P3D Re: 2x2 Slide Viewers

[twestwoo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Tim Westwood)]

On March 30, Steve Dudley wrote:

>A nice solution would be an eclosure that would allow  two 2 X 2 slides to be
>one piece, so you wouldn't have to pick up two slides. Anybody ever heard or
>seen something like that?

        You have pretty much described the slide holders made by Franka.
They are available from Reel 3-d.  Of course they are designed to fit the
Franka viewer (also sold by Reel 3-d).  I understood from a previous
posting that both of these items should also be available from Porter's
Camera.  However, when I e-mailed Porter's about them, they basically gave
me a description/catalogue number for the Franka beam-splitter attachment.
Does anyone have a recent Porter's catalogue that has the stereo slide
viewer (Model SV-1) and slide holders listed?

        One of the recent posts from Alan Lewis refers to a stereo viewer
that he has designed that uses the Franka slide holders:

>... spurred me onto the next project, that is at:
>http://www.arlington.net/homes/dlewis/projects/35mmvwr/35mmviewer.htm
>
>This one worked great.
>
>I adhered to the Franka design of slide holders.  I feel that this is a
>good idea if building your own viewer.  The Franka slide holder design
>is quite universal, allowing sharing of slides among enthusiasts.
>The use of the Franka twin slide holders makes everything really easy,
>and the results are very good. You have the easy load/unload mount like
>a Realist.  You do not have to remount your single slides, and you get
>the max. image view possible, no masking.
>
>The only downside to the Franka slide holders is the cost.  It is almost
>$1/stereo pair.  But it works well, and it is easy.  You pay for the
>convenience.  The cost of the slide holders could most likely be brought
>down if made (consumed) in greater quantities.  They are just one piece
>moldings, less complex than a RBT mount.

        I would add that the Franka slide holders are completely reusable
and because they are so easy to load and unload your 2x2 slides into, you
really do not need to have a holder for every stereo pair you own.  I think
if you had thirty or forty of them (and stored your slides in regular slide
storage pages), you could set-up for an informal presentation or inspection
of newly developed slides in less than 10 minutes.
        As I mentioned previously, I hope Alan decides to market his good
quality 2x2 stereo slide viewer kit.

Tim Westwood





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