Stereo

JBrunner

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Anybody know what type of cameras were used to produce the stereo cards collected on ebay and such? Was there a standard? Not the 35 realist type, I mean the large cards that were used in the wooden hand held, and fancy table or stand viewers. I've googled for info, but either there is not much, or I don't know the correct terms.
 

Ole

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I've got one (you gussed that, didn't you?), an ICA Plaskop. Takes one se of stereo images on each 45x107mm glass plate. There are also cameras for 60x130mm plates.

If you find one, I have some spare holders...
 

removed account4

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hi jason

i found a few things for you googling "stereoscopic camera" ...
i put the words in quotes, just like that ...

this is an old camera: http://cprr.org/Museum/Ephemera/Stereo-Cameras.html

and this is a new one: http://www.mottweilerstudio.com/html/cameras/camera_8.html

i think the older one is closer to the size of a stereo card, but i am not sure.
sometimes they cut them out and mounted them on the cards and i have
seen others where they were contact printed on paper, and the whole print
( double image print ) was mounted onto the stereo card ...

i hope this helps ...

john
 

reellis67

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The Anthony brothers made a number of stereoscopic cameras, as did a boat load of other people over the years. Most of the older cards were taken with large format cameras and were printed and mounted in large production facilities (Keystone, U&U, etc..) There are a number of good books out there that cover the cameras somewhat, but none that I know of have extensive sections on equipment other than viewers. I'm not sure when they started using what we call medium format cameras, but at least here in the States, large format was the most common type used for the early stereographs.

In the 1950's, the focus (no pun intended) was on slides rather than stereographs, so the equipment was very different.

- Randy
 
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JBrunner

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I'm interested at some point in making modern versions of the cards. I think it would be a hoot.
 

DougGrosjean

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JBrunner said:
I'm interested at some point in making modern versions of the cards. I think it would be a hoot.
Click to expand...

There's a stereo group outta Cleveland. Google "Dr. T" and stereo, and it's an entire online shop. Heck of a nice guy, we met F2F in December and I was just really really impressed with the guy.

One neat way to go: Dr. T sells a slide mount that you can take a shot, move the camera over 60mm, and take the second shot. If you happened to have a pair of identical TLRs, you could modify that bracket as I did and take both shots at once. The MF format film, if put into MF stereo holders, looks better than reality.

Use Google to check out my info above on Dr. T. That'll keep you busy for a bit....
 

jamie young

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The stereo views were often done on a 5x7 or 5x8 camera fitted with a baffle and two lenses. Graflex had a cool 5x7 stereo slr, that tends to go for a lot on ebay when it appears. The early ones were usually on a 5x8 view camera.
Jamie Young
 

reellis67

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I am involved in a couple of modern stereograph groups; APECIII, which is an exchange, and the PSA Stereocard Study group, which is a traveling portfolio of cards. Shoot me a PM if would like info on either of these groups, or if you would like some info on making your own cards.

- Randy
 

reellis67

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Thanks! I really enjoy stereo photography - it's been a big thing for me since I was a kid and got my first View-Master. I seem to always have a stereo camera on me when I travel. I honestly feel naked without one anymore!

- Randy
 

Harrigan

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This is a "real" stereo camera wet plate and all:

http://www.geh.org/fm/toronto/htmlsrc/m999900017_ful.html#topofimage

also check GEH website for an extensive online collection of 19th century stereoviews. I have a small colelction of albumen stereoviews and its a great way to get real prints from master photographers for under 20 bucks. You can easily find WH Jackson, Osullivan and many others.

While I have toyed with and 1/2 built a 5x7 stereo view camera I normally just use a Revere 35mm as the enlargements are very small to get to stereo card size. I also made stereo viewers for a short period and had new stereo achromat lenses designed and a few sets made. I never produced them because they are too pricey and the market is too small with many players. I have only a couple stereoviews on my site I need to put more up. Its good to see some interest in stereo!
 

