P3D Re: PHOTO-3D digest 3757

[kiwi1957@xxxxxxxxxx]

>  
>  Date: Thu, 2 Mar 2000 22:44:19 +0100
>  From: "Sergio Baldissara" <winter@xxxxxxxxxx>
>  
>  > Date: Wed, 1 Mar 2000 13:30:52 +0100
>  > From: PZuijlekom@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>  >
>  well, if you're curious you can buy the plans and tell us: anyway both
the
>  improved Loreo camera and te Franka splitter cost $45, 

The good thing about the Loreo is that it uses front-surfaced mirrors,
whereas the Franka splitter uses back-surfaced mirrors. With back-surfaced
mirrors, you can get unacceptable doubled images: reflections from both the
front surface and the back-surfaced mirror. It reminds me of chromatic
fringing.

Unfortunately, the Loreo/Argus/Discover Channel 3D camera has no exposure or
focus controls. It's basically a box camera with pop-up electronic flash
reflector. I haven't seen actual new *Loreo*-branded cameras for sale in a
couple of years, but they were $100-135. The nearly identical Argus still
retails for $89 (www.anscophoto.com), and the nearly identical Discover
Channel 3D camera retails at $45.

I had to return my Discovery Channel camera for exchange since the left lens
was way out of focus, and the right lens looked sharp. The replacement is
backordered, but even at $45 I hope they weren't to sloppy with quality
control. I have posted a couple of defective sample photos if any one would
like to see how the defective Discovery Channel performed. (At least you
could see the relative sharpness of the good right lens.) If you're curious
to see them, let me know. (I manage a Toy Cameras forum but it does require
(free) registration to access the sight. It also has links to view pictures
of a myriad of various stereo equipment in my collection.)

At $45, the Discover Channel 3D camera is the best deal; it has the *much*
improved twist-on septum, whereas the Argus (at least earlier models) had
unreliable suction cup septums that easily fell off or shifted and smeared
the front glass. The first two versions of the Loreo-branded model had no
septums at all and had gobs and gobs of reflections, rendering the camera
nearly useless outdoors in daylight.





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