P150, Colorplan, Hektor, a few queries

[trex1]

I picked up a P150 a few weeks ago, seems nice enough. Just a few

questions.<p>Is this a Leica product or is it just a rebadged projector from

some other manufacturer?<p>Should I be scouting for a Colorplan lens? Is it that

much better than the Hektor? What is the Hektor anyway? And if a Colorplan is

the way to go, any differences among the various incarnations of this lens? I

already know that there are at least a couple which will not mount, but there

are so many designations I have become confused.<p>Any other tips on things like

screens, or any other bits of advice from people who enjoy looking at

slides?<p>Thanks!

[wai_leong_lee]

See <a href=http://www.photozone.de/8Reviews/proj.htm>http://www.photozone.de/8Reviews/proj.htm</a>

[trex1]

Thanks for the link Wai. So, he thinks my P150 is a piece of junk to avoid. I guess I better throw it out for recylcing.

[wai_leong_lee]

I've handled the P150, actually bid on it at a Yahoo! auction, it's very plasticky and flimsy, I actually backed out of that deal.

 

Much happier with the RT-300 I have now.

 

Basically, you get what you pay for. A cheap projector like the P150 will have a cheap lens made of plastic. After spending so much on Leica glass, do you want your pictures to be projected using plastic?

 

The article also gives very good tips on projection screen size, light source and brightness requirements, etc. which are really helpful to newbies to slide projection.

[ronald_moravec1]

Actually the RT 300 is the junk projector. It is a rebadged Singer (no I never heard of them before rebadging ) and there was a lot of trouble with them.

 

The P 150 is an inexpensive Leica projector that was well tested. I have a 250 that is the same, but with a brighter light.

 

The Hector lens is an inexpensive Leica projection lens. The Colorplan is a top shelf lens. You may be happy with the Hector for 30x40 wall projection.

 

Leica slides are best seen on a white wall or matt white screen with the projector on a stand that allows horizontal projection. Projection up from a low table gives keystone distortion,

 

The P150 will take either the old trays or newer LKM tray which are spill proof and you get more slides into it.

 

Use a curved field lens with non glazed slides and a flat field lens for glass mounted ones. I don`t want to talk about which is better. Both have advantages.

[Robin Smith]

Darius

 

I agree with the others - the P150 is, I think, a rebadged or sold under license Kindermann design - extremely ordinary indeed. I would not waste too much effort hunting for a Colorplan to be honest. A much better use of your money would be to pick up a good real Leica designed and built projector secondhand which will probably come with a Colorplan anyway. Check out some of the threads here. I recommend any Pradovit Color, Color 250, C/CA2500, P2000, Color 2, P2002. These date from the mid 70s up to the late 1990s. These are the "real deal" Leica-wise.

[astral]

Darius, the P150 is fine for home applications and should serve well enough in that role. But if you are aiming to use it for regular club/group shows, etc in a large room you may find it is working at its limits (lamp brightness, image quality and fan noise). It isn't a bad projector, but it doesn't like being put to hard use. My local club uses one and in two years it's been back to Leitz twice for jams and focus problems: it's pretty-well worn out after 200-300 hours of use per year - still, not too bad for the modest outlay I guess.

[wai_leong_lee]

I know the RT-300 is rebadged Singer. But I disagree it is a "junk" projector. It's solid metal, and I have the Colorplan 90/2.5 on it, works well enough for me. I still drool over the RT-m, but even in this day and age, no one wants to sell it for below $1,000...

[joseph_barbano]

I have the P150 and the RT 300 both w/Colorpan lenses. FWIW, I think they're both good projectors. The P150 came with the Hektor which seemed fine also. The biggest issue is the Straight Tray design versus the Carousel Tray. I still like the Carousel better.

[trex1]

Wow. I was pretty jazzed, because I had been looking for a projector for a while here in Tokyo, and when I found a projector in the box with Leica written on it, for less than a 100 bucks, I figured I must have scored. I have yet to really put it through it's paces. I need to find one of those boards you screw on the top of a tripod, that sounds extremely handy as there is no other possibility for me in my cramped apartmen to mount the unit. Then I need to get a screen. So there has been no way for me to make any kind of appraisal. I had heard that the colorplan makes a difference, but I guess I'll just look for the board and screen and take it from there.

 

Thanks for the input guys!

[james_elwing]

My Hektor was OK, good in the centre, but a little fuzzy in the corners, refocused or not. I have two Colorplans, one early '60's, the other mid '80's. Both show slide grain into corners. As long as everything is straight inside any projector, the lens is the issue, just like the enlarging lens is the ultimate creator of print quality. As said, a mat white painted wall gives the best images.

The early ones are too fat in the barrel. As far as I know, all later lenses are the same diameter as your Hektor.

[john_newell2]

I bought a P150 and two Colorplan lenses (one FF, one CF) when the P150 was first introduced, which must be just about 20 years ago now. It is still ticking along fine and the two Leitz lenses perform extremely well. If this is a piece of junk, please show me where I can buy more of the same. Lots of "excellent" and expensive gear has let me down in the last two decades...