P3D View-Master camera risks

[pebaker@xxxxxxxxxx (Paul E Baker)]

>These cameras from the 50s are well-built and most still function well.

However, the View-Master (note correct spelling and punctuation :-) Personal
camera found today typically has two very common problems:

1.  "Shutter bounce" (right edge vignetting) caused by dried out shutter
    pad.  Fortunately, easy to fix (less than one hour).

2.  Light leaks through shutter blades with film advance set to the "A"
    possition.  Not a problem in the 50's when slow film was common, but
    not good these days when using ASA 100 outdoors in bright sun.  Helps
    to cock the shutter immediately after taking each shot.  Difficult to
    fix, although "curtains" installed inside the camera do help
    tremendously.

The View-Master Mark II camera does not suffer from these problems, but does
have one design flaw which seriously affects image quality:  There's a tunnel
extending from behind each lens up to the film plane.  Light which would
otherise not hit the film (i.e., parts of an image which would land just
off the edge of the film exposure opening) hit the walls of the tunnel and
reflect back onto the film, producing flares and "soft" images especially
in contrasty scenes.  Fixing this requires near-complete disassembly of the
camera and grinding down the tunnels (which are part of the aluminum casting)
but is well worth the time and effort.

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