P3D Re: New Multi-format Viewer

[Sam Smith <3dhacker@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Peter wrote:
>
>Sam,
>
>The viewer looks absolutely beautiful.  For collectors, it should be
>worthwhile for that alone, as well as the ingenious design.  However, I do
>have a couple of questions from a more practical standpoint:
>
>   1)  How easy is it to adjust the optics for different formats, etc.?

There are two adjusting knobs, one on each side of the carrier. To adjust,
you simply loosten and slide the carrier posts until it is the right width,
then lock then down. 5P would need a spacer to bring it up to the right
hieght, and the 4" diffuser would replace the 5" one for 2 1/4. I intended
to have marks on the main carrier bottom to indicate sizes, but I couldn't
book the CNC machine to have it engraved. The interocular adjustment was
also to have dials to indicate position.

>
>   2)  Doesn't the presence of any ambient light make this inferior to a
>closed viewer for slides?

Amazingly, I detect no loss of contrast or reflections at all on 90% of the
slides I've viewed. The inside part of the lens holders is blacked out, so
unless you view wearing a bright white hat, white shirt and mime makeup, you
shouldn't see anything! Keeping the light behind the diffuser brighter than
the light in front is the key. The only distraction I find are the white
mounts. I used to write info on the front, which is now in clear view. I'm
trying to convince Joel to make black mounts (!!!) but in the meantime I
just write stuff on the back.

Thanks for your interest.

Sam
The viewer is at: http://www.cadvision.com/3dhacker/multi.htm

The 3D Hacker
website: http://www.cadvision.com/3dhacker/index.htm


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