Slide viewer

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Slide viewer with electric supply Diabetrachter Hama.jpg
Slide viewer with electric supply

A slide viewer (also called transparency viewer) is a device for looking at film transparencies or similar photographic images. [1]

Reversal film type of photographic film that produces a positive image on a transparent base

In photography, reversal film is a type of photographic film that produces a positive image on a transparent base. The film is processed to produce transparencies or diapositives instead of negatives and prints. Reversal film is produced in various sizes, from 35 mm roll film to 8×10 inch sheet film.

Contents

Description

A slide viewer is usually a small handheld device with a slot in which a slide can be inserted to see a magnified illuminated view of it. A slide viewer is an instrument for individual viewing. Some models have an automatic feeder for inserting multiple slides and some have a slot for a strip of film. The slide viewer may rely upon natural light or incorporate a light source.

Stereo slide viewer

A View-Master Model E of the 1950s View-Master Model E.JPG
A View-Master Model E of the 1950s

The practice of viewing stereoscopic film-based transparencies through a small magnifying viewer dates to at least as early as 1931, when Tru-Vue began to market black-and-white 35 mm filmstrips that were fed through a handheld viewer made of Bakelite.

Stereoscopy Technique for creating or enhancing the illusion of depth in an image

Stereoscopy is a film (non-digital) technique for creating or enhancing the illusion of depth in an image by means of stereopsis for binocular vision. The word stereoscopy derives from Greek στερεός (stereos), meaning 'firm, solid', and σκοπέω (skopeō), meaning 'to look, to see'. Any stereoscopic image is called a stereogram. Originally, stereogram referred to a pair of stereo images which could be viewed using a stereoscope.

Tru-Vue

Tru-Vue, a subsidiary of Rock Island Bridge and Iron Works, was a manufacturer of stereoscopic filmstrips and corresponding stereoscope viewers, based in Rock Island, Illinois, from 1932–1951 and in Beaverton, Oregon, from 1951 until the late 1960s. The film strips, or film cards, were fed through a slide viewer similar to a View-Master, which was art deco or streamlined in style. The viewers were made of bakelite and available in multiple colors. When held up to light the images appeared in 3D. The films were based on attractive scenery, children's stories, travel, night life, and current events. The company was purchased in 1951 by Sawyer's—the manufacturer of the View-Master—because Tru-Vue had an exclusive contract to make children's filmstrips based on Disney characters. Tru-Vue moved at that time from Rock Island, Illinois, to Beaverton, Oregon, near where Sawyer's had built a new plant, and for a few years was a subsidiary company of Sawyer's. Eventually, it became only a brand name. Both View-Master and Tru-Vue products were manufactured into the 1960s by Sawyer's.

35 mm format

The 35 mm format, or simply 35 mm, is the common name for the 36×24 mm film format or image sensor format used in photography. It has an aspect ratio of 3:2, and a diagonal measurement of approximately 43 mm. It has been employed in countless photographic applications including single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras, rangefinder cameras, mirrorless interchangeable-lens digital cameras, digital SLRs, point-and-shoot film cameras, and disposable film cameras.

In 1939, a radically different viewer, also designed for use with commercially prepared stereo images, was introduced as the View-Master. Images in color on small pieces of Kodachrome film came mounted in rectangular openings near the edge of a cardboard disk, which, despite being quite flat, was officially known as a View-Master "reel". Each reel contained seven image pairs, the left-eye and right-eye images being diametrically opposite. A lever was used to rotate the reel in increments so as to present each image pair in sequence. Eventually, the viewers were available in several models, including some that were illuminated by flashlight bulbs powered by a line current transformer or batteries, as well as "talking" View-Masters. Viewers and reels in the View-Master format are still being made today. One category of material still in production is children's fairy tale story scenes and brief stories using popular cartoon characters. These use photographs of three-dimensional model sets and characters. Another category is scenic views associated with a tourist destination, typically sold at gift shops located at the attraction.

