RE: [photo-3d] stereoscopes

[Bob Wier <wier@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>If you are looking only for your own personal use, wouldn't an antique
>Holmes viewer satisfy your needs?  You can also obtain a glass lens viewer
>lorgnette that will allow you to see images printed in books and magazines,
>rather than on the cards. Either of these options will cost you about $100.

I've done a couple of things - one is that on my last eye exam, I took
along a card and got a perscription (which included prisms) to allow me
to wear them as a viewer - the major problem is that since they focus at
about 20", I can't see anything else with them - bifocals would be better,
but I don't know if that's possible or not. The eye doctor said he'd never
written a perscription like I got for the glasses!

The other thing was that I looked literally for years at antique stereoscopes
which A) weren't grossly overpriced and B) optically acceptable. I found
quite a few which had bad lenses - lots of color fringing. But I finally
found a viewer about 7 years ago at a little antique shop for $75. It was
kind of flimsily constructed (perhaps from 1910), but the optics are 
great for cards. Stronger even than my eyeglasses.

--BW

              Bob Wier
     mailto:wier@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
   15:23 GMT Sunday, January 7, 2001
    Rocky Mountain College, Billings MT.