STEREOSCOPY [n] three dimensional vision produced by the fusion of
two slightly different views of a scene on each retina
There are literally hundreds of
different devices that enable the stereoscopic viewing and creation of
3D photography, far more than is within the remit of this website to be
able to mention. Stereoscopy is a fascinating subject that can span
across multiple disciplines. It is used for entertainment, research,
science, mathematics and far more. Stereoscopy started soon after the
invention of photography itself and was really popularised by the
Victorians. It is very easy to find stereo cards that date back to the
late 1800's. These can be viewed in a number of different devices, but
the most popular of those is the 'Holmes' type viewer.
A very popular method of viewing
3D pictures is via anaglyph images. This is where the red colour is
shifted to one side and special glasses can then be used to fool the
brain into thinking it is seeing 3D. The image being viewed isn't
strictly 3D, but rather a sort of pseudo 3D.
It is even possible to view
objects in 3D without anything other than your eyes. This is know as
free-viewing and requires the user to cross their eyes whilst looking at
a pair of stereo photographs. Although the technique takes a little time
to master, it is very effective.
The following photographs are of
items that do not fit anywhere else on this web site, but were
considered worthy of inclusion.
Several View-Master based children's
board games were produced, such as Klomp-It in the early 70's and
3D Trivia Quiz, show below. The game was produced by VMI (View-Master
International) in 1984 and included a VMI Model G and seven reels.
A Sandoz Viewer.
An
odd-ball viewer about which little is known. It is thought that
it may have been part of a medical teaching set.
Pokemon Pocket Monsters Viewer
A Korean
made Pokemon Pocket Monsters 3D
Viewer which offers surprisingly good 3D cartoon images. Although this
only dates to 1999, it is very sought after and this is reflected in a
moderately high price.
Another example of this style of viewer.
This example was manufactured in China and was used to
promote the Spanish island of Tenerife
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