View-Master trademark name of a line of special-format stereoscopes

View-Master is the trademark name of a line of special-format stereoscopes and corresponding View-Master "reels", which are thin cardboard disks containing seven stereoscopic 3-D pairs of small transparent color photographs on film. It was manufactured and sold by Sawyer's.

Kodachrome Brand name of an Eastman Kodak film

Kodachrome is the brand name for a color reversal film introduced by Eastman Kodak in 1935. It was one of the first successful color materials and was used for both cinematography and still photography. For many years Kodachrome was widely used for professional color photography, especially for images intended for publication in print media. Because of its complex processing requirements, the film was sold process-paid in the United States until 1954 when a legal ruling prohibited this. Elsewhere, this arrangement continued.

Fairy tale Fictional story typically featuring folkloric fantasy characters and magic

A fairy tale, wonder tale, magic tale, or Märchen is an instance of a folklore genre that takes the form of a short story. Such stories typically feature entities such as dwarfs, dragons, elves, fairies, giants, gnomes, goblins, griffins, mermaids, talking animals, trolls, unicorns, or witches, and usually magic or enchantments. In most cultures, there is no clear line separating myth from folk or fairy tale; all these together form the literature of preliterate societies. Fairy tales may be distinguished from other folk narratives such as legends and explicit moral tales, including beast fables. The term is mainly used for stories with origins in European tradition and, at least in recent centuries, mostly relates to children's literature.

A major innovation in 1947 was the introduction of the Stereo Realist camera and viewer system. Using Kodachrome or other 35 mm slide film, this equipment made startlingly lifelike amateur stereoscopic color photography possible at a reasonable cost. The system was well-advertised and experienced a surge in popularity. Other makes of cameras employing the Realist format began appearing in the early 1950s. The Stereo Realist and competing products can still be found in estate sales and elsewhere, and some enthusiasts still use them to take pictures.

Stereo Realist stereo 35mm film camera model

The Stereo Realist is a stereo camera that was manufactured by the David White Company from 1947 to 1971. It was the most popular 35 mm stereo camera ever manufactured and started the era of popular stereo photography of the mid 20th century.

An advantage offered by transparency viewing as compared to earlier card stereoscopes is that a wider field of view may be presented because the images, being illuminated from the rear, may be placed much closer to the lenses. In ordinary viewers, the simple, inexpensive lenses necessarily have relatively long focal lengths so that the entirety of the images will appear reasonably sharp, and consequently the field of view occupied by the images is small. To magnify the images so that they will occupy a much larger visual angle and still be sharp and undistorted, suitable high-quality multi-element short focal length lenses must be used. Such lenses are quite expensive and are not found in most stereo viewers. For optimum realism, the images to be so viewed must be created using equivalent wide-angle camera lenses.

Stereoscope Device for viewing a stereoscopic pair of separate images

A stereoscope is a device for viewing a stereoscopic pair of separate images, depicting left-eye and right-eye views of the same scene, as a single three-dimensional image.

See also

Related Research Articles

135 film Photographic film format

135 is photographic film in a film format used for still photography. It is a cartridge film with a film gauge of 35 mm (1.4 in), typically used for hand-held photography in 35 mm film cameras. Its engineering standard for the film is controlled by ISO 1007.

110 film cartridge film format introduced in 1972

110 is a cartridge-based film format used in still photography. It was introduced by Kodak in 1972. 110 is essentially a miniaturised version of Kodak's earlier 126 film format. Each frame is 13 mm × 17 mm, with one registration hole. There are 24 frames per cartridge, although production variations sometimes allowed for an additional image.

Negative (photography) Image on photographic film

In photography, a negative is an image, usually on a strip or sheet of transparent plastic film, in which the lightest areas of the photographed subject appear darkest and the darkest areas appear lightest. This reversed order occurs because the extremely light-sensitive chemicals a camera film must use to capture an image quickly enough for ordinary picture-taking are darkened, rather than bleached, by exposure to light and subsequent photographic processing.

Lenticular printing

Lenticular printing is a technology in which lenticular lenses are used to produce printed images with an illusion of depth, or the ability to change or move as the image is viewed from different angles.

