projector or white light case?????

[diego_alonso]

Hi to everybody, i would like to know wich method is best suited for

you to evaluate slides, if projector or loupe with case.( and why? ).

Thanks.

[john_shriver]

Evaluate slides for what purpose? Color balance? Composition? Sharpness? Impact?

 

A projector makes it really easy to see the slide, since the image is large. But it takes a good projector to do really critical evaluation. Your normal Kodak projector, tipped up, with the nasty curved field lens, on a beaded screen, is not going to tell you much about sharpness. You need a matte white screen, quality lens, square setup, etc., before you can see as much detail as with a high-power loupe. Hans will chime in that only a Leica projector can do this, but I suspect you can set up a Kodak one with a flat field lens pretty darned well. The Leica one probably has better uniformity of illumination.

 

A light table with a high-CRI (color rendering index) light source is probably the most accurate way to evaluate color balance. A good loupe can tell you a lot about sharpness. But it's not an easy way to visualize the slide.

 

If your purpose is to scan the slide, final evaluation is by scanning. A slide with more dynamic range than your scanner can cope with is a failure if that's your workflow. Even if it looks great on the screen. If there's something important in the shadows, and your scanner can't extract it, too bad.

 

Myself, setting up the projector and screen is a nuisance. I can decide which exposures go in the trash with my Gepe 5x7 light table and a Peak 8X loupe.

 

You see why it would help to include a "purpose" in your question. It all depends...

[kenneth_beatty]

I rarely ever use a projector because the heat will damage the slide over time, but as John said it al depends on what you want to do with the slide as to which is better.