[photo-3d] Re: Realist 45 & Iloca Rapid

["Ray Moxom" <raymoxom@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Michael Galazin wrote:
>The Stereoscopy.com camera info shows a picture of a Realist 45 with a
>rangefinder.  My 45 doesn't have this feature, nor have any of the ones
I've
>seen anywhere.  Do any 45s really have this?  Does anyone have a 45 with a
>rangefinder? Or was this stereoscopy info based on the assumption that the
>45 had the rangefinder as did the very similar Iloca model?  That Iloca is
>also something I've never actually seen.  Makes me wonder if they were
built
>in really low numbers.

The Stereoscopy.com cameras web page at
http://www.stereoscopy.com/cameras/index.html does not have a picture of a
Realist 45 and refers us to the Iloca Stereo Rapid which is a similar
camera. The photo happens to be of the rangefinder version of the Iloca
Stereo Rapid. See the more detailed story below.

In the mid 1950s Wilhelm Witt Iloca Werk Company of Hamburg, Germany were
commissioned by the David White company to make a Realist badged version of
their soon to be released Iloca Stereo Rapid 3.5 camera.  Thus was born the
Stereo Realist 45.

The Iloca Stereo Rapid itself came in two versions.  The Iloca Stereo Rapid
2.8 had 4 element f2.8 Tessar type Steinheil Cassarit lenses, a Prontor-SVS
shutter with speeds from 1/300th sec to 1 second and a rangefinder. The
Iloca Stereo Rapid 3.5 had 3 element Cooke type f3.5 Steinheil Cassar lenses
and a Vero shutter with speeds from 1/200th sec to 1/25th sec.  The Iloca
Stereo Rapid 3.5 did not have a rangefinder.  With the exception of the name
engraved on the camera body, the Stereo Realist 45 is identical to the Iloca
Stereo Rapid 3.5.

Cameras sold in the UK were badged Stereograms on the top plate, rather than
Iloca Stereo Rapid.  The front plate was badged Iloca 3D, the same as Iloca
Stereo Rapids sold on other markets.

While I have seen a number of Iloca Stereo Rapid 2.8s and Stereo Realist
45s, I have never actually seen an Iloca Stereo Rapid 3.5.  I assume that
the f2.8 models were more popular and were the only version sold in some
markets including Australia and the US. Any comments on this please?

To add to the confusion regarding brand names and lens options, there was
also a non stereo Iloca Rapid which was sold in re-badged form in the USA by
the David White Company as the Realist 35.  Yes that's correct - a one eyed
Realist!  and it came with either a f3.5 or f2.8 lens.

Ray Moxom