P3D Depth police, please back off!

["Dr. George A. Themelis" <DrT-3d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>From: gjw@xxxxxxxxxx (Gregory J. Wageman)
>Sorry for the completely quoted post with no added content.  

I thought it read very well!  No need to apologize! :-)

.....

OK folks!

I just about had it with the "depth police" telling me what to do with
my stereo camera.  Sure, at the end they tell me that it is my film 
and I can do whatever I want, but only after they try to convince
me that having very little depth in a stereo pair is a bad use of the 
medium, deceiving, immoral, cheating, and I don't know what else!

During a recent flight to Chicago I recorded a great stereo pair with
my 7p Realist, looking out of the window.  I can see distant Chicago
downtown, all the details.  Very SHARP picture.  Included in the
picture is the wing of the plane which adds depth and makes me feel
like "being there".

I spend a lot of time enjoying this picture in my red button viewer.  
Looking far away at the small SHARP details.  Now, I am sure, "depth 
police" will tell me that this is a bad stereo picture.  The wing of 
the plane is the only object that adds depth and it is not the main 
subject.  I would have used a single camera for a hyperstereo if I 
wanted to enjoy the distant view.  

I have taken my share of airplane hyperstereos and, yes, once properly 
recorded, they are fascinating.  But I still LOVE my Realist shot and 
don't need to apologize to anyone, no matter what the police says.

I also collect stereo slides from the 50s and I have a few good ones
shot from the airplane window, showing the plane, propellers and
distant clouds or landscape.  I LOVE these pictures too!  

I will take a SHARP, PROPERLY EXPOSED stereo pair from the 50s with 
very little depth, any time, versus a slightly blurred pair with lots
of depth.  Depth per se is low in my list of preferences of basic 
stereo PHOTOGRAPHIC qualities.

-- George Themelis

PS.  Important observation:  The rather flat but SHARP stereo pairs
     are better enjoyed in a good quality viewer (like the Realist
     red button).  Having a good amount of depth, even at the slight
     expense of sharpness, is better appreciated in low resolution 
     viewing like freeviewing, computer stereo, projection, etc.  
     So the "depth police" can go police the net and leave me alone!


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