Made by Loreo Asia Limited of Hong Kong, this camera is a proper two image colour stereo apparatus with one enormous plus: it uses standard 35mm film and produces standard frames.
Theoretically, films exposed with the Loreo can be developed like any other 35mm film. You can send them to your normal photo-lab. In my experience this works most of the time. True, the films are absolutely conventional and can be processed by the same automatic machines that develop your ordinary 35mm films. However, the checker may be scared by the images appearing at the end.
I used to hand my films in to the local supermarket (Migros in Switzerland). They used to hand them back beautifully printed. Lately they have been instigating more stringent quality checks. The checking personnel are variously amused or alarmed by double images. Increasingly, I have had prints 'crossed out': this just means I have to clean off the crayon. Once I got a whole film of 36 prints nicely printed, all crossed out and returned at no charge: all faulty!
Then came the day when Migros returned a set of negatives with a note that I should check my camera: there appeared to be a fault. Some fault! Every print was a double image neatly arranged side-by-side.
Now I use a slightly more expensive personal service: I take care to warn them about the 'fault' in the images beforehand.
Otherwise, the Loreo gives you stereo photos at the same price as mono prints.
These images are shown as printed but with the left image repeated on the right. The images are therefore [Left:Right:Left].
Normally you would use a special lens for comfortable viewing. The best way to view without this lens is to try to use the left pair. This is known as 'free-viewing'. This is how you do it.
Position the image straight in front of you (on the computer screen). Look at the centre of the image and then try to look through it. Try to imagine looking at the wall behind your screen. The two images will drift around and after a time should 'click' together, the left image seeming to latch on to the right image. At this time, your eyes are pointing separately at their respective images. All you need to do now is focus (accommodate). Keep the images latched together and slowly let your eyes relax. They will tend to bring the images into focus. Once the images are locked together and in focus, it should be fairly easy to keep everything in place. Then you can look around and into the image space.
An alternative technique is not to try to look through your monitor but to look over it to the far wall, lock your eyes (sounds easy!) and bring your gaze down to the image.
No? Impossible? Never mind. It isn't easy. (I can't do it with images of this size!).
So: second best is to use the right pair and to cross one's eyes until the two images coalesce. Then let your eyes focus naturally.
You should get the 3-d effect but the scale will be wrong. Crossing one's eyes tells the brain that the subject is close to your face. Even if the scene is of a grand scale, it will still seem like a model. This is why free-viewing is best, but...
On to the gallery.
© Martyn Horner 2002