(ATTENTION: READ THIS LONG DESCRIPTION BELOW CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU DECIDE TO BUY IT!!!)

(For sample pictures taken with this camera, please visit flickr.com. Search "image and mirage". You will see them. )

Up for sale is a one of a kind Custom-made Viewmaster Mark II Stereo Camera System w/ Fisheye Lenses and Hotshoe

Why is it one of a kind? Because

1.       it is custom-made with a pair of FISHEYE LENSES, yes, FISH-EYE lenses, that will change all your Viewmaster photography experiences.

2.      it is custom-made with a standard HOT SHOE, yes, HOT, not cold, shoe that will work with any modern electronic flash.

With these two things, you can expand the use of this 1960s stereo camera to almost any scenes and occasions (panoramic scene, big buildings and structures, many people in a very small room, and super closeup shots as well) and under almost any lighting conditions (inside your home, studio, outside under low illumination, etc. etc. You can also create unrealistic and fantastic light-drawing pictures with the support of two flashlights and even more if you use wireless control flashes.)

Both the top Hot Shoe and the PC socket are standard, which means that they are compatible with almost any modern electronic flashlights on the market.  

I. Jobs performed on the camera:

1)   The original front lenses/glasses were replaced with a pair of “fisheye lenses 180.” In the process of rebuilding, the central bean axis were carefully and accurately calibrated and adjusted to match the lenses behind. At the same time, the left and right lenses were matched and paired together to ensure both sides match properly. These jobs will ensure the best shooting results.

2)  The original COLD shoe on the top plate of the camera was replaced with a HOT SHOE, and all necessary internal rewiring was done to ensure synchronization between shutter and flash. No doubt, the original M and X sockets are also kept which means that you can use them as usual and you can now have the 2nd option of using a 2^nd directly connected flash at the same time if so chosen. You can also install a WIDE-ANGLE viewfinder (INCLUDED, as pictured) or a bubble level, etc. on the hotshoe when you are not using a flash.

3)  All moving parts inside are carefully cleaned, and then oiled/greased where necessary to ensure smooth functioning. (since the camera is opened up completely, why don’t you do it?)

4)  All lenses are cleaned professionally, including the object/taking lenses and viewfinder lenses. After half a decade, the lenses might be dusty or hazy, understandably.

II. Current Conditions:

a)       Work Condition: The camera was Fully tested with slide film and all are in PERFECT working order-the camera, the fisheye lenses and the flashes (This sale includes only the BIGGER and BETTER flash light, not the smaller one on the side, which is for demonstration purpose.)

b)       Cosmetic condition: No doubt, this camera system is absolutely a beauty. Look at the closeup pics carefully; even though the fisheye lenses and hot shoe were non-existent before, they look like an integral part of the camera like they were made by the original manufacturer. Ask someone who has never seen an original Mark II before, he is much more likely to say the Custom-made one is the original rather than adapted. We tested these among our friends and one picked this one only because that he said the hot shoe is not as natural as the original one. We agree, but function-wise you want a hotshoe, right? All in all, this camera is a proud work of my cousin and I.

I don’t want to say anything more since my pictures should tell you more than I can describe. I have pictures from all angles and sides. Look at them and make your own judgment. If you need more pictures, please let me know.

Please take a careful look at the fisheye lenses and the hotshoe and see how nicely they are installed and integrated into the camera.

III. Functionalities and Limitations:

Strengths: With these fisheye lenses, this camera is made extremely powerful in the following functions.

1)     Super wide view pictures: It will allow you to include a super wide range of views in the picture. The fisheye lenses are marked as 180 degrees, but our test results show an angle of about 150 degrees from 3 meters away. This has much to do with the limitation of the inner lenses, but 150 degrees are already close to some popular panoramic cameras, such as Widelux F8 (140 degrees), Horizon S3, Horizon 202, Horizont, etc. It will allow you to include a 7-story building COMPLETELY in the picture from a distance of 10 meters away. Using an original Mark II, you will get probably 2-3 floors. Take picture of a large group of people in a packed small room, NO PROBLEM. Everybody will be in the picture.

2)     Closeup shots: Thanks to the extremely short focus of fisheye lenses, you can take super closeup shots as close to the object as 2, yes, two inches with clear pictures. In reality you won’t take stereo shots like this because you will have parallel issues and severe eye strains. Our tests show that you can get as close as 20cms without obvious eye strains.

3)     Third benefits: You can get really blue skies without UV or ND filters due to the lenses.

Special Instructions when Using this camera:

1)     Exposure: You will need to increase exposure by 1-1.5 stops to get accurate exposure.

2)    3D effect: since the lenses take esp. wide views, you need to get closer to your objects now so as to get the original 3D effect.

