There was one anxious question at the beginning of the preparation: Would Bautzen be well received as a location for the congress? Nobody had expected such a brilliant result: We established an attendance record of 180!
Those many stereo enthusiasts who visited Bautzen for the first time where not only thrilled by the beautiful town and the charming location but by the kindness and hospitality in the heart of Upper Lusatia as well.
It’s due to Heinz and Sigrid Pietsch that everything was so well prepared and that we were able to rent such a well-suitable room in the centre of Bautzen named Krone Saal. During the three days of the congress Sigrid Pietsch turned out to be the heart of this DGS event and solved every problem. We’d like to express our sincere thanks to all the volunteers at the reception and behind the scenes.

After the welcoming speeches from Heinz Pietsch, Peter Schnehagen and mayor Hennig at the opening reception on Friday night the attendees of five nations were surprised to be greeted with pieces of music typical of their own countries played by the Bautzen Youth Brass Band.

Digital photography attracts more and more supporters among stereo enthusiasts and there were almost as many digital presentations shown as there were analog ones. The handling of the display equipment remained in the experienced hands of Klaus Grote (analogue) and Gerhard P. Herbig (digital).
Between the sessions the participants could check out new stereoscopic products exhibited by different companies, and Saturday afternoon was all about detailed presentations and workshops. There had already been a report about the INFITEC system in Stereo Journal 1/2008, and now everybody could assure themselves of the good picture quality, however projectors of this size need to be placed at the back of the hall, not near the front where they interfere with the clear view of the screen. The workshop about the synchronised coupling of Canon cameras and the presentation of “moving” lenticulars that followed showed once again that it’s not that easy to explain a complicated process in a plain and simple way.

Alternating projection units (analogue versus digital) gave everybody the chance to compare both systems, with the general standard being of a high level – despite a few exceptions. The majority of presentations were satisfying not only due to the high quality of the photos but the carefully chosen music and interesting explanations as well.

By the way, I would like to encourage every contributor to check their stereo images for adjustment errors beforehand and remove any under- or overexposed pictures. Distracting near point flaws will of course be conceded to a mountain climber shooting with only one hand who cannot just push aside that climber in front of him who causes the problem!
I noticed the same faults in almost all digital contributions: too much contrast with the highlights cut of and bad colour contrast, which the photographers cannot always be blamed for – they can only take what the digital systems are offering.

However, the DGS congress is not just about enjoying good stereo shows – it’s about exchanging experiences and socializing as well and last but not least exploring the congress location and vicinity. That’s why – from Sunday to Tuesday after the congress – all attendees were given the opportunity to see the charming city of Bautzen, magnificent Dresden, the fortress of Koenigstein with the sandstone cliffs above the river Elbe, and the region of Upper Lusatia.

After this great success we are already looking forward to the 11th DGS congress next year which will be held in Oberstdorf, Allgaeu from the 22nd to the 24th May, 2009.

- Eginhard Teichmann, Mannheim -

	Last adjustments before the opening of the congress (f.r.t.l. Peter Schnehagen, Mr. and Mrs. Heinz and Sigrid Pietsch and mayor Hennig). Photo: Uwe Foerster, Altenstad/WN
	As an overture the Bautzen Youth Brass Band played typical pieces of music from each of the five participating nations. Photo: Uwe Foerster, Altenstad/WN
	At the trade fair people could catch up on the latest developments and spend some money. Photo: Uwe Foerster, Altenstad/WN
	The interesting workshops were all well attended, like the workshop about StereoData Maker depicted here. Photo: Uwe Foerster, Altenstad/WN