Rangefinder Stereo Cameras

Nice Revere! Oh Yes a Stereo GAS attack is in progress, and you’re off to a good start. Also nice to get the paperwork, and Especially nice to locate info on the original owner. I bought my Contura off the first owners grandson!. .....if your viewfinder and rangefinder der are clear and the shutter sounds good...just Shoot it. Oddly, the shutter and lens assemblies are readily available on the surplus market. The “plastic leather” covering was trendy back then but today not so much. ••• Keep in mind this is also a camera that can take 59 single exposures, simply by double exposing, capping one lens, recocking the shutter and capping the other lens, then wind on. Good Luck !!
 
Hmmmm, still no mention of the stereo gear Leitz made all those years ago like the FIATE and so on.

And that had the advantage of giving you a landscape picture. I think Rolleis had something similar and people used to make them from a length of angle iron and slide the camera from one end to the other.

I've also seen articles within the last year or so saying that the optical axis should meet at the subject for maximum impact...

And I'm wondering about getting two old (as in dirt cheap) digital cameras and mounting them side by side in a frame and then firing them using the remote. The problem would probably be the colour balance and WB.


Regards, David
 
Last edited:
Ambro51 said:
Nice Revere! Oh Yes a Stereo GAS attack is in progress, and you’re off to a good start. Also nice to get the paperwork, and Especially nice to locate info on the original owner. I bought my Contura off the first owners grandson!. .....if your viewfinder and rangefinder der are clear and the shutter sounds good...just Shoot it. Oddly, the shutter and lens assemblies are readily available on the surplus market. The “plastic leather” covering was trendy back then but today not so much. ••• Keep in mind this is also a camera that can take 59 single exposures, simply by double exposing, capping one lens, recocking the shutter and capping the other lens, then wind on. Good Luck !!
Click to expand...
Do you really own a Contura? That has always been my holy grail!
How do you like it?
 
med_U67835I1581704626.SEQ.0.jpg
[/IMG] Yes I was able to finally find one reasonably (considering) and bought its quite a classy camera. Mine is serial number B1012, the twelfth built. The polished body and Salz leather covering feel awesome in hand. The shutter button is awkwardly placed, my only glitch. Images are superb equal to what I get from the Realist Custom with the “Rare Earth” lenses. I got the manual also, pretty rare in itself. Too bad so little information is available about the camera or the company behind it. I emailed the Brooks Stevens people for a few details regarding his styling of the camera and never even got a response.
 
Yeah nice one :)

Back to that ISO Duplex 120 cameras -- they produce a 24mm x 24mm image on 120 film. Are there slide mounts available for that???
 
Vince Lupo said:
Yeah nice one :)

Back to that ISO Duplex 120 cameras -- they produce a 24mm x 24mm image on 120 film. Are there slide mounts available for that???
Click to expand...

You might have to scour eBay for them, as I do see them pop up in searches every once in a while. Wholesale lots are the most common source.

PF
 
Vince Lupo said:
So I’m assuming that they have slide mounts specific to that camera?
Click to expand...

I would think there was at one time, otherwise no one would have bought the camera. Since it did sell not as well as the 35mm variety, the mounts today will be much harder to find.

I'm sure I've got some 35mm stereo mounts around here somewhere, Vince. If and when I come across them, you're welcome to them.

PF
 
Ambro51 said:
med_U67835I1581704626.SEQ.0.jpg
[/IMG] Yes I was able to finally find one reasonably (considering) and bought its quite a classy camera. Mine is serial number B1012, the twelfth built. The polished body and Salz leather covering feel awesome in hand. The shutter button is awkwardly placed, my only glitch. Images are superb equal to what I get from the Realist Custom with the “Rare Earth” lenses. I got the manual also, pretty rare in itself. Too bad so little information is available about the camera or the company behind it. I emailed the Brooks Stevens people for a few details regarding his styling of the camera and never even got a response.
Click to expand...


Wow, beautiful camera! I've been using and collecting stereo cameras for about 30 years and have only known two people that have even seen one.
 
I took the Revere out for its maiden voyage yesterday. My wife and I were in DC for the day and played tourists. One thing I did find with this camera is that I could truly take 'tourist' photos and not feel the least bit guilty. It did, however, make me think more carefully about how I'm composing these pictures, making sure that I had a good aperture setting for decent depth-of-field etc. The vertical alignment of the rangefinder is a bit off and slightly annoying, so I may send the camera down to Frank to have him go through it. Despite that, it's a very enjoyable camera to use.

One thing I was in fact thinking about (if I really get into this stereo stuff) is potentially getting a 120 camera and making contact prints for the stereo cards. See the GAS has already started :)
 
Good. Glad you got Paul Revere outfit a ride! If you were in DC in 1953 you would have seen Lots of stereo cameras in use. Next GAS, if you done have one yet is a film cutter. Though Dr. T is the Realist guru, check out his website. Ehjoy your adventure!
 
Ambro51 said:
Good. Glad you got Paul Revere outfit a ride! If you were in DC in 1953 you would have seen Lots of stereo cameras in use. Next GAS, if you done have one yet is a film cutter. Though Dr. T is the Realist guru, check out his website. Ehjoy your adventure!
Click to expand...

Well let's see -- I just ordered a copy of the Realist Manual (they are not cheap, if you want a good one!), and I now have some slide mounts, I have a Revere 22 viewer (a really nice one), and some slide film. I think I'll try my hand at using good old-fashioned scissors and see how we get on.

I have my eye on two 120 format cameras, both really old ones. We shall see!
 
Camera arrived late yesterday -- very interesting!


Heidoscop1 by Vince Lupo, on Flickr


Heidoscop2 by Vince Lupo, on Flickr


Heidoscop3 by Vince Lupo, on Flickr


Heidoscop4 by Vince Lupo, on Flickr

The 120 back took a little figuring out - it winds opposite of what I thought (it goes from right to left, rather than what I consider to be the 'normal' left to right). Plus I am assuming that in the little counter window, I'm only going to be seeing 2-4-6-8-1-12, rather than every single number, as it shoots in pairs.

Shutter speeds seem right on, and most everything else looks good. I say 'most' because there are a couple of things missing: There is a single screw to hold down the viewing hood assembly that's missing, and it looks like the mirror on the inside of the viewing hood is missing (it's the mirror that, when tilted downward towards the ground glass allows you to focus in an eye-level position). Not a huge deal, but maybe I'll check around to see if I can find a mirror. Likely a standard Rollei mirror for the hood should work.

Got a roll of XP2 in there as a test roll, and I have a pro-pack of Provia 100F on deck.
 
The question is.......will you buy another stereo camera before the roll in das steampunkstereo kamra is developed ;-)
 
Ambro51 said:
The question is.......will you buy another stereo camera before the roll in das steampunkstereo kamra is developed ;-)
Click to expand...

I would hope not! Still trying to figure the first one out :)

I'm going to send both off to Frank Marshman after my test rolls are done - the Revere needs to have its vertical rangefinder alignment adjusted (plus I'd like him to just give it the old spit'n'polish anyways), and the Heidoscop has a few minor issues I'd like looked at.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top