P3D Re: PSSP talk: Barriers to Entry

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

>From: aifxtony@xxxxxxx (Tony Alderson)
>
>Boris complains about the Realist-format mount; but let's not forget that
>the Realist system was originally intended to solve these problems of
>"barriers to entry" for casual photographers. 

Amen brother!!!  

The real "barrier to entry" today is that a standardized stereo system 
does not exit!  The R-mount was great at its time but it is running
out of steam in the 50 years that followed its inception.  Still, fine
for many people and many interests.

Calling the Realist mount a barrier to entry is negative and plain wrong.  
So, let's say it is a barrier to entry.  What should we do?  Hide it from 
beginners?  Burn our Realist cameras?  Ask RBT to STOP making R-mounts?

You cannot be too negative about an existing system that has made so many 
people happy.  All you can say is that another (your) system is better... 
and then sit back and wait for the masses to follow you...

>Boris criticizes the 1 in 30 rule (certainly with some justification), 
>but if his goal is simplicity, the full depth range equation is worse. 

Amen brother!!!

The most common question of those trying their hands in single or
twin camera stereo is "how much should I shift"?  What should we do
with those people?  Throw an Excel spreadsheet in their faces and 
confuse the living sh-t out of them, or just tell them, "try 1/30...
that's a starting point"?  A starting point, that's what it is.
Let them figure out "the rest of the story" later...

Boris went to the extreme to say that the 1/30 rule discourages 
people from shooting close ups with a Realist.  Ha!  The 1/30 was
never discussed in connection with the Realist.  Only with single
cameras in hyper and hypo stereos.  The Realist can focus down to
2.5 ft.  There were (in the 50s) close-up mounts to mount these
close ups.  The only warning was to limit the background when 
shooting close-ups.  The rules were very well laid out...

>As for the complaints about "Toe-in Prohibition"; it's a lot like 
>alcohol, marijuana and extramarital sex prohibitions. 

Well said, brother Tony.  What is this "prohibition" talk?  This is 
merely a suggestion.  A very reasonable one.  You know why?  Most 
people think that stereo should imitate the eyes.  As the eyes toe-in, 
they think they ***should*** toe-in the camera.  Can you imagine what
will happen if you toe-in to an extreme in a close up?  It can be
really bad.  So this "recommendation" says that the correct way to
do it is to not toe-in *if you can*.  No one is going to jail for 
toeing-in!!!

>In my opinion, Boris is singling out certain pet peeves of his, and
>ignoring other equally "nefarious" issues. 

You bet he is!  Did you notice his opening statement:

>what I am really talking about is a nefarious complex of factors, 
>which in the aggregate impedes a simple, easy, and convenient approach 
>to the medium (i.e. my approach).

*His* approach is the simple, easy, and convenient approach to the
medium.  Yeah, sure!  Go and tell the "novices" that they need
two SLRs back to back and slide film to get started in stereo.  
See what they will say...

Amateurs want to take pictures of vacation and family, not nudes.
They don't care about portraits.  They want the family at the
dinner table.  The Parthenon on a sunny day.  That's what they want.
They want a lightweight, easy to use stereo camera, not two heavy 
camera bodies, 4 pairs of matching lenses, a metal bar, a heavy tripod, 
couple of flash units, twin cable releases and plenty of batteries.

OK, this is Boris' approach.  How about my approach which was/is shared 
by thousands of stereo enthusiasts???  You want to talk about "novices"?
I got my first camera at the age of 28.  Never owned a camera (2d, not
stereo) before in my life!  Saw a picture of a Realist in a Reel 3-D
catalog.  Got one for under $100 in a garage sale at the age of 29.  
With no instructions I figured how to use it (I am a genius, I know!) 
and how to mount my own slides (I had never used slide film before!) 
from supplies that Reel 3-D offers.  Have been happy ever since.  I have 
had at least a dozen people follow these steps.  All success stories.

Barrier to creativity?  That's another issue... If you are a published
photographer (meaning, others are buying your work) then you want to
stay close to modern standards, such as the full frame 35 mm format.
But are we talking creativity or convenience?  Anyone who has seen
some of the creative work carried out with R-mounts knows that the
real barrier is one's imagination, not the R-mount itself.

George Themelis


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