[photo-3d] New Alan Lewis Lorgnette

[Bruce Springsteen <bsspringsteen@xxxxxxxxx>]

For a couple of weeks now I have had one of Alan Lewis' new lorgnette
print viewers on loan from Paul Talbot at Rocky Mountain Memories, who
sells them.  I wanted to do a quick posting to say that this is an
excellent item, and that print stereo fans - who are always on the lookout
for good viewing aids - need to give this one their consideration.

The lorgnette is glass lensed, though not achromatic, and very
attractively designed, made from mahogany with brass.  Overall size is
about 6.5 x 2.25 inches, and about one half inch thick.  It is lightweight
and very easy to hold in the right hand (don't know if a left-handed model
is available).

Optically, this viewer is surprisingly good.  I have used Alan's
achromatic viewers, and I must say that considering the price difference,
this one is not much of a sacrifice.  I have viewed most of the
stereocards in my small collection with it, and it has really excellent
sharpness, and the small color fringing is almost completely imperceptible
- you actually have to look for it, and even then may not detect any
aberration.  Only on certain views did I notice red areas - usually
against a very dark or very light background - that appeared to recede due
to chromastereo effects.

My rough measurements in the sun gave a viewer focal length of 185 mm,
with a separation of the optical centers at 90 mm - right in the usual
ranges for Holmes style viewers.  In fact the 90 mm separation is a bit
larger than usual, allowing for viewing of cards that are mounted with the
prints perhaps a bit "too" far apart for other viewers.  I don't know how
uniform these measurements are in Alan's production.

All in all, this item is designed and priced to fit in a good position
between the most expensive options, and the not-so-good-quality ones,
which was exactly Alan's intention I think.

By comparison, I saw a sample of the JoRi high density acrylic pocket
scope when its maker, Joachim Richter, circulated one in the ISU
stereocard folio.  It was an attractive and very compact item - very
modern looking and clever and I was tempted to buy one, but I found the
chromatic aberrations and attendant softness and chromastereo effects to
be rather strong for my taste - even though the price of the versions now
sold (by my chum Harry Richards) is considerably less than the Lewis item.
 The current JoRi may entail some improvement over the one I saw, but if
not, and if my memory is correct, the optical quality is an issue to
consider closely.  For those on a limited budget, it would probably be
good to try and use these various viewers side by side before making a
decision on your preferences.  Of course that is easier said than done. 
FWIW, IMHO, etc., etc.

Good luck and good viewing,
Bruce Springsteen


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