Zeiss Ikon STERITAR A B D 3D User manual

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Instructions for use
STERITAR: A, B, D
stereo attachments for
Gontafler l, ll,lll,lV
and Gontina lll

Stereo photography - simplicity itself
When Zeiss lkon AG. storted to develop their equipment for stereo
photogrophy they oimed ot the greotest possible simplificotion- of
                                                           Contof lexif it tGta oi phoiogrophy. Owners of one of the four
models or the Contino  lll will soon find out thot there is no ditri-
                                                                              sur-culty in toking up this interesting speciol hobby. They will be
prisld how eosy it is to hondle these devices. The Steritor ottoch-
                                                              bements, like oll other lens occessories for these comeros, con
ottoched quickly ond eosily ond the few indispensoble lows of
stereoscopy which hove to be observed will be obeyed outomoticolly
by the devices themselves without the oid of the owner. There ore
no operotions other thon those necessory for toking flot pictures.
                                                                     theAll the odvontoges of the comero, such os the high speed of

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precision-mode lenses, the immediote reodiness for condid shots,
convenient film odvonce, etc., ore retoined ond there is no reoson
why flot shots ond stereo-pictures shourd not be mode on the somefilm strip.
However,  it is not only the toking of stereo-pictures which involves
no difficulties whotever, there ore olso the evoluotion, the ,ount-
 ing., .the viewing ond the proiection of the stereo tronsporencies,which ore oll reloted fo o simple, well thought out sfereo system
When using the Steritor, two stereo holf-imoges will be produced
on one normol film frome 24x36 mm; these lie directly side by side
ond ore upright pictures 16x23 mm in size. They ore produced by
one common lens, the stondord lens of the comero. ln oih", comeros
the holf imoges ore produced by stereo toking ottochments with

3

olwo lenses (Contox with Stereotor C). This, however, yields quite
different sequence of holf-imoges.
The viewing ond proiection equipment is designed so thot it con-
forms with the opticol feotures of the toking comero. This mokes it
necessory to distinguish the correloted devices ond slides by speciol
morkings in order to prevent confusion. According to the number of
lenses used for toking the stereo picture the symbols o or oo ore
used ond, correspondingly, the slides ore colled one-ring ond two-
ring slides.*) The Steritor toking qltochmenls for the Contino lll qnd
thqfour Contqflex models supply one-ring o-slereo pictures.
Every Contino or Contoflex photogropher will soon moster the few
simpie operotions described in these instructions ond by odhering
* Previously, the two types were colled occording. to the.relotive position
  of their holf-imoges, exchonged ond nonexchonged stereo-slides.

the comero with on opporent distonce of opprox. 65 mm oport    (toking bose :  interpupillory distonce)      fig. 1. For the vorious                                             - ottochments should be    obovementioned comeros difterent stereo
    used occording to the lens employed:
                                                                                                                           ll     Steritar A:   (Order No. Bl2) tor Contoflex I ond
                 with f/2.8, 45 mm Tessor
                                                            lV'    Steritar B:   (Order No.8l3) for Contoflex  lll ond
                 with convertible I/2.8,50 mm Tessor
     Steritar D:   (Order No. Bl 4) for Contino  lll
                 with convertible   f /2.8,45 mm Pontor
    Eoch Steritor is supplied with two cover-lids which must be removed
    before oitoching it to the comero, ond o seporotor shield. The three
    ottochments differ in their opticol design ond in their different
    connecting pieces to the individuol comeros.

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0peration
Steritar A:  To ottoch the Steritor-A to
thc comero the some brockei is used os
for  f ixing the Zeiss lkon Teleskop 1.7 x.
The brocket should be slipped into the
grooves on either side of the front
ponel of the Contoflex I ond ll frorn
below ond pushed upwords until  it
snops in oudibly. lf filters hove been
used previously they must be removed
from the comero lens. The Steritor-A
con now be screwed into the threod
of the brocket until it locks  (f ig. 2).

