Re: [photo-3d] Re: Medium format viewer

[Linda Nygren <lnygren@xxxxxxx>]

I did not mean to imply that the step up to MF is cannot be
"significant", but it does look like we agree that the viewer used is
extremely important and allows one to realize the potential of a given
format. It seems that people often put so much effort (and money) into
getting the "best" camera and film but then sometimes forget how
important the viewing method is to really get the benefit of the sharp
lens, fine grain, image size etc. Admittedly the viewer upgrade could be
done later if the budget is limited, but for me it would be a priority
so that I can enjoy my slides and learn to improve my work as I go
along. (Good viewers and larger formats can emphasize ones mistakes as
well as ones stunning successes, after all.) -Linda

Brian Reynolds wrote:
> 
> Linda Nygren wrote:
> > Although I would agree that a stereo camera may not be worth the
> > expense in your situation, I do think that a good stereo viewer such
> > as a Red Button with halogen bulb (and preferably widened to 7p or
> > 8p for your purposes) would be a worthwhile investment, and makes a
> > huge difference in viewing your results. IMO, the step up in quality
> > and brilliance from cheap viewer to a Red Button is a greater leap
> > than from 35mm to MF.
> >
> 
> I agree that the step up from a cheap view to a good viewer is well
> worth it, but in my experience the move from (full frame) 35mm to MF
> to is still significant.
> 
> I started with the plastic fold up viewer from "The Civil War in
> Depth" that I used with my MF slides.  The improvement when I built my
> SaturnSlide MF viewer was incredible.  It was like seeing brand new
> slides.  There was a level of detail that I hadn't been able to see
> before.  The first pair I looked at through the SaturnSlide was one of
> my honeymoon shots of a castle in Ireland.  There are people at the
> top of the tower that I had not been able to see with the plastic
> viewer.
> 
> I have also done some full frame 35mm slide bar stereo with a Pentax
> K1000 and 50mm f/2 lens.  I can tell the difference between my Franka
> viewer (unmodified) and the Red Button viewers I see at the Third
> Friday Stereo Dinner.
> 
> To test the two formats out I have shot the same scene (a view of the
> Empire State Building from Herald Square) with the Pentax and my
> Yashicamat.  There is no mistaking the two.  With the Pentax shot I
> can tell that the foreground buildings have brick walls.  With the
> Yashicamat shot I can count the bricks and see their texture.
> 
> Of course in the end the important thing is is the photo interesting?
> A perfectly exposed and mounted MF image of a resolution chart is not
> better than a Realist shot of your puppy (or whatever interests you).
> MF gives you the tools to take more detailed images, it does not do
> the important work of picking a subject and composing the image.
> 
> --
> Brian Reynolds