P3D Re: Realist

[boris@xxxxxxxxxxxx (Boris Starosta)]

>>>What's the problem?  Haven't you heard of something call a "Realist"?
>>>:-) :-) :-)

I am amused, really, but must reply in all seriousness.  Not because I
don't have a sense of humor, but because I think this is very pertinent to
my art, and to the success and failings, such as they have been, of stereo
photography as a popular medium.

My feeling is that the Realist camera and associated standard viewers
available to the general public, judged as a _system_, are siginificantly
flawed.  That's because the system cannot provide orthoscopic views.  For
whatever reasons, and there may be some other than economics, the designers
at Realist decided to mismatch the camera f.l. with the standard viewer
f.l.  This results in a relatively narrow angle apparent field of view, and
a "stretched" spatial field.  I think this was a mistake.

Granted, one can view slides taken with a Realist camera (or similar) with
a custom (expensive) viewer to achieve the orthoscopism that I think is so
important.  But how does this help the average consumer?

My experience so far, with which I have defended my enthusiasm for
orthoscopism and the "pinsharp" 2x2 viewer, is that a wide apparent field
of view of a spatially correct scene is the most successful with the
average person.  (As well as close-up views.  It doesn't help that the for
use of a standard Realist, the recommendation appears to be to keep the
subject more than five or six feet away.)

I am absolutely, positively, convinced that, had I started my stereographic
work with a Realist, and followed all of the "instructions," I would not
have had the success that I've had so far.  Not in small part because my
own enthusiasm for the medium would have been diminished by the views that
the Realist _system_ provides.  (x.o. take note!  Of course, then again,
x.o. is favorably impressed with the VM system, which is arguably inferior
even to the Realist.)

Thus I will continue to pursue my artistic, and possibly commercial,
stereophotographic work with twinned SLRs.  Decent quality slide viewers
for the 2x2x2 format are very affordable, and give a higher quality view
than even the most costly standard Realist format viewers.

This doesn't mean that I will never use a Realist.  If I get the money
together, I may buy a Realist sometime.  It would certainly be good for
when I go caving.  But I would only present slides taken with it in a
custom viewer, and it would be used only for personal, family type
pictures.  (Then again, maybe I'll put that money towards a twinned MF
rig...).

Respectfully submitted,



Boris Starosta

usa 804 979 3930

boris@xxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.starosta.com
http://www.starosta.com/3dshowcase

"The cut worm forgives the plough."
-Blake

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End of PHOTO-3D Digest 2581
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