Stereo in the 50s and now...

[P3D Dr. George A. Themelis <fj834@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Brenda writes:

>Did it take Realist closing its doors before more people appreciated
>stereo (like missing the water when the well runs dry)?

Not really... In terms of numbers, more people appreciated stereo in the
50s, with 300,000 stereo cameras sold, than any time after that... Now we
have reached an equilibrium with new people discovering stereo at about the
same time that older ones are retiring... Seems that the trend is upwards,
but I am not 100% sure.  In a typical club you have some older people who
got a Realist new in the 50s and some people (young or old) that just got
into it.

The basic Realist 3.5 camera is now *much* cheaper in the used camera
market than it was at any time when sold new...  The price tag of $125 has
remained unchanged for over 10 years now, which means that each year the
Realist 3.5 is cheaper and cheaper...  Same for the Kodak Stereo.  It is a
matter of demand and supply.  With about 250,000 Realists and Kodaks
made there is plenty of supply and low demand by the estimated 5,000 stereo
photographers today, which keeps the prices low.

That being said, some people who were around in 1970 and could have bought
a brand new Macro Realit camera or some more exotic equipment for a
reasonable price, now realize what they have lost...

George Themelis


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