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                    L$

To remove the Steritor-A the smoll
                                  button on the underside of the brocket
                                 (orrow 1, fig. 3) should depressed ond
                                the Steritor-A unscrewed. The brocket
                              con be removed by pressing the groov-
                       ed cotches (2) ond pulling it down-
                                 words. lf desired, however, the brocket
                         moy remoin on the comero even when
                                the ever-reody cose is closed.
                       When looking through the viewfinder
                                  the two stereoscopic holf-imoges (olso
                                  colled homologues) con be seen side
                              by side ond it is eosy to determine  tlre
                                      Digitally signed by mike butkus         composition of the desired pictur e.mike                 DN: cn=mike butkus,
                              o=orphancameras, ou=29,
                               email=mike@butkus.org, c=USbutkus               Date: 2020.04.21 19:10:21 -04'00' Fis.3

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 correct focusing is ochieved by meons of the ground-gloss screen
 rongefinder (in the usuol woy) which is coupled to the lens. The
 split-imoge rongefinder connot be used for si"ruo pictures.
 Steritar B:   First ond foremost the front-element of the stondord
 lens must be removed from the comero. To do ihis the conioflex  lll
or lV should be held with the left hond (some position os in fig. 4).
The thumb depresses the locking powl with in" red dot towlrds
ihe lens, whilst the right hond turns the milled front ring of the
lens to the left until, ofter overcoming o slight resistonce,-it siops.
The front element of the lens con then b; pulled upwords ond
removed.
When inserting the Steriior-B the red dot on the steritor should
coincide with the red dot on the locking powl of the comero (fig. a).

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Then press the ottochment firmly
                         downwords ond turn it to the right
                                     until it snops in oudibly. The frorning
                                of the picture ond the distonce setting
                              should be done in the some woy with
                                Contoflex lll ond lV os with the Corrto-
                                   flex I ond ll ond the Steritor-A.
                                     Steritar D:   The  f ront element of the
                              Pontor lens in the Contino lll should
                        be removed in the some woy os the
                              front element in the Contoflex  lll
                        ond lV. The comero is held with ihe
                                  left hond, the thumb depresses the
                                 locking powl with the red dot (similor
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 to the position shown                               fig. 4 for ihe contoflex). The front element                         in is turned to the lefl untir it itops,ofterouur.oring o sright resistonceond then removed.
wf"l  inserting the steritor D its red dot shourd coincide with the
red dot on the locking powr of the comero. Then press the ottoch_
ment firmly downwords und turn it to the right until  it snops in oudibly.
Furthermore, the covering mosk for the           ,houiJ u"1lipp"a
from the froni on,the ociessory shoe of"i""*nnJu..the ilntino (fig 5). Wi"nlooking through fhe viewfindei the correcr froming of "thu'-pi.iur"
will be seen. The distonce should be set by.eons-of the giooved
levers on ihe side of the steritor D ond then'r"oa-off. At the shortest
possible distonce of 9 ft oil obiects beyond B it (the u"gir'ning
the stereoscopic toking ronge) will be *ithin the ronge of the dJpth"t
lt

of field (see poge 16).
                   There is olso o speciol viewfinder for
                 the Contino (order no. 426), which
                 shows noi only the imoge fields of
                    the three focol lengths of the Pontor
                      of 30 mm, 45 mm ond 75 mm but olso
                  thot for stereo pictures. The two
                      brockets in the centrol rectongle of the
                     brightly luminous frome lines show
                   the imoge field of the stereo picture
                          (fig. 6). In order to compensote for
                      the viewfinder porollox the smoll lever
                       in the foot of the viewfinder must be
                     set to "infinity" when the toking dis-

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 tonce is more thon 13 ft ond to the
 double-dot when the distonce is shorter
 thon l3  ft. The one-dot setting mork
 opplies only to flot pictures.

