Re: [photo-3d] Re: 3D UP or DOWN?

[Paul Talbot <list_post@xxxxxxxxx>]

Chuck Holzner wrote:

> A good indicator of the UP or DOWN should be the volume of slide
> mounts sold. Is it up or down and by how much?  There are people
> selling mounts who are in this group.

A good thought, Chuck, but I don't think the answer will be
found there, either.  First, the world's largest 3D supplies
retailer is *not* on this list.  Second, even if they were,
data on sale of mounts is more an indication of the volume
of home mounting, not 3D as a whole.  In ordinary times the
volume of home mounting might be a good proxy for the total
volume of 3D slides being shot.  But given the deteriorating
situation with commercial mounting, an uptrend in retail sale
of mounts may merely reflect a shift away from commercial 
mounting to home mounting.  Third, Realist format stereo slides
are not the only form of 3D.  There is View Magic, Holmes cards,
Loreo, and others.

Also, how do we give proper effect to the exponential growth in
the volume of DrT's shooting in recent years?  His mount use
alone is enough to skew the figures, but is that tantamount to
growth in the overall popularity of 3D?  ;-)

FWIW, demand for Steve Spicer's precision stereo mounts does
seem to be growing.  But there is no way for me to gauge to
what extent that represents shifting from other options and
to what extent it represents growth in the market.  Also,
medium format 3D is growing very rapidly.  (I suspect the
relatively recent availability of a reasonably priced high
quality viewer for medium format stereo slides has done a lot
to help boost that format.)

Paul Talbot