Helen B

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I've been doing a stereo series within my 'Garden Notebooks' project and I'm trying to work out ways of showing the stereocards, and how the sort of anti-sublime, plain nature of the series works in stereo. Mostly I use an SL 66 on a Jasper slide bar (highly recommended - well designed and well made). It's not the size of the stereocard itself that drives me to use MF instead of my Realist, it's the apparent size when viewed in a Holmes viewer. I'm looking forward to the release of the Fotoman and Gaoersi MF stereo cameras.

In a modest way, I also collect old stereocards that hold some sort of social/historical/cultural interest for me. I find the subjects and composition of some of the old WWI and racial types stereocards to be quite extraordinary. What were they all about?

Best,
Helen
 

reellis67

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I too collect stereographs of certain subjects. I like the cards that show industry from the time around the Industrial Revolution, World's Fairs/Expostions, and the Waldack Magnesium Light views of Mammoth Cave.

- Randy
 

Robert Hall

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Cool idea Jason. I was on a postcard exchange and received one from a fellow who shot the devils tower in Wyoming. He had an inexpensive plastic viewer he sent with, it looks like a couple of magnifying glasses stuck together. I thought it was the coolest.

I have wanted to try it with 6x6 as well, perhaps using the same camera, just moving it some distance away.

I wondered how it would look if I moved it a much greater distance as well, like 1 foot, 5 feet, etc.
 

reellis67

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The plastic viewer is called a 'lorgnette' viewer, and they can be had for around a buck each from any of the stereo vendors online. As to the distance between cameras, the greater the distance the greater the stereo effect, but it gets difficult to view if you go too far. Usually you move the cameras farther apart the further your subject is from the camera, but you need to make sure that there is nothing up close because it will make viewing difficult.

- Randy
 

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randy

when you mount / present the 2 views, you have to transpose them, don't you ?

john
 

DougGrosjean

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A person could buy two identical cheap TLRs (Ciro-Flex comes to mind), and mount them on one bracket about 80 mm apart. Voila, cheap 6x6 stereo.

Supposedly, the original Rolleiflex was 6x6 because stereo photography was popular at the time, and that size neg allowed stereo photography.
 

reellis67

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There's a guy out there that does this with two Ricohflexes. He takes hyper-stereo shots of fireworks (hyper-stereo meaning there is a great distance between each lens). In his case it's something like 4-6 feet!.

- Randy
 

DougGrosjean

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reellis67 said:
There's a guy out there that does this with two Ricohflexes. He takes hyper-stereo shots of fireworks (hyper-stereo meaning there is a great distance between each lens). In his case it's something like 4-6 feet!.

- Randy
Click to expand...

I'll freely admit I didn't come up with the idea myself. There was a very old photo of an outdoor photog using a pair of Minolta TLRs with different film in each, for every situation. Seeing the photo, it just screams stereo.

Bogen makes a slide-bar for one camera. But you can drill out a detent and use that hole as a second mounting point. I use a pair of Rolleis on it, a Cord V and a Flex, same vintage. Have run just one pair of film rolls through it, but it all works exactly as it should. Kinda clunky, though.

A friend pointed out to me how easy it would be to do stereo off the Alaska ferry, of the coastline, with the ferry running about 22' per second. Take one shot, wait 3-4 seconds, take the next.
 

reellis67

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I've seen that photograph too! He used a metal bar of some sort to trip the shutters. The only problem with the ferry idea is that the water will look odd in stereo because of the waves, which will be different in each frame.

- Randy
 

Harrigan

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For viewing the 3d stereocards some people, myself included can do what is called "free viewing". I am nearsighted and dont know what that has to do w/ it but if I take my glasses off I can 'pop' a 3d stereocard or set if images into 3d just by staring at it with no lorgnette or card viewer required. It may be simialr to those 80's and 90's posters that you stare at and get a 3d image? I dont know but for me this is awesome 3d effect compared to using a card viewer.

If you look at my stereoviews on my website they are sized up to work this way. See if you can get them to go 3d just by staring at them. I suggest trying the graveyard view at Harpers Ferry as it has the best 3d effect. It is pretty cool if you can get it to work! try this one:

http://www.harriganstudio.com/cart/...&p=0&z=Graveyard+at+Harpers+Ferry&stat=0&cit=
 
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