appreciate the better quality and
go for the best.  Now, I treasure my first red button and will
not use the $3 unless if I want to see what other people (users
of this viewer) see, out of curiosity.

The $3 might be OK for some people and it is certainly a great
bargain for its price,  but it is not good for me.  Some slides 
look better in this viewer but these are not really good and
the really good slides do not look good in it.

>> Optics aside I found the slides had a certain pleasing quality
>> in the $3 viewer that was lacking in my Dr. T modified
>> Kodaslide II.  Even the shot with the object projecting
>> through the window worked well in the $3 viewer but not
>> in the Kodaslide.

"Optics aside" is a big statement. Optics make the viewer.  The
red button has fine achromatic lenses.  The $3 viewer has
single plastic lenses loaded with chromatic aberration.
I cannot stand chromatic aberration!  The shot with the object
projecting through the window works better in the $3 because
you cannot see the edges as well?  Most probably it is
distracting in real life but cannot see it well in the $3.
 
>> As an aside I should mention that this was seen looking
>> at the originals mounted in a cardboard slip-in mount

Any misalignments due to mis-mounting will be clear in the
Kodaslide but not seen clearly in the $3.

Tim, most people are trying to get shorter lenses aiming
for ortho. For me, the lenses in the Kodaslide and Realist
are fine.  I did not like the Gold realist or other more
ortho lenses that I have seen.  I plan to put extra long
lenses to a viewer (something like 100 mm) just for the fun
of it to approximate viewing conditions in projection.
I bet I will find people to like this viewer more!

Finally, Tim, if you really like the $3 viewer more than your
Dr. T Kodaslide, then use the $3 by all means!!!! And sell
the Kodaslide to other people that would like to upgrade
to a better viewer.  I'll buy it back too!

Typing really fast today!, George Themelis


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