The Sputnik stereoscopic camera was developed in 1955 and produced until 1973. The first batch came out in 1956. The camera took two photos at a time, forming a stereoscopic pair. Viewing these photos through a special device called a stereoscope resulted in seeing a 3D illusion.
The Sputnik was the most mass-produced stereoscopic camera in the USSR. In total, about 84,000 copies were produced.
The Sputnik camera was developed by the Leningrad Optical Mechanical Association on the basis of the Lubitel-2 TLR camera and was equipped with three lenses. The two lenses used for shooting were non-removable and formed one horizontal line. The distance between their centers was 64 mm. This corresponded to the optimal zone of depth perception of 3–10 meters. The third lens, located above them, served as a viewfinder and was used for framing and sharpening. It was faster than the other two lenses and produced a light-colored image, which made focusing much easier.
All three lenses were interconnected and rotated simultaneously. If a photographer set the focus of the viewfinder lens at a certain distance, the lenses were adjusted to the same distance. The Sputnik camera used the 120 medium format film. The frame size was 6 by 6 centimeters. The stereoscopic camera took two pictures at a time. So, six stereoscopic pairs could be made using a standard film. The Sputnik camera could also make ordinary single photographs. The camera did not feature a bracket for attaching a flash unit.
There were not many models of Sputnik cameras, and the differences between them are almost unnoticeable. In 1957, a limited batch of Sputnik stereoscopic cameras was produced for the 250th anniversary of Leningrad. There was also a prototype of the Sputnik-2 model. It was developed specially for the Brussels World’s Fair in 1958. However, the camera did not enjoy success at the exhibition, as there were no fundamental improvements to it, yet the price was significantly higher. Therefore, the project had been canceled long before the first model was discontinued.
The Sputnik camera cost 26 rubles. Besides the stereoscopic camera itself, this money bought a stereoscope, a flexible release, a printing frame for contact printing of stereoscopic pairs, and three caps for the viewfinder and the lenses.
In the late 1950s, the export production of Sputnik cameras was launched. The products featured the brand name in Latin characters — SPUTNIK. These models are considered a rarity even by collectors.
