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View-Master Personal Stereo Camera

The View-Master Personal Stereo camera is a unique stereo camera built by Sawyer's Incorporated in Portland, Oregon. Initially, Sawyer's specialized in postcards of both the 2D and 3D variety, but in 1952, they introduced their own stereo camera that produced miniature stereo pairs of images (roughly 12mm square) on 35mm film. These images could then be cut out and mounted in View-Master reels, so that amateur photographers could make their own 3D reels for View-Master viewers. The camera accomplished this via a mechanism that allowed the photographer to photograph through the entire roll on the top or bottom of the film. Upon reaching the end of the roll a dial would be turned, changing the exposure to the opposite layer (top to bottom, or bottom to top) and the film would then be wound back through with exposures being recorded above or below the previous shots.

View-Master Personal Cameras feature manually adjustable apertures from f/3.5 to f/16 and manually adjustable shutter speeds ranging between 1/10th to 1/100th of a second, with additional Bulb mode. Focus on the lenses is fixed, with an optimum range between 4-7 feet (depending on aperture) to infinity.

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View-Master Personal Stereo Prototype

View-Master occupies such a unique place in the history of photography.

The practice of using stereoscopes predates photography itself, but the imagination and creativity of William Gruber and Harold Graves absolutely revolutionized how stereo photography could be used. The pair met under very unlikely, but oddly relatable, circumstances. Gruber was on a family vacation to the Oregon Caves, where he was using his custom two-camera-stereo rig to photograph wildlife, landscapes, and mushrooms. Gruber envisioned using small reels of stereo images as an educational tool, primarily targeting adults. Graves meanwhile, was in the picture postcard business himself. He just so happened to be on a trip in the area and, by chance, came across a photographer with the most curious camera and tripod set up: Gruber. After asking Gruber about the equipment he was working with, and upon hearing the fascinating explanation, Graves was hooked. Shortly thereafter, the two began working together on a professional level and the Sawyer’s View-Master was born!

The first reels and viewers were introduced at the World’s Fair in New York City in 1939 and immediately generated interest, but the launch was immediately undercut by the onset of WWII and the rationing that came with it. To View-Master’s good fortune, the military saw a lot of potential in using stereo photography to help train soldiers to identify ships, planes, and types of ammunition. Bolstered by business with the military, View-Master survived the lean war years and entered into the 1950s.⠀⠀

It was during the 50s that they launched their first camera, from which this Personal Stereo camera is an early and exceedingly rare prototype model. View-Master found huge success with a new market - children. They acquired Tru-Vue, a close competitor, and with that purchase, gained license to Disney characters, which soon began appearing in View-Master reels. The company also employed photographers to travel the world, photographing notable places and people to turn into reels (one of their most popular selling reels was of Queen Elizabeth II which sold 1.5 million reels in less than a year).

The rabbit hole goes deep with this camera. Check out this riveting article on the hidden history of View-Master at Mental Floss. Also, check out this prototype Personal Stereo camera.