P3D RBT's which one to choose

["David W. Kesner" <drdave@xxxxxxxxxx>]

In P3D Digest 3074 Peter Davis asks about RBT cameras.

I am sure Jon Golden will respond about the currently available line 
of RBT cameras so I won't.

What I will do is give my opinion about the RBT X3A that I finally 
got in August. The X3 is based on the Ricoh XR-XP3 and is 
available with many lens options. I chose the Pentax 28-70mm f4 
constant aperature zooms. It is a fully automatic camera in either 
program mode, aperature priority, or shutter priority, or fully 
manual. It even has a built in TTL flash (although it is pretty weak 
for small aperature stereo shots). It is NOT an auto focus. The A 
option I chose gives 20 pairs of 24x33mm with 65mm inter lens 
spacing. The B option gives 18 pairs of 24x36mm with 75mm lens 
spacing.

In the three short months that I have had the camera I have run a 
little over 40 rolls of film through it. Subjects ranged from caves, to 
people, to cars and motorcycles, to night shots at the fair, to 
hyperstereos out a plane window, to close-up and general scenics. 
In other words a good well rounded conglomeration of subjects. The 
exposures have been dead on in varied lighting conditions, the 
lenses very sharp and "crisp", and so far the electronics very 
reliable. I purchased a TTL flash and am getting excellent results 
with it.

All I can say is this camera is as good as it gets. I am not sure 
how I would improve on it. At first the size and weight seemed like I 
was using an 8x10 field camera, but now it feels natural in my 
hands. I got out my K1000 with 28-80 zoom lens the other day and 
it actually felt like a 110 *{;-)

Anyway, if anyone would like more information from a "user" please 
feel free to contact me.

By the way, Jon didn't give me a discount on the camera or free 
RBT mounts for this testimonial. I did it because it is true. But if 
anyone decides to buy an RBT based on my report, tell Jon to 
send a little gift my way *{;-)

That's all for now,


David W. Kesner
Boise, Idaho, USA
drdave@xxxxxxxxxx


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