P3D Re: beamsplitters

[Mark Shields <beamsplitter@xxxxxxxx>]

I definitely have to second the motion!

If you want to do projection, using a beamsplitter is probably
not the way to go, but I don't want to do projection. (But there
_are_ people who succesfully project beamsplitter slides.)

The Pentax viewer is a marvelous device. After considering
several other options, expecting that I might find something
better, the conclusion was that I would not, and I find the
recent discussion about viewers to confirm my thoughts.

There is such a thing as keystoning, but I have found it
to be within acceptable limits. There are all kinds of
aberrations and problems in various kinds of photography,
but they need not stop you. The Pentax viewer eliminates
several problems at once with its optical design.

So with the Pentax beamsplitter, Pentax viewer, and my
brilliant fluorescent illuminator, I have a very excellent,
low-cost (36 frames on a 36-exposure roll), and easy-to-use
(mount ready-transposed, pre-windowed, single-chip pairs in
ordinary 2X2 slide mounts) system which also gives me the
advantage of reflex focusing on ground glass and full auto
exposure. My other beamsplitters add some interesting shots,
but the Pentax rules! 

Mark Shields

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beamsplitter@xxxxxxxx
http://www.stmattpitt.org
"Let the little children come to Me," Jesus said, "and don't keep
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Olivier Cahen wrote:

> Hello and thanks for your interesting contributions.
> Many people seem to want beamsplitters, and they ask for addresses of
> beamsplitter vendors.
> I do not understand why they want to purchase such a stupid device,

Short of very spendy devices, it's a way to have both a very fast shutter
stereo
camera as well as having a TTL light meter (or an integrated light meter
of
any sort).  Has it's limitations, but has its niche as well.  I started
with one.

> since it can only make pictures with such a huge keystoning that they

At least with my Pentax splitter, keystoning seemed very hard to spot
in most images. Further, when viewed through the viewers supplied
with the splitters, any keystoning usually is compensated for and the
result is keystone-less.

> are definitely unsuited to projection, with absolutely no means to
> compensate this keystoning, unless these people can also purchase only

Projection is not one of the plusses for splitters. I can project 
beamsplit
slides, but don't. Projection isn't a requirement to enjoy stereo
photography, even if it is quite nice.  Even with realist/European format
slides, vast majority of my viewing is done with hand-viewers, not
projection.

Mike K.


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