A modern robust conversion to 7-p (European) format.
Pictured above is my first 7-p conversion of a stereo Realist modified in 1996 and still performing flawlessly. That modification was to a 3. 5 Realist in which I replaced the original 35mm f/3. 5 David White lenses with 35mm f 3. 5 Rikenon lenses that were stripped from a pair of Ricoh “point and shoot” cameras. These coated, computer designed and manufactured lenses are able to cover a full 35mm frame and consistently produce sharp high quality images.
A film strip from a 7-p (7-perf) Realist
Each image is 25mm high and 29.5mm wide.
A film strip from an unmodified (5-p) Realist
Each image is 25mm high and 23mm wide.
Original 5p film advance regulating mechanism
The kludgy 7p advance looks just like this except for the extra notch cut into the cam.
The JRS DESIGN 7p Conversion
The JRS Design 7-p conversion employs a new advance mechanism of my own design that specifically addresses the David White Stereo Realist with the 2.8 lenses. It is not designed to fit any other stereo camera except the Stereo Realist. To take stereo pictures you simply depress the wind release button and turn the wind knob one (1) short turn until it locks for the short advance. Take your picture and then depress the wind release button and then turn the wind knob one (1) long turn until it locks for the long advance. That’s it! Simple and elegant! You don’t have to remember where you are in the winding sequence. The camera automatically advances the film the proper amount each time you turn the wind knob. There is never any overlapping of the images and no wasted film.
The precision parts for the conversion were individually hand made by me from stainless steel and carbon steel to very tight tolerances (+/-.001”). The original Realist advance mechanism was discarded. The new mechanism automatically progresses through the 1-3 sequence until the end of the film is reached. The exposure counter records the actual number of stereo pairs shot and the red indicator functions as before. Twenty stereo pairs are possible on a standard 36 exposure roll of film. The new mechanism is very robust and is the only 7p Stereo Realist advance mechanism that utilizes an automatic European style 1-3 advance. There are many advantages to using film stereo cameras, not having to rely on batteries being a major advantage. Another advantage is the stunning clarity of the images that are devoid of pixels.
A comparison of the apertures of three realists.
