Iloca Stereo Cameras
Iloca Stereo Cameras
The Iloca company was one of the more prominent manufacturers of stereo cameras during the 1950's.
Here is a list of the most common stereo cameras produced by the company:
Iloca commenced stereo camera production with the European (or 7p) format. However, the company soon made the change to the Realist (or 5p) format with the introduction of the Iloca Stereo II, and continued with this format in various guises until production of their stereo cameras ended in the late 1950's.
The earlier European (7p) format cameras were based directly on the Iloca I single lens equivalent, with its bottom film loading arrangement. Some care is required to ensure that the film is correctly located on the film sprockets, but it should be successful if you follow the instructions. However, these early models did gain a reputation for being problematic due to the film loading and transport mechanism. Whether or not such a reputation is deserved is open to debate. Later models had removable camera backs which simplified the loading process considerably. In my experience, the Realist (5p) format cameras from the Iloca Stereo II onwards seem to be quite robust and reliable.
In addition to the list above, there were many variants produced under different brand names such as Realist (the David White Company), Tower (Sears, Roebuck and Co.), Photrix (Montgomery Ward) and Stereograms.
Stereo photography can be fun, and it offers a unique viewing experience, even when using technology from the 1950's. It is remarkable when you consider that this type of equipment was readily available around 70 years ago (in fact stereo photography has existed for around a century and a half), bearing in mind that the latest resurgence of 3D technology in the early part of the 21st Century has now declined.
The company also produced a range of Iloca single lens cameras.
Here is a list of the most common stereo cameras produced by the company:
- Iloca Stereo (First version, also known as Iloca Stereo I)
- Iloca Stereo (Second version, also known as Iloca Stereo Ia)
- Iloca Stereo II
- Iloca Stereo IIa
- Iloca Stereo Rapid (or Stereograms)
Iloca commenced stereo camera production with the European (or 7p) format. However, the company soon made the change to the Realist (or 5p) format with the introduction of the Iloca Stereo II, and continued with this format in various guises until production of their stereo cameras ended in the late 1950's.
The earlier European (7p) format cameras were based directly on the Iloca I single lens equivalent, with its bottom film loading arrangement. Some care is required to ensure that the film is correctly located on the film sprockets, but it should be successful if you follow the instructions. However, these early models did gain a reputation for being problematic due to the film loading and transport mechanism. Whether or not such a reputation is deserved is open to debate. Later models had removable camera backs which simplified the loading process considerably. In my experience, the Realist (5p) format cameras from the Iloca Stereo II onwards seem to be quite robust and reliable.
In addition to the list above, there were many variants produced under different brand names such as Realist (the David White Company), Tower (Sears, Roebuck and Co.), Photrix (Montgomery Ward) and Stereograms.
Stereo photography can be fun, and it offers a unique viewing experience, even when using technology from the 1950's. It is remarkable when you consider that this type of equipment was readily available around 70 years ago (in fact stereo photography has existed for around a century and a half), bearing in mind that the latest resurgence of 3D technology in the early part of the 21st Century has now declined.
The company also produced a range of Iloca single lens cameras.