Vintage Camera: 3D Nishika 8000N

The 3D Nishika 8000N is a lenticular stereo camera produced and released commercially in the early 1980s. It was a direct descendant of the Nimslo. Most of its functions are fixed including focus and exposure. The Nishika can produce autostereoscopic prints, three-dimensional images that do not require any glasses or special equipment to view. To produce the 3D prints, the film must be sent to a lenticular printer for processing. The camera works by snapping four conventional, two-dimensional photographs simultaneously, with each of its four lenses. Each image is 18 mm wide and 22mm high. There are two images in each conventional 35mm frame, meaning that 18 3D prints can be made from a roll of 36 exposures (the photographs themselves are 3.5×4.5 inches). Each of these images differs only very slightly in perspective so that, when spliced together, they form one 3-dimensional photograph. This is achieved through a special printing process.

This camera is so 80's! It looks like the long lost cousin of the Tron Recognizer or an extra from Knight Rider, there was an introductory VHS tape starring Vincent Price, and to round out this camera's 80's credentials, Barry Manilow was a big fan! Like, how totally awesome. I like it for it's clumsy styling and place in photographic history. I don't know how practical it is to actually shoot with "'Ol Four Eyes" even though there is supposedly still one processing company that can make lenticular prints (in Canada). Picked it up on Ebay for $2.21.