[photo-3d] Re: Loreo/beamsplitters, etc.

[Mark Shields <beamsplitter@xxxxxxxx>]

Well, we finally get back around to beamsplitters!  :-)

Pentax is the best bang for the buck, IMHO, but is not exactly
cheap, unless you shop very carefully. I paid $175 for mine from
a list member. I've seen them go for as little as $150 on eBay;
I don't watch all the time, and one may have gone for less.
As for the Stitz, it sounds great, but I think all the mechanical
stuff tends to go out of whack--mine is severely misaligned.
Also, the mirrors are small, so you have to use at least a 55mm
lens. Franka? Plastic, and second-surface mirrors. I got one for
experimentation with telephoto, replacing the mirrors with first-
surface. It's tricky and I don't have it working yet--misalignment.

Best bargain is probably the Stereo-tach: old, but you can still
find one if you look. Attaching it to your camera can be a
challenge, and the glue tends to dry out, releasing the mirrors!
But if glued back in carefully (and they have not broken or
gotten scratched meanwhile!) they still work. It's better made
than the Franka, and the mirrors are first-surface. I would
estimate $50-75 for one.

I don't know about the Russian ones--never had one.

For someone who likes them and can live with their idiosyncrasies,
beamsplitters can be good to start out with, and I've decided to
stick with them.

BUT... what got me interested was a Loreo in a photography store
window. I didn't buy it, but that's where it started!

Mark Shields

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beamsplitter@xxxxxxxx
http://www.stmattpitt.org
"Whoever welcomes a child in My name welcomes Me," Jesus said.
"Whoever welcomes Me welcomes not Me but the One who sent Me."
  -Mark 9:37

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