3D Photography - Loreo 321 Stereoscopic Camera

By: Lloyd Lewis

As my quest for 3D Photography continues, I decided to purchase the Loreo 321 Stereoscopic Camera and 3D Viewer from Berezin Stereo Photography Products. (See the bottom of the bottom of the article for the link)

The price was very reasonable ($55.95 + $12.51 for UPS Ground Shipping to Phoenix = $68.46)  I purchased the camera on the 18th of December and it was shipped on the same day.  I received the package on the 21st of December.

The website shows the Vivitar version of the camera, but the product that i received says "Loreo" on it.  Other than that, the products are identical.

The kit includes the camera and strap, the image viewer, and two sample photos.



First of all, this is not a digital camera.  It uses standard 35mm Film.  The film must be DX coded for the camera to adjust the exposure settings properly.

Camera Specifications

Camera Type    Mono/Stereo
Film Format     35mm standard film
Lens             Twin 35mm = f5.6mm,
Shutter         Two speed program shutter
Aperture         f5.6 with flash, f11 in daylight
Focus Range      Pan focus from 5 feet to infinity
Frame counter     Progressive type with auto-reset
Film advance     Motorized
Film rewind     Motorized
Flash              Built-in flash, automatic activating system, flash most effective from 5-12 feet
Power off          Automatic power off 3 sec. (approx.)
Power source     2 1.5c AA alkaline or manganese batteries
Power control      Auto power off (2 minutes)
Dimensions         148(W) X 88L) X 90(H) mm
Weight              203 grams/8 oz. (without batteries)

Viewer Specifications

Viewing print sizes     Standard 3R (3.5 X 5 ") or 4R (4 X 6")prints
Viewer size     135(W) X 152(H) X 63 (D)
Viewer weight     152grams/6 oz.

The shutter button is large and easy to press.



The switch on the back of the camera allows you to shoot your photograph in either 2D or 3D.  



The lens area is quite large to make room for the dual shutters and mirror assembly.  The lens is fixed focus from 5 feet to infinity.



The flash charges very quickly.  There is an LED built into the viewfinder that will tell you if the flash is needed or not.  Press the shutter button half way - if it lights up red, wait until the green light comes on.

The camera came with two sample pictures for the viewer.  The viewer is quite comfortable to use.  Just set your photo in the holder, and look through the lenses.  The 3D images that are viewed are quite stunning.

Loading the film can be a little tricky.  You have to pull the film across to the take-up spool and make sure that the nub on the take up spool grabs ahold of one of the sprockets on the film.  After closing the back of the camera, you will have to advance the film to get to the first frame.  Press the shutter button a few times while looking at the top of the camera.  Look at the film-advance indicator on the same side as the flash.  If the film is threaded correctly, the indicator will spin.  If it doesn't, rewind the film a bit and try reloading.   I haven't had this issue yet so just make sure you load it correctly the first time and you will be okay.  Keep pressing the shutter button until the film indicator reaches 1 for your first shot.

When you are finished with the roll of film, simply slide the rewind button on the bottom of the camera to the right.  The camera will stop rewinding automatically when the film has been retracted back into it's canister.  Slide the rewind button back to the left when you are done.



According to the manual that came with the camera (a folded up double-sided sheet of 11x17 paper) the only film speed supported by the camera are:

• ISO-100
• ISO-200
• ISO-400

I am uncertain if the camera will perform with a lower or higher film speed.  Since the camera works with DX Coding, no pull or push processing can be performed on the film.

The photos can be processed by any photo processing lab.  Though you may wish to tell them that the images that they will be printing will be stereoscopic images and will come out 2-Up on a frame.  The viewer will work with both 3.5x5 or 4x6 images.  4x6 images are recommended, and most photo processors offer them for around the same price as the 3.5x5 images.

