coltoff@burdvax.UUCP (12/06/83)
I have some basic questions about slide projectors. Of the ones I have
seen so far I like the Kodak And Bell & Howell the best. I am leaning
towards the Bell & Howell because of the cubes. The carousels just take
up too much room. The ability to get quick access to a particular photo
is not an issue here. I am also aware that Kodak makes a stack loader
for their projectors. It seems foolish to buy a carousel projector
and then spend extra money for what I really want in the first place.
What do my fellow engineers & photograhers have to say about the projectors
manufactured by the above or other companies? I would also like to hear
about human engineering factors from long time users. How easy is it
to change bulbs, lenses and all the other parts associated with the unit?
Plase respond by mail.
--
Joel Coltoff {presby,bpa,psuvax}!burdvax!coltoff (215)648-7258ark@rabbit.UUCP (12/06/83)
I read a review in Modern Photography several years ago in which they compared quite a number of projectors. Basically, they fell into three very distinct categories: 1. Leitz 2. Kodak 3. Everything else They showed examples of photographs of test slides taken off the screen. The differences among the categories were immediately visible to the most casual observer. On the basis of that report I decided to buy a Leitz Pradovit RT-300. This is their bottom-of-the-line model, apparently aimed at the US market. They buy transport mechanisms from Singer and put their own optics in. While the projector still appears to be quite expensive, the New York discount houses are selling it at a price that is competitive with the top-of-the-line Kodak models (about $300). The Leitz projector takes Kodak trays, and will accept the Kodak stack loader and slide clips. I really mean it when I say that you should look at one before buying any projector.
knutson@ut-ngp.UUCP (Jim Knutson) (12/07/83)
I have a Bell & Howell with a zoom and autofocus. The zoom is nice for
being able to change the displayed size to fit the screen. The autofocus
tends to get rather flaky when warm and tries to focus too much. Changin
the bulb is very easy and the whole thing packs up nicely for portability
and storage. One complaint is that you can't backup more than one slide.
The cubes are fairly easy to handle. I find that a roll of 36 almost but
not quite fills the cubes. Loading the cube for the first time is easy.
Just load the slide into the preview area and then show it. After all of
the slides have been shown, then you just push them up into an empty cube.
--
Jim Knutson
ARPA: knutson@ut-ngp
UUCP: {ihnp4,seismo,kpno,ctvax}!ut-sally!ut-ngp!knutsonburton@fortune.UUCP (12/07/83)
I have had a Kodak Carousel 860 for almost 10 years with no problems. Some suggestions: 1) a stack loader is great for viewing slides "out o the box." 2) I didn't like the Kodak lenses, and put in - special at that time - a Leitze "Colorplan" lens. Fantastic difference, particularly at the edges. (That's Leitz, of Leica fame. I can't spell.) Now that Leitz has a Carousel-compatible, you may be able to buy the Leitz lens "off the shelf." I have heard that the resolution of the B & H lenses isn't very good. If that's the case, then why bother with your sharp lenses and Kodachrome to get all that quality on the film, if you can't see it. I also use a matte screen, which gives better resolution than a lenticular type. Phil Burton, Fortune Systems, Redwood City, CA
smith@umn-cs.UUCP (Richard Smith) (12/08/83)
#R:burdvax:-133400:umn-cs:9000011:000:634 umn-cs!smith Dec 7 14:21:00 1983 If I had it to do over again I'd have bought a Carousel. Right now, I have a very reliable Sawyer's projector, but nobody else in the known universe has one. If I want to show slides somewhere they always say "You have Carousel trays, don't you?" Sigh. Also, the Sawyer stack loader occasionally shreds a slide. The rumor I've consistently heard about the Slide Cube systems is that they aren't reliable. I was told that ten years ago, I heard it again a couple of years ago, and last month I watched a friend struggle with a misbehaving Slide Cube projector. Rick. [smith.umn-cs@CSNet-Relay] [...ihnp4!umn-cs!smith]
thomas@utah-gr.UUCP (Spencer W. Thomas) (12/08/83)
When Consumer Reports reviewed slide projectors (last year?), they found that the B&H had reliability problems, mostly due to the complex path the slides follow through the projector. =Spencer
ark@rabbit.UUCP (12/08/83)
Several people seem interested in this, so I'll re-post a paraphrase of my answer to the original query. A few years ago, I read an article in Modern Photography comparing about a dozen slide projectors. They found that the projectors could be divided into three distinct classes of image quality: 1) Leitz 2) Kodak 3) Everything else. The article contained photographs of projected slides taken off the screen; the differences were immediately apparent to the most casual observer. With one exception, Leitz projectors are unbelievably expensive and require European-style rectangular slide trays, of the type that spill all the slides on the floor when you tilt them. That exception is the Leitz Pradovit RT-300, which is apparently made specifically for the American market. That projector takes Kodak Carousel trays and stack loader. Apparently Leitz buys projector bodies from Singer (!) and puts in their own optical system. The standard lens is their well-known 90mm f/2.8 Colorplan-CF. I had the opportunity to compare this projector with a Carousel recently. Side by side the differences were striking. The Pradovit gave much more accurate colors in a brighter and sharper image. Even putting the Leitz lens on the Kodak projector made a big difference. For whatever reason, the New York photo discounters seem to have been selling the Pradovit at a plausible price recently. Although the list price is something like $600, I've seen it advertised for about $300, which is not far from the price of the top-of-the-line Kodak projector. I urge anyone looking for a slide projector to take a good look at the Leitz.