Stereo Realist

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A Stereo Realist camera.

The Stereo Realist was a stereo camera that was manufactured by the David White Company from 1947 to 1972. It was the most popular stereo camera ever manufactured.^{[citation needed]}

1 History
2 Design and engineering
3 External links
4 References

[edit] History

Seton Rochwite was a camera hobbyist who began designing and building his own stereo cameras in 1929. In 1938, he began work on one that would be suitable for commercial manufacture; he built the first prototype in 1940. He brought it to the David White Company of Milwaukee who, interested in the design, hired him in 1943. The company began advertising the "Stereo Realist" in photography magazines in 1945, although it would not end up being produced until late 1947.^[1]

The David White Company had great success marketing the Stereo Realist system to the public. In addition to the stereo cameras there were special viewers, projectors, film cutters, slide mounting aids, cases, and other accessories available. Several camera models were offered over the years, some with premium lenses and features. The basic camera architecture was shared among all the variants.

By the late 1960s, the public's fascination with stereo imaging faded, possibly due to the complexity of actually viewing the stereo images.

[edit] Design and engineering

The Realist uses standard 135 film. The unusual proportions of the slides became the standard for 3-D slides, and is known as "Realist Format". It marked a significant milestone in stereoscopy.

The routine for taking a photograph with a Stereo Realist is unusually elaborate. One must lift the lens cover, focus, cock the shutter, and manually set the aperture and shutter speed. The double exposure button must then be depressed (if camera is so equipped) and the film wind lock button depressed briefly while beginning to wind the film to the next frame. The film winding is then completed so that the camera is ready to shoot another pair of images.