van Ekeren realist-format pocket stereo viewer

van Ekeren 2x2 pocket stereo viewer

These are "relatively" low priced stereo (3D) viewers with large diameter lenses. They obviously are "steal the light" types of viewers in that they contain no internal light source. In addition to large lenses, the other unusual quality to this stereo viewer is that it is quite compact when folded, and yet does a decent job when unfolded. Folded, it literally fits into one's shirt pocket (although sticking out a bit). There are two versions. One handles "realist format" stereo slides (sometimes more generically called "41 x 101 mm" slides) and is shown in all of the photos above except for the last one (directly above). The last photo handles pairs of standard 2x2 slides. Because of the "open-frame" method used in its compact structure, the slides are illuminated by light on both the front and the back so one doesn't get as much of the bright-image on a black surrounding background sort of view one would get with enclosed-in viewers (like the combination unit made by van Ekeren) or viewing a projection screen in a dark room. For those of you who like a trivia puzzle, there's something "wrong" with the last photograph above (of the 2x2 viewer). What is it? This viewer is Dutch and the U.S. distributor is 3D Concepts.