Quote:
Originally Posted by dieseljeep
Do you use the Stereo-Realist camera built in Milwaukee, years ago?
Radio Shack got in a jam for using the Realist name in the late 50's. They had to rename their products "Realistic", as "Realist" was a registered trademark.  |
Yes, I use a Realist (f 3.5 model, the far more common and less expensive type) and also have a "spare" Realist 3.5 I got a good deal on later. I have shot 130 rolls of stereo slides since 1984.
The company that built it was the David White Company, a manufacturer of surveyors' instruments (which explains why the Realist is such a heavy and non-streamlined camera). They continued to make cameras into the 1970's, though output from about 1956 to the end was but a trickle compared to their boom years 1952-1954. They also sold (either made or badge-engineered) conventional slide projectors, including the Realist 620 - a very inexpensive model capable of projecting medium format, as well as conventional 35mm slides. They also continued to make the surveyors' gear well after they got out of the photography business.
Very interesting about Radio Shack's Realistic name. I have been through several of those radios as well.