Strange Rollei Stereo Camera

[P3D Sam Smith <3dhacker@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

While browsing through Ian parker's "Rollie TLR: The History", I came across
a MF stereo prototype. I've put a copy of it at:

http://www.cadvision.com/3dhacker/rol.jpg

It's got to be the silliest concept I've seen. Here's Franke and Heidecke,
who started Rollei with two fine stereo cameras, making a protoype which
consisted of two rollieflexes twinned side-by-side, using two rolls of film
to boot? This was in 1955. Why on earth wouldn't they have just tried
improving on the Rolleidoscope?

Interesting notes on the Heidoscope and Rolleidoscope:  The "Heidi" was for
sale from 1921 to 1940, and the Rolleidoscope from 1926 to 1940.  6000
stereo cameras were produced in 1925, then jumped to over 12000 in 1927.
However, by 1938 there were only 200 were produced. That still means over
50,000 stereo cameras were produced.

With that many produced, where the hell are they and how come they're so
expensive? There were only 1/5 as many Belplascas produced, yet everyone
seems to have one now, at half the price of the Rolleidoscope.

So who's the one hording a warehouse of these suckers? Confess!


Sam


------------------------------