GAKKEN PAN-PET
Panoramic Stereo Viewer
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The Pan-Pet viewer was manufactured by Gakken Co.Ltd. in Japan in 1969 and is unusual insofar as it allows the viewer to see panoramic stereo pictures. It uses 35mm film and each roll has 20 panoramic stereo pairs.  The user rotates a knob to advance the film from image to image. A title is displayed between the pictures on some films. The pictures are reflected into the lenses by two offset mirrors , set at 45 degrees. The light for the viewer comes through the translucent white cover, seen in the pictures below. When the film has been viewed the user has to manually re-wind it back to the start.

(See also Hong Kong Super-View)


A view inside the Pan-Pet, showing the two offset mirrors and the recesses where the film spools sit.

The film used looses it's colour over time, fading to magenta, but the images still remain clear.

The product didn't catch on and relatively few films were made for it. Subjects were mostly places in Japan, Locomotives, a Golf Instruction roll, a set of five reels of Expo '70 and nudes.

Some films came with a print giving more details of the pictures, both in English and Japanese.

click here to see an example

The viewer cost 1,200yen and the films were 800yen.

Gakken Co. Ltd was formed in 1946 and is still going strong to this day, although more commonly associated with educational books nowadays.

 

  

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