P3D Re: Best 2x2x2 viewer?

[Greg Erker <erker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>What's the best (in your opinion) viewer for 2x2x2 slide pairs?  I'm
>looking for the best optical quality, but also convenience of loading
>and unloading, etc.  For example, the Franka viewer sold by Reel 3D is
>pretty good, but it requires futzing with a special adapter, etc.  I
>have an Italian-made one from DDDalia which is very easy, since it has
>separate slots for each slide, and has interocular and vertical
>alignment adjustment screws.

  I haven't seen one but I'd assume the answer
is the Hugo de Wijs Comby viewer. It comes with
32mm diameter double achromats in your choice of
focal length (45 or 50mm). It has individual focusing
for each good (good or bad depending on your point
of view) and interocular adjustment. The only bad
points are the $600 cost and that the light box is
extra ($500 or so). But the diffuser in the viewer
is supposedly superb.


>I've seen some very small single 35mm transparency viewers at Ritz
>camera, and I'm thinking of trying a pair of these.  I think they're
>small enough to actually have decent spacing.

  Using two separate viewers that move the slides along
with the lenses when you adjust for eye spacing is the
best way to do it. So building something from mono viewers
is ideal in this way. But the lenses in cheapy slide viewers
are usually too low in magnification (too long FL) and
are usually single element uncoated plastic.


>Other recommendations?  Anyone hacked any classic stereo viewers to
>accomodate 2x2 pairs easily?

  Take a look at my web page to see how I
built a double achromat multiformat viewer
(2x2x2 horizontal and vertical, superslides
and 41x101):
http://www.angelfire.com/ca/erker

And see Alan Lewis' page for the elegant
viewer he made with the same lenses.

  Another way to achieve super quality is
to buy two high quality full frame loupes
and then attach them together. The most
common ones are 4 power which means about
80mm focal length (since they use the Mag=
1+FL/250 method of spec'ing). Too low for
stereo viewing IMO. If you can find a 6 or 7
power full frame loupe then you are set. I
think B&H carries one or two that might work
(in the $100 each price range).

Greg E.


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