The Exposure                       Fig.6
Attention should be poid to the foct thot, for stereo pictures, lhe
                         be.                             even                             or                                     ruined                                            rhroush 90                                                              desrees.               .never                              firred::T:ll,1louldThe. toking positionshould                        olwoys                             be                                  os                                      neor horizoniol                                                              p"!riur"                                                     o,
ond not tilted. The steritors hove bee.n designed roi oloLi^;-;;;g"-"-".v '-'reoching from 8 ft to infinity (see olso pode 2l).
Thediaphragmcon be set to ony f/number of the scole. lt should be
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chosen so thot everything is shorp from the neorest point of the
toking ronge to infinity. The most suitoble stop con eosily be deter-
mined by using the tobles on poge 16 or 17, which contoin oll the
volues of possible settings for the Steritors. With the Contoflex the
stop con be reod off from the depth-of-field scole of the comero.
Some subiects moy be suitoble olso for pictures with o blurred
bockground.
When the highest possible reodiness for oction is required, the red-
dot focusing system con be used (stop f/8, distonce 20 ft with the
Contoflex, 15 ft with the Contino), which gives o depth of field
over olmost the entire toking ronge.
lf the lighting conditions ore unfovouroble or the movements too
ropid so thot o stop lorger thon f/5.6 becomes necessory, the sepo-
rotor shield, supplied with the Steritors, should be inserted into
the two bushings in the prism ottochment (fig.7),in order to obtoin
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Accessories
       Zeiss lkon precision filters
      The some filters os used for
       the stondord lenses of the
        following comeros ore used
        for Steritor B for Contof lex
             lll ond lV ond the Steritor D
         for the Contino lll (order no.
       of filters no. 382). TheY ore
        inserted into the swivelling
          filter holder (fig. B) from the
       front ond screwed in. The
Fig.       filter holder should then be

                                      IB

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 folded bock until it snops in.
 For ihe Steritor A  for Contoflex     I
 ond ll there ore cooted precision  fil_ ters jn o speciol plug-in mouni (order
 no. 3.|3 yellow ond UV). They should
 be plugged from behind into t'he prism
ottochment (see  f ig. 9). The Steritor A
con then be screwed into the brocket
wiihout difficulty.

Leather case
A speciol leother cose is provided for
the Steritor (order no. l29l). This cose                                           '!"
19                       Fis.e                        ,Gd

occommodotes olso the
                seporotor shield ond, in
                 the cose of the Steritor D
                 for the Contino, olso the
                viewfinder mosk (fig. l0)'
              The lid hos omPle spoce
                             removed             to occePt the
                                         the                                             f ront element of
               stondord lens.
                 Mai ntenance oftheSteritar
               The occessible gloss com-
              ponents of the Prism
              ottochment should be
              hondled with the some
               core os the lens of the
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      comero. Dust should be removed by meons of o soft brush. only't     when it is obsolutely. necessory sr,outd ih_e gllss surfoce be-wiped
      with o cleon, frequently woshed   f inen rog. ThJ stlritor shourJoi*oy,     be         stored with                              protection                     the two                                    cops                                             ottoched.                                                                        rr ir                                           o ;";;  pton       remove      to                the front                     cop                            onry ofter                                       ihe                                                 steritoi ho,                                                               beei-t,-""i                                                                                to     I     the comero.
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    The Technique of Stereo photography
     The boundaries of the stereo picture
      A.s o spotiol guide for the humon eye the froming of the siereo
      picture is of the greot.est importonce. lt is odvisobie, tn"r"rori to    form this frome so thot in the stondord stereo photogroph cll      obiects oppeor os if seen through o *inJow ona behind  it.
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     greot os possible. This con be ochieved by selecting o suitoble
     operture ond toking distonce. The simplest woy is to use the red-
     dot setting, which ensures o shorp picture over o wide ronge (see
     poge 14), bui the operture ond distonce con olso be set, of course,
     occording to the prevoiling toking conditions.


      Jllumination
     ltereo pictures should be well illuminoted over the entire imoge
      field. Lorge oreos of dork shodows usuolly impoir ihe impression of
     spoce. lt is, therefore, well worth while to use o bright illuminotion
     without high controsts. Floshguns, such os the Zeiss lkon copocitorl*
IE
It    23

units lkoblitz 0 ond folding
          lkoblitz con often be used
        with odvontoge.
        Mounting stereo pictures
       Stereo pictures con  be
       viewed through o  vie'arer
         in the old-f osh ioned woY
         or proiecied on to o screen.
       For both these PUrPoses,
        the two holf-imoges must
      be orronged in o  cori'ecf
         position relotive to  eoch
        other (correci distonce be-

Fig.  I I                                24

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 lween them ond obsolutely
 equolly high). lt is ihe spe-
 ciol odvontoge of the Zeiss
 lkon stereo system thot the
two holf-imoges ore on one
film strip together side by
side ond need neither be
seporoted nor seporotely
mounted.
Those poirs of our photo-
grophs which hove come cut
sotisfoctorily ore cut out
together from the film strip
ond tempororily inserted

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