So I saw an interesting item pop up on ebay a little while back, a snap on bubble level in a ring that was viewed through the viewfinder on the stereo realist.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rare-Viewfinder-Bubble-for-Stereo-Realist-camera-/371567762233
The auction has ended already but at quite a high price for such an item ($48 plus shipping). But it did get me thinking of how I could make use of such an item for my newly refurbished realist that I worked on. (still shooting a test roll after a long list of fixes)
Well I looked again on ebay for a small enough level to fit the viewfinder area of the realists and bought this one here:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/191386170786
They are 5mmx12mm, in florescent green, marked with lines, and come 10 to a set.
They arrived today and I first thought about replicating the snap on plastic ring, then thought about gluing it directly for a cleaner look, then tried some adheasive foam for a removable solution, and finally settled on a small piece of adheasive putty that is used for hanging posters on the wall, this was the simplest solution and provided a secure but removable/adjustable hold.
http://www.target.com/p/scotch-removable-mounting-putty-2-oz/-/A-13356391
I applied it and leveled it with another larger more accurate level on top of the camera and took a bit of sharpie to it to color it black to fit the trim. The original cover closes easily after installation. There is some lower finder blockage, about 1/4 of the finder which might seem like a lot, but doesn't look bad as the level is see through. I plan on testing it out with the remainder of my roll and see how I like it.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rare-Viewfinder-Bubble-for-Stereo-Realist-camera-/371567762233
The auction has ended already but at quite a high price for such an item ($48 plus shipping). But it did get me thinking of how I could make use of such an item for my newly refurbished realist that I worked on. (still shooting a test roll after a long list of fixes)
Well I looked again on ebay for a small enough level to fit the viewfinder area of the realists and bought this one here:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/191386170786
They are 5mmx12mm, in florescent green, marked with lines, and come 10 to a set.
They arrived today and I first thought about replicating the snap on plastic ring, then thought about gluing it directly for a cleaner look, then tried some adheasive foam for a removable solution, and finally settled on a small piece of adheasive putty that is used for hanging posters on the wall, this was the simplest solution and provided a secure but removable/adjustable hold.
http://www.target.com/p/scotch-removable-mounting-putty-2-oz/-/A-13356391
I applied it and leveled it with another larger more accurate level on top of the camera and took a bit of sharpie to it to color it black to fit the trim. The original cover closes easily after installation. There is some lower finder blockage, about 1/4 of the finder which might seem like a lot, but doesn't look bad as the level is see through. I plan on testing it out with the remainder of my roll and see how I like it.