A latecomer to 3Discover

[P3D Peter F Davis <pd@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Well, I just got my 3Discover along with a Canadian Rockies cassette.
Based on my impressions of the viewer and just this cassette, I'd give
it a B+.  I probably will buy other cassettes for it, but I doubt I'll
ever invest as heavily as in Realist, or even View-Master technology.

The biggest problem seems to be the motor drive.  It's very flakey, at
least in my unit.  It frequently skips over a picture, or rewinds to a
point halfway between two views when I'm trying to go in the other
directly.  The motor itself sounds undernourished ... it whines even
when working normally.  Also, it gets "stuck" at the ends of the
cartridge, and I have to jiggle back and forth to stop on the first or
last view.  Do others have these problems, or is my unit defective?

I guess I actually prefer the View-Master's manual advance mechanism.
It seems more reliable.  I can imagine going through a lot of
3Discover viewers as motors burn out, fail, etc.

The views themselves are spectacular.  However, some of the colors
seem unnatural to me, as though they'd been retouched or something.
Does anyone know what kind of film stock is used or whether these
properties are normal?  Again, I'm basing this just on the Canadian
Rockies cassette, so it may not apply to others.

Finally, I wish they'd chosen a simpler drop-in cassette design
(similar to, or even compatible with APS, for example), rather than
putting both feed and take-up reels and diffuser into the cassette.
It increases the cost and complexity of the cassettes, increases the
storage space required, and makes it more likely that some cassettes
will eventually jam or fail.

On the plus side, it's great to see a new 3D product that's actually
flourishing, and reportedly making plans for future development
(cameras, etc.)  Also, the interoccular adjustment is very
convenient.  At different settings, my 3 year old son, my wife and I
were all able to enjoy the views.  (My son really likes it, and has
been asking to see it, although the View-Master I gave him with
various Disney subjects languishes on the shelf.)

So, although I will buy other cassettes for it, it will not bump the
Realist from it's top spot in my book.  Also, as much as I like the
size and proportions of the slides, I don't see this as a huge
advantage over View-Master format, which I still think looks pretty
good in a Model D.

-pd




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                                Peter Davis
                        http://world.std.com/~pd

            "If you can't behave yourself, who can you behave?"


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