P3D Re: Please offer you opinions on viewer optics...

[Paul Talbot <ptww@xxxxxxxxx>]

In the KII and the Red Buttons I have used, I have noticed a
couple points not yet mentioned:  the particular KII I have
now (DrT'd) seems to have "whiter" light than the Red Button,
which changes the apparent colors of a slide.  (Same bulb in
each viewer.)  Also , the KII lenses do not rack in far enough
for me to use without my glasses, while the Red Button lenses do.

> Lefty asks:
> I once found a beautiful Green Button, in new condition
> in the box. I plugged it in, dropped in a slide, pressed the button
> and... ew! There was something screwy about the lenses!

Can you be more specific?  There are a number of things that could
be wrong with a viewer that has not had maintenance.  For example,
the lenses could have been moldy.  This is a common problem with
stereo viewers, not specific to a particular model.  You state
the KII you then tried was "clear as a bell," suggesting the
Green Button lenses were not clear, which could have been due to
the mold problem.

What about the light bulb and power source?  Are you comparing
apples to apples?  The perceived image through a viewer can vary
dramatically with different bulbs, variations in the power fed to
the bulb (e.g., rheostat setting; output of the batteries as they
age).

Could the KII have been a modified and improved version such as
the kind worked on by DrT?  The difference again is very large.

So, we really need more information to properly diagnose what
you experienced.

Paul Talbot


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