P3D Discovery Channel Store 3D camera

[Peter Davis <pdavis@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I recently got one of the Discovery Channel Store 3D cameras which, as 
others have noted, appears to be the same as the Loreo/Argus model, but at 
a little more than half the price.  Overall, I like the design, and wish 
they had made the camera less cheaply.  It feels like a fragile plastic 
"limited use" camera which will not last long.  That said, however, the 
whole thing is very compact.  I would be willing to pay considerably more 
for a well-made version of a similar design.

The front of this camera looks like a stereo adapter designed as an add-on 
for a regular 35mm camera.  However, this one actually has two separate 
lenses, and seems to use the mirrors mainly for increasing the stereo 
base.  Like a stereo adapter, this design results in a normal 35mm frame 
being split vertically, so left and right images each occupy half the 
frame.  The camera also comes with a print viewer which will hold up to 4x6 
prints, and actually seems to be pretty decent.

Overall, the package includes:

- camera

- viewer, a folding print viewer (which can really pinch you fingers if you 
open it carelessly.)

- wrist strap

- a snap-on septum to cut down on reflections in bright light

- a zip-up carrying case which will hold the camera and septum.

For $45, this seems like a pretty good deal.  It will certainly be useful 
situations where convenience and low-cost are important (ie, if there's a 
risk of losing or breaking a camera).  I'd certainly pay maybe 4 times this 
price for a similar design, but with more rugged construction and features 
like auto-wind, auto-exposure, focus, etc.

I'll write more when I get some results back.

-pd


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     Peter Davis                               Pageflex Inc
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