P3D Re: Life-Like Viewer

[Steve Berezin <sbere@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Michael Kersenbrock wrote:
> 
> > Wow!  I agree.  $1.00 for the Life Like is a wonderful deal.  It's worth
> > at least two or three times as much! {:>)
> >
> > Seriously though David I don't mean to bum you out. Hopefully the one
> > you got is better than mine.  I get a headache just taking it out of the
> > box.
> 
> David, it's not *that* bad.  The lenses enhances your images with little
> rainbows here and there, but other than that it works fine if the
> fixed interoccular works for you.  You have to be the own judge of
> how well it works.  If you think it's fine then use it until you
> learn otherwise.  If you have no other viewer, then it's the best
> one you have -- and that's MUCH better than having none at all!
> 
> At very least, it's handier than the Red Button for doint "triage"
> (lookin' quick for something, not "evaluating" them) on
> a pile of slides because the light turns on by putting
> the slide in (although there are others with this feature
> and a Red button probably could be modified to do so).

I have a lifelike viewer (got it at the Buena Park Photo
Swap for $15) and although its optics are of low quality
some non experienced users I have shown my slides to like it
better than my more respected Kodaslide viewer. I think it
has to do with the shorter focal length and larger lens
allow for an ease of viewing for users with glasses.  

The viewer they most prefer is one I made from Alan Lewis's
Weekend project page (the one that is a modified Radex
viewer).  I replaced the lenses with Achromats and added a
Xenon light box and a variable AC/DC transformer, and a
black RBT mount for blocking light reflections. The hardest
part was attaching the lens to the holder, I eventually used
a large diameter heat shrink tubing with limited success. 

-- 
Steve Berezin
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Coffeehouse/2404/stereolinks.html
sbere@xxxxxxxxxxxxx


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