Need advise on a good slide projector/lens

[Farkle-Mpls]

Folks,

 

I'm back to shooting slides and I have a Kodak carousel slide projector. A knowledgeable friend suggested that maybe I should look at a

better quality projector/lens combo. I scoured eBay and Craigslist and see some recurring names, like Pradolux with Leica lenses (that

sounds nice!). Cost is certainly an issue and a used projector would be fine. Service-ability would be an important consideration as the

higher end ones are probably costly to repair and parts may not be readily available. I would value your advise and experiences.

 

Thank you.

[randall_pukalo]

From an ease of use/quick setup/take down perspective, Bell and Howell Slide Cube projectors are the best.

[User_502260]

If your slides are in glassless mounts then an Ektagraphic AF model with an Ektanar C lens should do the trick. A thorough cleaning of the projector and lens will do more good than getting something more expensive.

[stwrtertbsratbs5]

You could upgrade your lens. Buhl lenses are excellent.

[patrick_mont]

I am not sure what projector you have now but I would reccomend getting a newer Kodak projector in the Ektagraphic Family. Kodak stopped producing their slide projectors in 2004 but there are plenty used ones out there that were made fairly recently. I have an Ektagraphic III A that was made in 1997 and I use it all the time and it works as good as new. As far as a lens goes I have a 100-150mm Kodak lens that works great for me...It all depends on what your doing for what lens you get.

[craig_shearman1]

If you're happy with the on-screen sharpness of your slides stick with what you have. If not, upgrade the lens first, maybe to a Buhl. Also remenber that Kodak made both flat field lenses, then also offered curved field lenses intended to compensate for slides that had a slight curvature in their mounts. But I don't see any reason to change projectors unelss you're having problems with your existing Carousel or you want a Carousel model with features yours doesn't have. (Higher end models have remote control, auto focusing, etc., that the bottom end models don't have.) Ektragrahic is the "professional" line of Carousel projector, with heavier duty construction but really no difference in on-screen quality. The very latest Ektagraphics had an interface for computer control (might have been called the Ektapro but I don't recall.). But whatever you do, do NOT consider anything other than a Carousel or Ektagraphic. Carousels/Ektagraphics were THE industry standard for slide projection in the US. for more than 40 years. There was a huge cottage industry of lenses, tape sychronizers, dissolve controls, slide trays, etc. built around them. Everything was standardized and interchangeable. Every photographer, business, school, hotel, hospital, AV rental house, anywhere that used slides used Carousels and Ektagraphics pretty much to the exclusion of anything else. They were used for home slide shows, for multimedia shows in museums, for business presentations that would be done with PowerPoint today, etc. That means that all of this stuff is still out there being virtually given away on Ebay and in garage sales and you can have a heck of a setup for virtually nothing. I can't speak specifically to the Pradolux but generally speaking other brands just never caught on beyond a small slice of the amateur market. There were weird contraptions with Ferris Wheel trays and really bizarre ones like the B&H slide cube but nothing was as reliable or dependable as the Carousel. With all that said, are you actually going to project your slides? Most people who shoot slides do so for the qualities of a specific emulsion and the precision control over exposure and color balance they offer. Typically they get scanned and then reproduced in books or magazines or printed as photographic prints but not projected. Projecting slides for long periods can cause their color to fade and isn't something you want to do with a valuable slide that 's going into a stock file or headed for a book/magazine project.

[Farkle-Mpls]

All,

 

Thank you for your thoughtful replies. I'll clean the one I have -- get rid of several years of accumulation of dust -- and

perhaps upgrade the lens to a Buhl. I'll keep my eyes open for a good condition Ektagraphic too.

 

My slides are vacation "snaps" and I do like to project them for fun (I scan them first so I have digital backups). I have

the Kodak carousel system at work now and did an "old fashioned" slide show for a few of my technical colleagues.

One of them, 24 years young, hadn't heard of slides before ... but that of course, is a different thread ...

 

Thanks again.

