P3D Re: The $300 startup expense...

[roberts@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (John W Roberts)]

>Date: Mon, 20 Apr 1998 19:37:29 -0600
>From: "Dr. George A. Themelis" <DrT-3d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>Subject: P3D The $300 startup expense...

>John Roberts wrote recently:

>>But I sure wasn't willing to lay out ~$300 and start working in an 
>>unfamiliar medium using ancient primitive equipment, until I had had 
>>a chance to build up confidence...

>This is in reference to getting started with stereo cameras of the 50s.

>First, the reference to "ancient primitive equipment" is a bit
>exaggerated since the cameras are just fine cameras without
>built-in exposure meters.... and the viewers are as good as they
>could be made today.

The fact that they're "just fine" doesn't mean they're not "primitive". We use
lots of things that work well and that were developed long ago - the
hammer, the spoon, the 555 timer - but that doesn't mean they're not
primitive. And they're undoubtedly "ancient" - generations of cameras have
come and gone since these cameras were built, and I would guess that they're
in at least the 95th percentile of photographic devices still in regular use,
in terms of number in use and age of equipment. And I don't know your views 
on the subject, but I do think it's fair to call them "equipment". :-)

But anyway, I was attempting to describe my views at the point of just getting
into stereo photography - the tradeoff between what I perceived of the
equipment at the time, and the commitment (in money and effort) required to
get started.

>Second, the reference to the $300 figure is a bit exaggerated...
>Sure, one could pay $3000 for a 50s stereo camera (there was one
>listed recently in sell-3d) but it is still possible to find a
>stereo camera for $100 or less.  Throw in a $3.25 viewer and you
>are all set.  

So the $3.25 viewer is all I'll ever want? :-)

That's actually how I did it - bought the camera and a cheap viewer,
then later bought a better viewer. But I assumed that if I liked the
camera I would eventually buy a more expensive viewer, so I really just
regarded it as a way to reduce the amount of money being risked from the
outset.

I consider it a common error to assume that a novice can put together a
working system as readily as an expert. I could put together a working
computer system for just a few hundred dollars - get old junked systems
and tear them apart for the pieces that still work, hunt around for the
cheapest components and determine whether they work, and so on. But that
wouldn't be the right procedure at all for a non-computer person trying
to buy a computer to run a bakery business - they would't have access to
much of the specialized knowledge I have on finding the best bargains,
fixing problems, and so on, and they just want something they can buy and
it works (as long as they're going to be spending money for it anyway).

Similarly for 3D equipment - it's a great bargain for an experienced
person to find an ad, "50's camera - good condition - just needs adjustment
of the shutter speed", or "viewer - just needs lenses to be removed
and cleaned slightly", but a novice should probably get good stuff, in
good repair (so if the pictures don't turn out they can be confident
that it's their error and not a problem with the equipment), and that
isn't generally the stuff that's going to sell for bargain prices.

John R


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