Stereo Realist

Designed by Seton Rochwite and made by the David White Company, the Stereo Realist is the best selling Stereo Camera of all time. It is a stereo camera with rangefinder focusing and takes photos in the 5p stereo format (also known as Realist format).

The Stereo Realist camera was a camera that attracted celebrities throughout the 50s. The most notable user of the camera was silent film star, Harold Lloyd, who used the camera to do portraits of Marylin Monroe and Bettie Page, among others. Advertisements of the time featured celebrities, many who were friends of Lloyd's and in his stereo camera club. Celebrities in these advertisements included Vincent Price (on the set of House of Wax), Edgar Bergen, John Wayne, James Cagney, Bob Hope, Joan Crawford, Doris Day, Cecil B. Demile, and Frank Capra.

Popularity of the camera continued into the 60s. In 1971, the Realist Stereo Macro was added to the line of cameras.

Today, the trademark is owned by John J. Zelenka, a stereo photographer.

Accessories

• Wide-angle lenses
• Filters with filter case
• Flash
• Leather Case
• Leather ever-ready case
• Mounting kit, includes film chip sorting box, heat seal, film cutter, and slide mounter.
• Electronic Viewers: Red Button, Green Button, White Button, Gold Button
• Projector
• Silver screen, for projection
• Slide Mounts: Metal, Paper, Plastic, Glass

Specifications

Stereo Realist 2.8 (Model 1042)

• Camera Type 35 mm viewfinder stereo camera
• Manufacturer David White Co., Milwaukee, WI, USA
• Year Introduced About 1951
• Film 135 cartridge
• Size 175 x 65 x 59 mm (W x H x D)
• Weight 820 grams (1,125 grams with everready case)
• Lens Separation 69.28 mm
• Image Format 25.40 x 23.42 mm (W x H)
• Image Window Separation 70,92 mm
• Lenses David White Anastigmat (glass, matched), 1:2.8/35 mm clip-on filters 20 mm
• Diaphragms Iris diaphragms between the lenses, continuously adjustable from f/2.8 to f/22
• Focusing Manual, 2½ ft. - infinity. Movement of the film plane
• Shutter Double lamellar type shutter, behind the lenses. Cocked with seperate lever
• Shutter Speeds 1/200, 1/100, 1/50, 1/25, 1/10, 1/5, ½, 1 sec. and "B" and "T"
• Viewfinder Optical reflex viewfinder (approx. 0,5x). Parallax-free.
• Rangefinder linked with distance setting, 123 mm baseline
• Film Loading Manual
• Film Transport Manual, with transport knob by 10 sprocket holes (= 47.5 mm), sprocket wheel on top
• Film Rewinding Manual. Unlocking with rewind release knob. Rewind knob.
• Frame Counter Additive, 1 to 36. Manual reset.
• Flash Contact Hot Shoe
• Tripod Socket ¼“ / 20 TPI
• Special Features Double exposure prevention (overrideable), eyelets for carrying-strap, cable realease provision.
• Accessories Operating instructions, everready case, viewers, Bulb Flash, Projector, Mounting Kit

Stereo Realist 3.5 (model 1041)

• Camera Type 35 mm viewfinder stereo camera
• Manufacturer David White Co., Milwaukee, WI, USA
• Year Introduced About 1947
• Film 135 cartridge
• Size 175 x 65 x 59 mm (W x H x D)
• Weight 820 grams (1,125 grams with everready case)
• Lens Separation 69.28 mm
• Image Format 25.40 x 23.42 mm (W x H)
• Image Window Separation 70,92 mm
• Lenses David White Anastigmat (glass, matched), 1:3.5/35 mm clip-on filters 20 mm
• Diaphragms Iris diaphragms between the lenses, continuously adjustable from f/3.5 to f/22
• Focusing Manual, 2½ ft. - infinity. Movement of the film plane
• Shutter Double lamellar type shutter, behind the lenses. Cocked with seperate lever
• Shutter Speeds 1/150, 1/100, 1/50, 1/25, 1/10, 1/5, ½, 1 sec. and "B" and "T"
• Viewfinder Optical reflex viewfinder (approx. 0,5x). Parallax-free.
• Rangefinder linked with distance setting, 123 mm baseline
• Film Loading Manual
• Film Transport Manual, with transport knob by 10 sprocket holes (= 47.5 mm), sprocket wheel on top
• Film Rewinding Manual. Unlocking with rewind release knob. Rewind knob.
• Frame Counter Additive, 1 to 36. Manual reset.
• Flash Contact Hot Shoe
• Tripod Socket ¼“ / 20 TPI
• Special Features Double exposure prevention, eyelets for carrying-strap, cable realease provision.
• Accessories Operating instructions, everready case, viewers, Bulb Flash, Projector, Mounting Kit

Links

• Stereo Realist Camera Repairs
• The Harold Lloyd Collection, non-stereo reprints of Harold Lloyd's Stereo Realist photography