[g._armour_van_horn]

I strongly recommend acquiring one or more Ektagraphic AMT III projectors. That was the end of the line for the

Kodak carousel-style line, with all the bells and whistles. You can find good ones on eBay for less than $50 most

of the time. They use the standard carousels (stick with the 80-slide ones, the 140-slide ones are much more

prone to jamming), and as has been pointed out they work with all the various controllers.

 

They're hell for stout, I once knocked one six feet to the floor while it was running. The case cracked in a

couple of places, the acrylic overlay for the controls splintered, but it kept on projecting and advancing

slides. Once you've used one for ten minutes you know where the controls are so I didn't miss that part. Sure,

it's ugly, but it sits up on a shelf in the dark, so who cares?

 

Lenses are easy to come by, the main ones being Buhl and Golden Navitar, but you'll also see the occasional

Schneider lens on eBay. You might also want to look for perspective correction/keystone eliminating lenses. I've

got everything covered from 1.4" to 12", including several zooms, so I can fill almost any screen from almost any

distance. However, if you get anything bigger than an 8" prime make sure you get the lens support bracket, the

internal mount was built for a 4-inch plastic-barrel lens. If you hang a 10-inch f/2.5 on it the lens axis will

be several degrees down, the projector will tip over, and the stress will make it very difficult for the AF to

operate.

 

The Ektapro projectors are from Kodak Germany and have very little in common with Carousel/Ektagraphic

projectors. I've never seen them, I'm sure they're wonderful machines, but they don't have the aftermarket

support. If you suddenly have the chance to get everything you'll ever want in a Leica or Ektapro system for a

bargain, it might make sense, but you won't have the chance to grab cheap spares.

 

Also note that when a technology fades away, there is a period of time when you can pick the gear up for dirt

cheap, then it suddenly seems that nobody even bothers to put the stuff on eBay. There are a lot of projectors

out there, but I think there may not be many showing up on eBay a year from now. Already you can often get ATM

IIIs for less than the cost of shipping, and expensive lenses and cordless remotes are getting thrown in on many

listings, so I think the end is near.

 

Van

[Robin Smith]

Get a Leica Pradovit CA2500, CA2502, Color 2, P2000 or P2002 (all essentially the same design) with a 90mm Colorplan or Supercolorplan lens. These kick dust in the face of any Ektagraphic (with any lens combination). Only available second hand now.

[bernard_korites]

I went through the same exercise about a year ago. During my research I came across a web site (in Denmark, I think) that did a thorough study of various projector/lens combinations. They carefully examined resolution, uniformity of light distribution etc. They found the best results came from a Leica 90mm Colorplan lens with an inexpensive Kinderman projector.

 

Both can be bought new. I have that combination now and I like it. The only thing objectionable is the Leica lens is so sharp that slight differences in focus due to slide buckling are quite noticeable across the image. I tried mounting my slides in Gepe glass mounts but Newton rings are often visible unless you use mounts with anti-Newton glass; but then the anti-Newton texture becomes visible. So now I'm remounting my slides in Gepe glassless mounts with the metal mask.

 

These mounts seem to work quite well since the film is free to slide at the edges. This means it won't buckle under the heat of the projector lamp. Also, the Gepe mount, which is stiffer than the cheap cardboard or plastic mounts that you normally get your slides in, eliminates jamming in the projector.

 

The problem with Kodak stuff is it's all used. Having been burned before on "the bay", I prefer to buy this stuff new whenever I can. Also, if you prowl the internet, you will find Kodak lenses and aftermarket lenses such as Buhl are not as highly regarded as the Leica Colorplan.

 

The major advantage of the later Kodaks is the higher wattage output. You don't need that much light with a 1:2.5 lens, such as the Colorplan, but what it allows you to do is use a 1:3.5 lens. This combo gives you the same projected light but increases the depth of field which will help correct loss of focus due to slide curvature.

[DB_Gallery]

B&H had one 90mm 2.5 Coloplan-P CF lens in stock new last week for $126.50 , so I got it for when I find a decent

projector.

 

What was the inexpensive Kinderman projector mentioned above that gave the good results in the test?