C41
Kodak Portra 400
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
View profile →compact-35mm
The TDC Stereo Vivid is a 35mm stereo camera produced around 1955 by the Three Dimension Company (TDC) of Chicago, Illinois. TDC was primarily known for its stereo slide viewers and projectors and entered camera manufacturing as an extension of that accessories business. The Vivid shoots the standard 5-perforation Realist format, producing 24x23mm stereo pairs on ordinary 35mm film and maintaining compatibility with the Realist-standard slide-mounting and viewing ecosystem. The camera is fitted with twin Anastigmat lenses and a simple central leaf shutter, and is fully mechanical. It was aimed at the lower end of the serious-amateur stereo market, priced to attract buyers who wanted Realist-compatible output at reduced cost.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the 35mm format your camera takes.
C41
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
View profile →C41
Kodak Gold 200 is a daylight-balanced C-41 color negative film with warm color, moderate grain, and a classic consumer-film look.
View profile →C41
Kodak UltraMax 400 is a versatile consumer-grade ISO 400 daylight-balanced color negative film with T-grain emulsion, delivering warm Kodak colors, fine-for-speed grain (PGI 46), and wide exposure latitude. Currently in production and available globally as a single-roll and multi-pack.
Develop 35mm film
Labs in our directory that process 35mm film.
Before you buy used
About this camera
A late-entry American stereo compact from the Three Dimension Company, built for the budget end of the 1950s 3D market.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm (5-perforation Realist format) |
| Frame size | ~24 x 23 mm stereo pairs |
| Stereo baseline | ~70 mm |
| Years | ~1955 - ~1960 |
| Lenses | Twin Anastigmat, focal length and aperture unconfirmed |
| Shutter | Central leaf, ~1/10s - ~1/150s + B |
| Flash sync | X-sync |
| Meter | None |
| Focus | Scale / zone focus |
| Battery | None required |
The Three Dimension Company built its business primarily around stereo viewing and projection accessories - most notably the TDC Vivid Stereo Viewer, which was widely sold alongside slide mounts and projectors for the Realist-format stereo hobby community. Introducing a camera was a logical step: owning the supply chain from image capture through to display gave TDC a complete product story for the enthusiast willing to invest in the 3D ecosystem. The Stereo Vivid was introduced around 1955, toward the tail end of the American stereo photography boom. By this time the Stereo Realist had been on the market for eight years and the Kodak Stereo Camera had appeared (1954), so TDC entered a competitive market. The company appears to have exited camera manufacture as 3D photography's mass-market appeal faded in the late 1950s, but continued selling viewing accessories for some years afterward.
The Stereo Vivid is a minor but historically interesting data point in the American 3D photography ecosystem. It illustrates how the stereo photography boom of the early 1950s attracted accessory manufacturers and peripheral players who sought to capture camera sales by leveraging their existing distribution channels and customer relationships in the stereo hobby. Because it shoots Realist-standard format, its output is fully compatible with the large stock of Realist-format accessories that remain available on the collector market, making the camera practically usable today wherever the stereo hobby is practiced. For collectors, it represents the lower tier of American-made 5-perforation stereo cameras: competent, honest, and unpretentious.
C41
Kodak ColorPlus 200 is an affordable, consumer-oriented daylight-balanced color negative film at ISO 200. Known for warm, slightly muted color rendition, fine grain, and wide exposure latitude, it is currently in production and widely available in Asia and select global markets.
View profile →BW
Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
View profile →TDC Stereo Vivid
Image coming soon