Rangefinder Stereo Cameras

I picked up a second Nil Melior camera a couple of weeks ago so that I could shoot my glass plates. This camera looked a bit like the dog's dinner when I got it, but it cleaned up pretty nicely. The case, in particular, is now gorgeous -- all it needs is the strap, and the leather should be here today. Even managed to clean up the original buckle from the old, worn-out strap, so it will be reused. The lens/shutter assembly was sent off for repair, and hopefully it can in fact be revived.

My wife looked at the leather in the case and said "that looks like Epi leather. Louis Vuitton is known for that." While I can't find a name anywhere on the case, I did a bit of research and discovered that yes, Louis Vuitton is known for exactly this type of leather. Unfortunately for me they started producing it in 1985. Ah well, one can always dream :)


Nil Melior #2 by Vince Lupo, on Flickr
 
Ambro51 said:
A Beautiful Piece! I admire your dedication to this esoteric era of the stereo niche.
Click to expand...

Many thanks! But oh just wait and see what’s coming next — unfortunately they’re both (yes both!) stuck in Europe at the moment. Likely won’t see them for another month.
 
One from Monocacy National Battlefield, shot with the Nil Melior.


Best Farm Stereo1 by Vince Lupo, on Flickr


Best Farm Stereo1 Colorized by Vince Lupo, on Flickr

Interesting with this shot is that if I reversed the images so that there was less info on the left side of the left image, the stereo effect was backwards. Placed this way it works (when looking through a viewer or using the crosseyed free-viewing method).

I'm still having terrible luck with light leaks in both the Heidoscop and the Nil Melior (to a lesser extent). I've plugged up every conceivable spot I can think of. The pictures actually seem to be getting worse -- the only thing I changed, which has me wondering, is that I started shooting with HP5. The earlier shots were with Fomapan 100, and as you all know these cameras were made at a time in which the equivalent ISO was more like 25. Perhaps the faster film reveals the light leaks more. I'm going to try some Pan F to see if that makes a difference.
 
The new superstar in town :)


Verographe1 by Vince Lupo, on Flickr

Philippe Tiranty Verographe. Very rare in all nickel.

I think I managed to get the shutter worked out -- I had to make new leather seals for the pneumatic shutter. Actually here is a question -- should the seals be completely dry? Or should they be oiled?
 
Working on the case that came with the Verographe. A lot of cleaning, contact cement, re-dyeing and polishing so far!

I'm pretty sure I'll be using this case with the Verographe -- nice to see a 100+ year-old camera and case being put back into use.


Verographe Case1 by Vince Lupo, on Flickr
 
Thanks for posting these photos Vince. I am having a lot of fun looking at them in 3D on my phone using some cardboard to separate the images from each eye. Also today I went and purchased a stereo camera which should arrive in a few weeks, can't wait to try it (though I admit my initial motivation to get a stereo camera was to hack it into a 35mm paroramic camera as I saw in another thread.... that project will have to wait!)
 
largedrink said:
Thanks for posting these photos Vince. I am having a lot of fun looking at them in 3D on my phone using some cardboard to separate the images from each eye. Also today I went and purchased a stereo camera which should arrive in a few weeks, can't wait to try it (though I admit my initial motivation to get a stereo camera was to hack it into a 35mm paroramic camera as I saw in another thread.... that project will have to wait!)
Click to expand...

Glad to know thanks! What stereo camera did you purchase?
 
First shot from the Tiranty Verographe - a panorama! You just slide the front lens/shutter assembly to the right and it centers the left lens in the camera. As well, as you slide the front assembly, the 'divider' inside the camera hinges downward and out of the way.


Verographe Panorama1 by Vince Lupo, on Flickr

The shot isn't perfect - I need to likely cut the ISO in half (from 25 down to 12.5) and maybe back off on the development time (D76 stock for 9 minutes). I'm not sure what that arc in the sky is all about -- I know it's not a rainbow! Plus I got a bunch of black dots (clear on the plate) that turned up as well. I'll have to ask Jason about all of this. I have to say, though, that I think the overall effect is very much late 19th-early 20th century.

First stereo pair from the Verographe. Needs a bit of improvement!


Verographe Stereo3 by Vince Lupo, on Flickr
 
I think this is one of my best stereos to date - taken at Devil's Den at Gettysburg last week.


Devil's Den Stereo #1 by Vince Lupo, on Flickr

I know that the 'framing' isn't what it's 'supposed' to be, but this is the way my camera shoots it. One of the issues is that the frame sizes are slightly different - one frame is 61mm wide, the other is 63mm wide. Ah the joys of a handmade camera!

Here is a slightly modified crop:


Devil's Den Stereo1c by Vince Lupo, on Flickr

I finally - finally! - got the light leaks eliminated, and this is the first 'perfect' roll to come out of the Nil Melior. One of the things I changed which made a big difference was to shoot with Ilford Pan F instead of HP5. Now with the film change and plugging up a few other light leaks, I'm utterly confident in this camera's ability. Yay!
 
largedrink said:
Thanks for posting these photos Vince. I am having a lot of fun looking at them in 3D on my phone using some cardboard to separate the images from each eye.
Click to expand...
If you want skip the vintage viewers and use a smartphone to view 3D pictures, I recommend the PPTV KING 7S. It's a smartphone with a 3D lenticular screen delivering 3D pictures without the need for special glasses or other additional contraption. The effect is quite good and it's a great way to view 3D pictures and share them with other people when you're not at home. Pictures can be loaded easily from any computer using an USB cable or a Micro-SD card.

This phone was released in 2016, when 3D TVs were on sale everywhere because nobody wanted them anymore. As a consequence, the King 7S never really sold and the remaining stocks were heavily discounted. It is still possible to buy it new for a bit more than $100, quite a bargain for a device that is obsolete as a phone but unrivaled at this price as a 3D viewer. See this thread for more info.

Cheers!

Abbazz
 
largedrink said:
Vince I purchased a non-rangefinder version of the Wirgin Edixa. I do like the idea of medium format stereo photography too. Have you ever used a Rolleiflex stereo slider?
Click to expand...

Interesting you ask that, as I was looking at Rollei stereo sliders yesterday. No I haven’t, but I just ordered an antique stereo slider yesterday from an eBay seller from whom I have purchased numerous stereo items. It’s a wood sliding bar with a camera mount plate, so it could really be used with any camera, but I think it will be a perfect match for my Old Standard. At least I won’t have to worry about light leaks :)
 
I like all this stereo talk.

I have a variety of stereo viewers from my days of photogrammetry. In fact, I used to teach the course on photogrammetry and aerial photographic interpretation.

The aerial stuff has different objectives from the images we're seeing in this thread, but my small stereo viewers work great with them.
 
The Philippe Tiranty Verographe kit, in all its beautiful glory.


Tiranty Verographe Kit by Vince Lupo, on Flickr

What's not shown are the other 9 individual plate holders. I made the little screw-on cable release adapter, as the threads are so small around the shutter release button that I had to figure something out. A quick rummage in the toolbox, drilling a small hole through it on top and some polishing on the buffing wheel and it looks like it belongs.

I've tested the multi-plate back to the point where I feel fairly confident in its ability to work and not totally let me down out in the field. Of course time will tell!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top