Stereo-foto, Weizsäcker Stuttgart Stereoscope | Stereobetrachter

Stereo-foto, Weizsäcker Stuttgart

**Germany, 1950s**

One of the more unusual stereo viewer designs, the Stereo-foto is similar to the earlier Pendoplast 3D viewer, also from Germany. Each comes pre-loaded with a film roll of stereoviews highlighting aspects of a German factory: its machinery, buildings, and workers. Since it’s designed 20 years later than the 1930s Pendoplast, you’re likely to find the viewers in colors, the film in color, and no references to Hitler/Nazis.

Style 1: Pull-out lens board

We have dark red, green, purple, gray & black in our collection (although the gray and purple are without film). This version of the Stereo-foto is almost identical to the early Pendoplast viewer with a notable exception: the wider advance knob is much more ergonomic and easier to grip.

Style 1 Stereo-foto viewers in our collection:

Fabric Factory | 48 b&w images

Le Progrès Industriel | 35 b&w images

Joh. Vaillant KG | 24 b&w images

Voigtländer Camera | 40 b&w images

Style 2: Pop-out lens board

We love the look of the unique lens board design on this version and how it folds into the viewer to protect the lenses. But honestly, the focal adjustment is more difficult — after popping out the lens board using the button (there are 2 button styles), you use a small, rotating wheel to extend the lenses for focusing. The ridges on the small wheel can be uncomfortable on your finger as you apply pressure to rotate it. Then the lenses have to be put back in — more rotating of the tiny wheel! — before you can collapse them back into the viewer. On the plus side, it has the widest film advance knob of all the prior Stereo-foto and Pendoplast viewers, providing some finger comfort there. So far, we’ve only seen the viewer in gray but have been delighted to find some that have vivid color images and a few that are branded on the outside with the name of the company featured on the film.