3)     Ensure best quality: The picture quality is slightly affected due to the extra lenses, which is normal for any camera in the world. We viewed the pictures using Viewmaster Model D viewer and believed they are still very sharp and good enough and very much worth this rebuilding project. We also tested by projecting the images using Viewmaster Stereo Projector onto Silver Lenticular Screens and we can draw the same conclusion. As a rule of thumb in film photography known to every photographer, picture quality reaches its best under good daylight condition with smaller lens openings. This rule holds for this camera too.

Important Limitation of Mark II camera (This DOES NOT have anything to do with our adaptation):

We provide it here as a warning to those who have never used Viewmaster Mark II camera before. Not like Viewmaster Personal Stereo camera, this type, Viewmaster Mark II, has an indigenous design issue with its film advance system. 1) when you install the film, you must be extremely careful to keep the perforations into the gear wheel and keep the film tightened, then set them into the hole on the pressure plate on the back cover of the camera. If this is not done properly, you will quickly run into film advance issue. The advance will become “slippery” and the film will stuck there. 2) Ever if you do everything right at the beginning, you may still encounter the same issue in the middle of the film. Our solution is simple and effective most of the time. How to solve it? Most of the time, it could be solved by “rewinding” the film a little by tightening it again so that the teeth of the winding gear will match the perforation again. You must be even more careful with this when you are using a 36 exp. film. The problem could be more frequent after you exposed 2/3 of the film. You must stop to “rewind” and tighten the film again more frequently to ensure that you will be able to expose the entire roll of film. At the best, you can get 84 pairs of shots depending on how you start with your first shot.

Again, this DOES NOT have anything to do with our rebuilding of the camera. It is an inherent design issue of the original camera. So this problem is not covered by our warranty.

We strongly suggest that you practice installing and advancing the film using a roll of unwanted film until you know all its tricks if this is your first time to use a MARK II camera.

IV. Accessories Included:

a)  One (1) powerful VIVITAR 35-D Auto Dedicated Thyristor Zoom swivel head electronic flashlight (in likenew, barely used except for testing this camera; works perfectly);

b)     One (1) set of color filtering film and installation kit, which is to be installed on flashlight. It has 12 different colors from high to low color temperature (brandnew);

c)  One (1) OTW 24mm optical viewfinder. This viewfinder gives you the range of a regular 24mm lens, which is significantly wider than the original finder of the original camera. But it is still narrower than the fisheye lenses can cover. (It is brandnew in original packing, with instruction manual in Chinese.)

d)      One (1) HANSA mechanical self-timer (used, but serviced and work perfectly). Now you can take a group picture or your entire family with no one missing from a Viewmaster picture. The length of the tongue of the self-timer has been adjusted to fit exactly on this camera. Do not change it when you receive it; otherwise it might be too long or too short. Then you will need to figure out how long is the perfect length to work properly.

e)      Three (3) sync cords with three different sizes on one end (the other end is standard for all PC sockets) (all used). These three cords will allow you to connect the camera to a second flashlight that you can install on the flash bracket—almost any type of common flashlight that has an external connection socket on the flash;

f)       One (1) flash bracket that has two cold shoes on the top-one horizontal and one vertical (brandnew).

g)       A set of three (3) bubble levels (All brandnew)—one three-way bubble, one one-way bubble and one button style level, each of them can be installed on the hot shoe when you are not using it or on the cold shoe of the bracket;

h)  Fitted Case and Long Neck Strap: This sale also includes an original fitted case of this camera as you see in the picture. Obviously the case is in very good condition although it has scratches here and there outside. Good news is that we also replaced the original strap of the case with the strap from another camera. 100% of the original strap of this camera are broken or near broken due to aging. If you want to use the strap, it has to be replaced. We have done this for you. Furthermore, this is a long neck strap (90% of original strap are just short hand strap), which gives you more convenience by freeing both of your hands.

 IV.  Warranty and Disclaimer: 

We provide 1 year warranty for the lenses and 1 year for the hotshoe. The warranty guarantees that the lenses and hotshoe are properly installed and/or connected. The lenses are stable and correctly installed and will not move or get loose with your frequent uses. The hotshoe will work properly with our provided flashlight or most other modern electronic flashlights. There are no internal connection issue that will compromise its function. Yet it does not cover lenses scratches or any other abuses.

In summary, this is a project that took many days and hours to perform. Its work condition has been restored to as close to the factory condition as possible. It will provide you with unlimited possibilities of wideangle and low light or special illuminating effect Viewmaster photography. It is truly one of a kind. Grab it before it is gone. Seriously I don’t think you will see another unit soon.

I am having a rebuilt Viewmaster 500 Stereomatic Projector for sale as well as a cutter and film chip inserter. I will have another custom-built Fisheye lens Viewmaster camera for sale soon, which is also a very rare and unique  one. If you are interested, contact me.