Realist 45

image by Geoff Harrisson (Image rights)

Introduced by Realist Inc. USA (a David White company) in 1955 the Realist 45 was actually made by Iloca in Hamburg, Germany. It was the same camera as their Iloca Stereo Rapid but minus the rangefinder and self-timer. As with some other Iloca stereo models the viewfinder is located in the base of the camera.

A pair of 35mm f/3.5 Steinheil Cassar S lenses in 4-speed Vero shutters are fixed to the front panel and they do not move when focusing, that takes place internally. The moveable section between the film gates is linked to the focus wheel on the camera's top and moves the film plane in or out to adjust focus. A 10cm long pressure-plate attached to the back holds the film firmly in position.

The camera makes 15-16 stereo pairs 23x24mm (Realist format) on a 20-exposure film and 28-29 pairs on a 36-exposure film. The film transport has a neat fold-out lever that advances the film with one stroke and cocks the shutter

Printed on the base are helpful instructions for loading the film, removing the back and suggested focus settings. There are also two exposure guides: one for daylight exposure, one for flash exposure. They are for using 10 ASA film (1950s Kodachrome) and No. 5B flash bulbs.

image by Geoff Harrisson (Image rights)

Links

• Instruction book at Butkus.org Realist 45
• Realist 45 Stereo video presentation by YouTuber Kay's Cameras