A stereo display is a display device capable of conveying depth perception to the viewer by means of stereopsis for binocular vision.

Stereo camera camera with two or more lenses for capturing stereo views

A stereo camera is a type of camera with two or more lenses with a separate image sensor or film frame for each lens. This allows the camera to simulate human binocular vision, and therefore gives it the ability to capture three-dimensional images, a process known as stereo photography. Stereo cameras may be used for making stereoviews and 3D pictures for movies, or for range imaging. The distance between the lenses in a typical stereo camera is about the distance between one's eyes and is about 6.35 cm, though a longer base line produces more extreme 3-dimensionality.

Nimslo Stereo camera

The Nimslo is a stereo camera with a brightfield viewfinder that produces 3D pictures that can be viewed without glasses. This is done using Lenticular printing. It uses common 35 mm film in 135 film format cartridges. It was produced in the 1980s by Nimstec Atlanta, Georgia, USA, and manufactured by Timex in Dundee, Scotland.

3D stereo view

A 3D stereo view is the viewing of objects through any stereo pattern.

Kodak Stereo Camera

The Kodak Stereo Camera was a 35mm film stereo camera produced between 1954 and 1959. Similar to the Stereo Realist, the camera employed two lenses to take twin shots of scenes, which could then be viewed in dedicated image viewers. The lenses supported adjustable apertures and variable shutter speeds. The camera had a reputation for being easy to use, and sold approximately 100,000 units during the time it was produced.

View-Master Personal Stereo Camera

The View-Master Personal Stereo Camera was a 35mm film camera designed to take 3D stereo photos for viewing in a View-Master. First released in 1952, the camera took 69 pairs of photos on a 36-exposure roll 35mm film, taking one set while the film was unwound from the canister, and another set while it was rewound. Although focus was fixed, the camera supported both variable aperture settings and shutter speeds.

Fujifilm FinePix Real 3D digital camera model

The Fujifilm FinePix Real 3D W series is a line of consumer-grade digital cameras designed to capture stereoscopic images that recreate the perception of 3D depth, having both still and video formats while retaining standard 2D still image and video modes. The cameras feature a pair of lenses, and an autostereoscopic display which directs pixels of the two offset images to the user's left and right eyes simultaneously. Methods are included for extending or contracting the stereoscopic baseline, albeit with an asynchronous timer or manually depressing the shutter twice. The dual-lens architecture also enables novel modes such as simultaneous near and far zoom capture of a 2D image. The remainder of the camera is similar to other compact digital cameras.

Stereo photography techniques

Stereo photography techniques are methods to produce stereoscopic images, videos and films. This is done with a variety of equipment including special built stereo cameras, single cameras with or without special attachments, and paired cameras. This involves traditional film cameras as well as, tape and modern digital cameras. A number of specialized techniques are employed to produce different kinds of stereo images.

Sawyers

Sawyer's, Inc. was an American manufacturer and retailer of slide projectors, scenic slides, View-Master reels and viewers, postcards, and related products, based in Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1914 as a photo-finishing company, Sawyer's began producing and selling View-Masters in 1939, and that soon became its primary product. It later diversified into other photographic products, mostly related to film transparencies, and established manufacturing plants in Europe, Japan and India. By the early 1960s, Sawyer's was the nation's second-largest manufacturer of slide projectors, and by 1965 slide projectors had surpassed View-Master reels and equipment as a percentage of the company's annual sales. In 1951, the company moved from Portland proper to the unincorporated Progress area in Portland's southwestern suburbs. In 1966, Sawyer's was acquired by New York-based General Aniline & Film (GAF), and its product lines and facilities were taken over by GAF. It was a subsidiary company of GAF until 1968, when it became simply a division of that company, renamed the GAF Consumer Photo Division. For several years thereafter, GAF used "Sawyer's" as a brand name for its slide projectors.

References

  1. "viewer - Definition of viewer in English by Oxford Dictionaries". Oxford Dictionaries - English. Retrieved 9 June 2018.