Re: Nishika 3D

[P3D Gabriel Jacob <jacob@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Brenda asks if she should pick up the Nishika 3D camera that she saw at
a thrift store today. I would pass on it if your concerned about quality.
I should know since I have fooled around with cheapo quality cameras
long enough and I should tell you it doesn't even pass my low standards!
The quality is even lower than a name brand single use camera. So unless
you want to get it as a conversation piece or for modifications, a Nimslo
is a much better choice if you ever run into one. They can still be found
floating around on the second hand market.

If your still interested in getting it, as Grant mentioned you can get it
developed as lenticulars at the address he mentions. Or another option is
to get them developed as half-frames and at some photo-developers that
still handle this size. I get them back as 4x6 prints and put them side by
side. Even though they are 4 inches wide they are still viewable with a
good viewer. One thing you will notice though is that there is that
dreaded card board cut-out effect. I don't think slides would be a worthy
option with this camera since the exposure combinations are rather limited
compared to a Nimslo or other 3D cameras. I do know a person that has
developed 3D (enlarged to full frame!) slides from negatives with a
Nishika and that worked surprisingly well.

I have seen the Nishika numerous times on the market, from Dr.T's table at
Rochester to some camera flea markets around my town. In each case I had
passed on it till last week! Wlad Reksc picked one up for me at a local
camera store in his local. I got it for $35 US, which is kinda pricey
for this camera but it was in mint condition. When I say mint condition,
I am not exaggerating. When the package arrived the plastic bag was sealed
with the original scotch tape that had yellowed with age. The reason I
bought it originally was to hack it but after getting it and seeing how
well made it is, I have decided to keep it as a conversation piece. I
didn't know till Wlad send me the camera, that there is two models of
the Nishika. Both offer bad optics but the more common one, N8000 is
the one that looks like it has a ton of features, which of course it
doesn't. At least the N9000 model looks like a regular P&S camera. It's
a shame that the Nishika had to have poor quality optics because other
than that the camera is not so badly constructed. 

Another thing about the Nishika to watch out for is that some 
unscrupulous dealers are still trying to pass these off for a few
hundred bucks. I have a hunch there is quite a motherload of these
cameras in storage, that are brand new. I was at a camera store last
year and asked if they had any 3D cameras new or old. They mentioned
they know someone that has a whole bunch of new ones. I asked which
one it was and they mentioned they think it's the Nishika. I then
asked how much they were asking and was shocked to hear $300. Of course
I passed on it. There was some discussion on P3D awhile back about
some other dealers or individuals trying to unload these off for
exorbitant prices. As Grant properly states, "The Nishika sells for
quite a bit less that $100 usually. Whereas the Nimslo usually sells
for around $100, or less."

One thing that I was surprised with the Nishika is that it mentions
to use 1600 ASA print film for indoors. I couldn't believe it needed
such high sensitivity film so I ran a roll of 200 ASA and the exposure
was okay. Is this a typo or is there some reason it mentions such a high
ASA rating?

On a side note, today I gave in some film to get processed and asked
them about the Imagetech 3D lenticular single-use camera that they had
for sale for a couple of months. They mentioned they stopped selling
them because of the slow turnaround (2 months!)in getting the films
processed and some were getting lost. This was the only place I have
seen this camera for sale other than specialized 3D dealers. On a
happier note, I was able to get their lenticular display that they
had for the camera for free. :-)

Gabriel







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