When using the flash with the camera, the following distances for your subjects are required for proper exposure:

• ISO-100: 1.5 - 3 Meters (4.5 - 9 Feet)
• ISO-200: 2 - 4 Meters (6 - 12 Feet)
• ISO-400: 3 - 6 Meters (9 - 18 Feet)

The viewer for the photos works very nicely.  It folds out into a nice hand-held size, and weighs very little.  The photos are inserted into the back end of the viewer, then you look through the lenses at the other end to view the 3D image.  The viewer works well even if you wear glasses like I do.  The kit came with two sample photos that looked quite stunning when looked at through the viewer.

My Tests:

I went to the supermarket to purchase a roll of film to test the camera with, and as it turned out, the store had a clearance on their 4-packs of Kodak UltraMax ISO-400 24 exposure film.  They were selling it for around $7.00 for 4 rolls.  I bought all three packages that they had on the shelf.

I shot a variety of subjects, from my dad and my cats, to Christmas Lights, and different views around my apartment complex.

I took the film for processing at Costco.  Their 1-Hour lab is very inexpensive ($2.99 for 24 exposure single 4x6 prints, and an additional $2.99 for the photo CD).

The processed photos come out side-by-side on each frame.  The photos are what is known as a Cross-Eyed Stereoscopic Pair.  What that means is that the left eye view is on the right side of the print, and the right eye view is on the left side of the print.

The photos had mixed results.  In a few photos, my subject was too close to the camera, so they came out blurry.  The Christmas Lights were too dark.  Even though I was using an ISO-400 film, the lights themselves did not produce enough light to properly expose the film.  The flash did not work well in this instance as I had to stand too far away from the subject to get a good framed shot.

The photos all had good 3D effects to them (including the blurry ones), but some stood out more than the others.  Below are some examples of the photos from the camera.  I am including both the cross-eyed view and the same photo converted to a Red/Cyan Anaglyph for use with Red/Cyan 3D glasses.  (See below for how to get a free pair of 3D glasses, and for the Adobe Photoshop anaglyph conversion process.)

Apartment Sidewalk

The subject of this image is a sidewalk in my apartment complex.  This outdoor shot shows a good sense of depth, from the hedges in the foreground that lead into the background.

Dad

This shot uses the flash indoors.  The subject is my father.  The image shows a good amount of depth as well between foreground and background.

Maxine

This shot also uses the flash indoors.  The subject is my cat Maxine.  Though the image does convey depth to it, the effect is lessened by her standing next to the wall.  There is no real background to add to the depth.

Badger

This last shot also uses the flash indoors.  The subject is my cat Badger.  The image is blurry because he was too close to the lens.  The resulting image also produces an effect known as hyper-stereo.  The image almost has an unnatural amount of depth to it.  This effect is usually caused by the lenses of the cameras being further apart.  Because the subject is so close to the lens, this effect can be produced here as well.

Results:

My overall results with the camera and the viewer were quite satisfactory.  For the price, this is a very good film-based camera that can be used in a variety of situations to produce stunning 3D images.

My one wish is that the camera would have come with some sort of carrying case or lens cap.  The lens area is quite large and easy to pick up finger prints on.  It would be nice to have something to keep it clean between uses.

As for use in the paranormal field, I'm not certain.  The majority of photographic work done during an investigation usually involves digital cameras, primarily for cost effectiveness.  Film-based photography involves the cost of processing the images.  Since most paranormal groups operate out of their own pockets, it doesn't make film-based photography a viable option.

Loreo also produces a line of "Lens-in-a-Cap" products for use with 35mm and Digital SLR cameras.  These products would be a better solution for paranormal investigations.  However, the cost of the lens and viewer are quite a bit higher than the Loreo 321 camera.  I have not been able to test the "Lens-in-a-Cap" products as I do not own a digital SLR camera at the moment.

Links:

Berezin Stereo Photography Products - http://www.berezin.com/3D/vivitar3dcam.htm
Making Anaglyph Images in Adobe Photoshop - http://www.scec.org/geowall/makeanaglyph.html
Free 3D Glasses (U.S. Only) - http://www.rainbowsymphony.com/freestuff.html (ask for the Red/Cyan Glasses)
Freeviewing Cross-Eyed Stereo Pairs - http://www.starosta.com/3dshowcase/ihelp.html