3d for the masses

[P3D Andrew Beals <asb@xxxxxxxxx>]

One suggestion I haven't seen is to bring it back to the masses via the
children.  While kids don't take a lot of shots, there do seem to be a
number of cheap-o P&S cameras aimed at them [a 110 Crayola, some
brightly-colored 35mm P&S cameras...].  It shouldn't be too difficult to
get a cheapie stereo camera into their hands, but as many may guess,
viewing them may present difficulties.

I doubt you could sell freeviewing to the masses ... too many old wives'
tales of "They'll get stuck like that" out there.  

And, given that we're talking about kids, most of them do have some 3d
exposure via their ViewMasters.  At some age, 8-9ish, they seem to lose
interest in the mostly-juvenile selection of views/reels available to
them.  As I remember it, I got my first [a Kodak 126-format um X-??]
camera in fourth grade for a trip to Jamestown/Williamsburg.  That would
have put me right around "It's time to give my VM away" age.  Andy
Pessin [two doors down] had a VM at the time and we still thought it was
tre cool.

So, if you could get a cheapie VM camera in their hands [could you do it
on 110 film?], and if you could get the developing/mounting cheap enough
by either automating the process[!] a la your local 1hr photo robot
"lab" or shipping the rolls overseas where cheap labor could do the
mounting and QC.  Even shipping things down to Mexico or out to West
Virginia or Arkansas shouldn't take that long to turn around in this day
and age.   With the cheap imaging and computing power we have these
days, even the QC on the assembled reels could be automated.

So, which manufacturer is going to put inexpensive cameras in kids'
hands and fire up the first cheapie one-off VM reel production facility?

I know that I would be indulging my kid... and if it were cheap/easy
enough [film sold with a free developing envelope?], other folks would
be doing it too...
-- 
Andrew Beals, (408) 526-8838 MS: SJ-F2
Cube-locator: Pterodactyl hanging above me, front right quarter of the
building
"Questions are a burden to others; answers are a prison for oneself."
--The Prisoner, "Arrival"


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