ImageTech 3D Wizard 35mm Film 3D Camera
Film shot with the ImageTech 3D Wizard would have been mailed off to be processed and to have 3D lenticular prints made.
Lenticular prints were popular in the 1980s and early 1990s. They would have a 3-dimensional effect without the need for 3D glasses or a stereo viewer.
ImageTech vs Kalimar 3D Wizard
The ImageTech 3D Wizard camera is the same as the Kalimar 3D Wizard camera. The only difference between the cameras is the brand name that has been silkscreened onto the front.
ImageTech release a few other 3D lenticular stereo cameras. All of the cameras released had 3 lenses and used 35mm film.
The ImageTech 3D fx which is the same as the Kalimar 3D stereo camera. The only difference between the cameras is the paint scheme. I believe these cameras are the first generation of cameras as their build is nearly identical to the Wizards.
Another one was the ImageTech 3D1000. The final offering was a ImageTech 3D Magic 35mm single use film camera.
Finding a Camera
All of the ImageTech and Kalimar 3D cameras can be difficult to find. Some are occasionally available on Amazon, but the cameras tend to be easier to find on eBay.
Amazon
eBay
What Film for ImageTech 3D?
The 3 lenses in the camera will produce 3 images that use half of a standard 35mm film frame. This means that a roll of film with 36 exposures will only be able to take 24 sets of images with the ImageTech. A roll of film with 24 exposures would result in 18 sets of images.
While I am not positive, I am assuming the camera is meant to be used with ISO 400 35mm film. That’s because that is what the manual says to use with the ImageTech 3Dfx camera.
I would also guess that the shutter speed is a fixed 1/60 or 1/100 of a second. The aperture settings are likely f/8, f/11, and f/19 as that is what the Nishika N8000 uses.
There is a built-in flash that requires 2x AA batteries. There are two different settings for the flash. The switch is hard to operate and feels like something is sticking.
I tested the flash output with my Minolta Auto Meter VF and the power output of the flash did not change on either setting.
I then looked through the back of the lens while firing the camera shutter and the aperture appears to change shape to become larger. It is also possible that it might change the shutter speed of the camera.
Animated 3-Dimensional Gifs
An animated 3D gif can be created from digital film scans of the half-frame stereo images the camera captures. This can be done by layering pictures in a image editor such as GIMP or Adobe Photoshop.
The film images can be aligned by reducing the layer opacity and picking a point on the image subject to align all of the images to. The order of the layers should be film frame 1, 2, 3, and then back to 2. This order will allow the image to appear to loop forever.
Export the images to a gif and select a delay between frames of 150 to 200 milliseconds for the best results.
Stereoscopy
Instead of making 3D gifs, the camera can also be used to create stereo images. This is done by only using the outer two images of a set of three.
By printing the images, the 3D effect can be seen by using a stereoscopic viewer. An example of a form of these is a View-Master that would take circular discs with positive film images on them.
Review
The ImageTech 3D Wizard is a toy camera with cheap low quality lenses. I don’t think they are worth the $30-$50 the cameras are currently selling for.
The original selling point of the 3D camera was that you could have lenticular prints made. Now there is the trend of making animated 3D wobble gifs that introduce new photographers to stereo cameras.
While the effect can be fun, the camera isn’t enjoyable to use. The lack of any controls means your going to end up wasting a bunch of film in the process of occasionally getting a good image. The aperture on the lenses provides less than 2 stops of control over exposure.
Maybe you’re into Lomography, and that process is what you’re looking for. That expired film you have sitting around needs to get used in something.
Or you could pay more for a Nimslo 3D camera and actually get some control and 4 lenses. I don’t see the average photographer wanting to shoot more than a couple of rolls of film with any of the vintage 3D toy cameras out there.
Alternative 3D Film Cameras
The following cameras have either 3 or 4 lenses and take half frames on 35mm film.