The usual lament of the amateur after he has purchased and tried a new super-camera is "The best pictures that I ever took in my life were with my old two-dollar box camera." If you follow the illustrations and set the controls of your Stereo-Realist exactly as explained in the first chapter of this guide, you will get perfect stereo pictures with box camera simplicity even though you may not have the faintest idea of stereo theory. With these simple settings, you will get results. You will be able to say truthfully, "My Stereo-Realist is as easy to use as my old box camera. I have gotten results!"

The author, who is not affiliated in any way with the David White Company, has prepared this guide to present objectively the methods, materials, and techniques which have proven successful with the Realist; By following these methods, anyone can attain good results with the camera from the beginning.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating. The life-like enjoyment of stereo is in the viewing. The David White Company revolutionized the previous concepts of stereo in that their Realist System was complete. The entire cycle, from the first step (taking) to the last step (viewing), was thoroughly planned and prepared to eliminate all technical errors. The problems encountered in stereo are so different from those met in using the usual single-lens camera, that unless the system is completely worked out to the final stages, the inherent difficulties of even one phase would completely spoil the beginner's efforts.

After you have spent time and effort in taking your stereo, you must take care not to ruin your slide by poor mounting. Poor mounting can turn your moment of prideful joy into an unpleasant headache. The David White Company has undertaken expensive, extensive, and tedious research to simplify and bring a high degree of precision to this once exacting step. Their program was undertaken to make the crux of stereo, the viewing, easy and correct. Excellent mounting may be assured only from the David White Company, an approved mounting service, or by mounting slides yourself with the David White jig or Perma-Mounts. If you do take the time, you will find that after a few rolls mounting will become methodical, routine, and rapid.

1. Easily available; the standard cartridges may be bought any where.

2. Extreme depth of field due to the short focal length lens.

3. While the depth of field is the same for the 35mm focal length lens at f/4 on the Realist as with the 60mm lens on a 45x107 at f/5.6 or at f/8 with the 75mm lens for the 6x13 size, there is an all-important 4 times exposure factor in the different amount of light that is admitted. When every bit of light must be squeezed from a scene in order to be able to take a color exposure, with f/4, while in view of the limited latitude of color film, the f/8 opening would be totally under-exposed and wasted. Using 35mm film with the correctly matching focal length lens provides the only shutter and aperture conditions which will produce a sharp color picture with so little light.

4. Viewers: 35mm size viewers can be readily purchased within a very wide price range. The modern deluxe viewer has a built-in light. Since you no longer are dependent on a ceiling or window light for illumination, you do not have to tilt your head at odd angles and can devote your concentrated attention to the stereo.

5. Projection: the modern polarization projectors are conceived for the use of 35mm film.

6. Mounting has been standardized. You may mount your own transparencies, or use the standard services that are provided by the manufacturer or your dealer.

7. The size of the camera is reduced to the proportions of a smart miniature camera.

8. Extreme depth of field even at wide openings meets a prime stereo requirement for over-all sharpness.

9. When the stereo viewer lens used has the same focal length as the camera lens, the actual area size of your film is not important. For this reason, your Realist stereo always will look life-like and large even though the film size is small. The life-like appearance is due to the correlation of the focal length of the viewing lens and that of the camera. The only essential point is that there be no film grain. The high magnification of the short