[photo-3d] RE: Can anyone recommend a Stereo Camera?

["Michael Galazin" <rexlion22@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Ged Burnell wrote:
"I would like to buy a stereo camera probably of the
1950's variety, it must be electronic flash compatible.  I looked on
ebay where several are for sale, the prices looked reasonable.  So, could
someone recommend a stereo camera and suggest a price I should pay for one?"
- - - -

Yes, I would recommend buying a camera that works, and paying a price that
seems fair to you.  <evil grin>

But to answer your question more seriously, it's a question of likes,
dislikes, and tradeoffs.  What do you like in a camera?  What do you need in
a camera?

Take the Stereo Realist....please! (sorry, couldn't resist.)  This camera is
easiest to open up and repair oneself, if you like to do that sort of thing.
It is also common enough that prices will be a little lower, probably, than
some other brands....figure on paying $85 to $100, I'd say.  Replacement
parts and repairs are still available from Ron Zakowski in Wisconsin, USA.
But the tradeoff is the unusual method of use which you may find irritating.
You must hold the camera with fingers on top and thumbs on bottom, not with
fingers wrapped around front, or you cover up (and get greasy fingerprints
all over) the rangefinder.  You must remember to cock the shutter separately
after winding the film knob--which winds in a clockwise direction, a bit
unusual.  (One time I had a dickens of a time getting the film leader to
stay on the spool, it kept coming off, and it took me 15 minutes to realize
that I kept trying to wind it the wrong way :/ )  But all in all, a very
durable camera with good lenses.

I like the Realist 45 better myself, with the rapid wind that also cocks the
shutter.  Good lenses.  But it has no rangefinder.  And it was built in
Germany, so forget about buying parts any more.  You might find one for $120
or so.  It's big brother the Iloca Rapid has the rangefinder but goes for
more, perhaps around $200 or more.

Wirgins and Edixas, also brothers, have a two-pump thumb wind, and the
Edixas tend to have rangefinders.  They have good optics. But they are among
the hardest to repair, along with the TDC Vivids.  Not many of these for
sale, so it's hard to generalize about value, but I'd say $75-$125 for
Wirgins and $150-$250 for Edixas with rangefinders.

Kodaks are often recommended as good starter cameras because they are easy
to use, but I haven't owned one yet....got one coming though.  They have a
bubble level, which is nice, but no flash shoe--you must mount your flash on
a bar and use a pc synch cord, which is just a minor inconvenience.  Figure
around $100.

I've never had a TDC either, but they look nice.  Only the Vivid has a
level, but it is hard to repair and also has some internal light reflection
issues.  The Colorist has no rangefinder, the Colorist II does.  They tend
to go a bit higher in price than some others.  Good optics.

The Revere 33 is a nice looking camera, I have one and like it quite well.
Level, rangefinder, winder knob cocks the shutter much as a TDC.  Figure
$130-$160.

The FED B.O.Y. is a newer 7-pin format camera, but the wind and rewind feel
cheap, the auto exposure light sensor can easily be tricked into
underexposing badly, and on manual your smallest aperture is f11 at 1/50.
Plus light leak problems occur with some frequency.

As for flash, all of these cameras will work with modern flash (some require
a $20 shoe adapter and pc cord, no big deal) just fine.  I'd recommend
against a Kin-dar (they tend to not work) or Delta, Stereo Graphic, or
Universal Stere-all (limited shutter/aperture options).

To get a better feel for values, you can search closed auctions for these
cameras to see what they have sold for recently.

So, buy several, try them out, and see what you like best!  :)

Regards,

Mike Galazin


 

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/