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I have included file sizes in the image links. Please take a moment to check these sizes before you begin downloading images for viewing. Several of the JPS files are very large and will be painful to download over a modem link. The images are presented in cross-eye
and anaglyph format. If you prefer a different format or size, please give
the Stereoscope applet a try. |
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Comments and Suggestions From 2006
The fit and finish is acceptable. The plastic body, while substantial, doesn't have the the same feel of German craftsmanship as my Rolleidoscop. Of course, it also doesn't feel like a toy the way the Soviet Sputnik does. The moving parts function better than I had feared and I don't anticipate problems.
My camera arrived with a small crack in the viewfinder skin. It does not appear to be affecting the optics and doesn't seem worth too much worry.
A neck strap was included with the camera. It looks substantial enough for the camera but certainly didn't live up to quality appearance of the rest of the camera. I've chosen to use a Canon EOS Digital strap on it. I thought it might make a nice conversation piece.
The
camera has a hot-shoe but is lacking a flash connector. It seems odd that
I'll have to hang a $5 shoe-adapter on my new camera to use a handle-mounted
flash.
The camera uses two 1.55V 357 batteries. It appears that the batteries power both the meter and the shutter timing. The battery holder is by far the cheapest looking part of the camera and I wonder where I'll be when it breaks. I'd feel a lot better if a spare holder had been included with the camera.
On the spare-parts front, it would be fun to have a spare prism-mounting plate. Such an item would make it quite a bit easier to build and adapt other viewfinders.
I really appreciate the flat bottom on the TL120. The 1/4" tripod mount is surrounded with a nice wide, flat area which gives my quick-release plate a very nice surface.
The shutter is cocked during film advance and there is no shutter lock. A locking ring around the shutter button might be a useful addition. I could rotate the collar when I put the camera back in my pack to prevent accidental exposures.
Trying to
adjust the shutter speed while looking in the viewfinder is almost
impossible. As the image to the left shows, the shutter-speed dial
is mostly hidden behind the film-advance lever. It's just too hard
to grasp and turn while peering through the finder. I can think of
several ways to mitigate this problem:
Any of these are possible and would improve the usability of the TL120. The edited images to the right illustrate the concepts outlined above. |
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