[photo-3d] Re: Yashica Samurai

[<donaldparks@xxxxxxxxxx>]

>
> attention Paul TALBOT:
> In your message dated 19th jan,( new products),
you speak about special mounts designed for twin
half-frame cameras e.g. "YASHICA SAMURAI". Can
give me information on this camera: features,
price and where it can be found.   TKS.

I've only seen a half-frame camera twice.   Don
Parks has a twin rig based on
half-frame cameras (his second such rig), and has
mentioned it
here on the list.  I know there are others who use
this setup
also, but I'll leave it to them to reveal
themselves.  I don't
know much about the cameras or where to buy them.
I'm sure Don
can fill in some info for us. - Paul Talbot

    My best recollections are that 35mm half frame
"Yashica Samurai" cameras were marketed in the USA
for about 10 years in the late 1980's and early
1990's.  They are very compact, modern full
feature SLR cameras with autofocus, autoexposure,
autofilm advance and have 3 or 4X motorized zoom
lenses.  The film advances through the camera in a
vertical rather than a horizontal direction which
makes for a very thin vertially oriented camera
similar in dimensions to some of the new digital
video camcorders.  Yashica made basic 3X and 4X
models that were designed for right handed
operation.  They also made Z and ZL models which
were a bit more expensive with more features.  The
Z model was right handed and the ZL was
symmetrically reversed for left handed operation.

    I bought two of the 3X cameras in about 1990
when my local camera store decided to discontinue
carrying them and dropped the price to amout $250
each.  They had never carried the Z and ZL
models.  If I had wanted to purchase them I'd have
had to special order them for about $700 each.  I
wanted to make a dual camera stereo rig that had
camera lenses and viewfinders at about 65 mm
apart.  This would allow me to stereoview with
both eyes through the viewfinders.  The closest I
was able to mount these cameras together was 71 mm
which was a little too far for my eye separation.
I made some prisms to narrow the viewfinder
separation so that I was able to stereoview
through the dual camera rig.  I was able to
electronically synchronize the cameras so they
could be fired together.

    The slide images are horizontally oriented
half frame size.  It takes two rolls of film to
load both cameras but I get twice as many
exposures on each roll (36 exp gives 72 half frame
exposures).  Commercial Labs have not offered 2x2
size half frame transparency mounting for many
years.  I think they will still print regular size
prints from half frame negatives but I haven't
done any of these lately.   Of course the 35mm
film can always be processed and returned uncut
and unmounted.  Paul Talbot helped me solve the
problem of how to stereo mount the stereo pairs.
We worked together to design 101 x 41mm horizontal
half frame (16.5 mm x 22 mm) heat seal mounts.
Paul has recently offered this size mount for
folks who may have a TriDelta beamsplitter or for
those who may want a special mount to reduce the
height for 5p standard Realist slides.  The camera
has modern lenses that are very high quality (14
elements in 13 groups).  The slides are at least a
sharp as those taken by my Realist custom.

    About a year ago I bought another pair of
Yashica Samuri cameras through Sell-3D from Tony
Davis in the UK.  One camera was a Z and the other
was a ZL.  This dual right + left handed camera
combination is even more compact and easy to use.
All the controls are on the outside of the pair
and they easily fit together at a spacing of 65 mm
for stereo-viewing through the camera
viewfinders.  I can toe the cameras in a little
bit and take closeups using the 3X zoom.  I have
been having lots of fun experimenting and still
have a few more experiments to try with this dual
camera rig.  However, everybody nowadays seems to
have moved up from 5p Realist size images to 7p or
8p size.  I like my Samuri dual cameras but have
put my name in for an RBT for next year.  I think
I'll wait a lot longer before trying MF. -  Don
Parks