P3D The Realist takes a licking, keeps on ticking . . .

[Charles Pflanze <cwpf@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Dr. Dave says in a previous post:
 
>I guess I qualify - I take my RBT X3 caving.
 
Well, I've just taken my Realist for it's first caving trip.
Predictably, there was a very fine layer of dust and dirt all over it
at the end of the trip.  While caving, we tend to accumulate mud,
dirt, and sand all over ourselves, and the stuff eventually dries
on your clothing.  Then everytime you move, little particles of
dirt start flying around.  I've opted to wipe it off with a rag
afterwards, compressed air will probably just blow dirt inside the
camera.  I plan on testing the Realist to it's limits.  I've already
ruined two other SLR's in the process of taking cave photos, we'll
see how the Realist compares . . . 
 
>I don't think that you can
>get in a more abusive situation than this. I am talking about
>rappelling part way down a 150 foot pit and stopping to photograph
>another caver.
 
I took a very impressive (well, to me anyway, I'm brand new at this)
stereo slide of the mouth of a very nice 75 foot pit.  Even without any
scale or model in the picture, the folks who saw the slide accurately
guessed the pit's diameter, and you can look down into the pit through
the stereo slide for maybe 40 feet or so.  I'm curious to see what
happens if I hang out over the edge and get a stereo slide of just
the pit itself.  
 
As for the rest of the photos, I'm very thrilled and stunned at the
results.  I've got slides of masses of crystals that I've never been
able to get in all their glory in 2d.  It's a 15 foot diameter 
area, dry, crystal studded rimstone dams surrounding a large crystalline
cone of calcite, glittering like a blinking Christmas tree everytime you
move, even just slightly.  The effect is due to countless thousands of
tiny crystal mirrors on the surface of the formations, the mirrors
reflect back pinpoints of light that move in and out of one's vision as
you move.  2D can't capture the effect, as I discovered from past
photo trips and from when I closed one eye while looking at the scene (in
the cave).  Apparently, each eye is at a slightly different angle from
the crystals, and each eye only sees half of the glitter, the brain
combines it all into one picture.  My stereo slides didn't dissappoint me
- I've got the whole effect down on film now for the first time, I can't
wait to show these off . . .
 
The only disappointing part is the graininess of the 400 speed Pro
slide film I was shooting.  The film is 2 years past expiration date
but has been cold stored all its life.  The colors are still perfect,
can old film cause excessive grain or is this just the way 400 speed
film behaves in stereo?  I've had no problems with excessive grain in
400 speed 2D photography.  
 
>I am talking about sloshing through streams and swimming lakes.
 
I plan to take a Realist in a serious wet-suit river cave sometime.  I
wonder if the Realist will be able to survive any accidental dunkings.  I
suppose if you drown one, you take the camera apart as soon as possible,
dry it, lubricate it, and hope. 
 
Charles