35mm Slide Transparancy Care & Storage

thecatspajamas · #1 11-13-2013, 12:22 PM

Wow Jerry, I gotta say, the thought of putting a high-dollar "slide" transparency in an old projector fails the "pucker test" for me (as in, if I find that my backside clenches at the thought of doing something, I try to go another direction rather than tempting fate). That said, they're yours now to do as you see fit with them, but you've got a bigger pair than I do, heat shield or no

Keep in mind that these were placed in slide mounts to facilitate handling when used in production, not with the intent that they would ever be placed in a projector. If that's your chosen display method, it would be advisable to have a duplication of each one made to project and keep the original stored away. As far as storing them goes, just think of it like a negative and use the same kind of procedures as were talked about before in a not-too-long-ago thread. What you described sounds very reasonable to me. There are also 20-pocket pages made specifically for slides available. I've also been known to place individual slides in a standard card toploader and store them that way right along with cards, though that can get cumbersome if you're dealing with a lot of slides, in which case I strongly recommend the pages.

Craig, if you're ever doing to be working with anything larger than 2.5" or so, there are only a couple of consumer-level flatbed scanners that I am aware of for films: the Epson V700 and Epson 4990 models. Both are out of production currently (I think. Definitely the 4990 is not currently being produced), but can be picked up on eBay pretty frequently in the $300 range. Finding one with all the original film carrier templates is a little tougher, and will probably cost you a bit more, but depending on what you're doing you may be able to get away without them. Other than those two, you start getting into professional-level scanners, and the prices jump dramatically.

Frozen in Time · #2 11-13-2013, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thecatspajamas

Wow Jerry, I gotta say, the thought of putting a high-dollar "slide" transparency in an old projector fails the "pucker test" for me (as in, if I find that my backside clenches at the thought of doing something, I try to go another direction rather than tempting fate). That said, they're yours now to do as you see fit with them, but you've got a bigger pair than I do, heat shield or no

Keep in mind that these were placed in slide mounts to facilitate handling when used in production, not with the intent that they would ever be placed in a projector. If that's your chosen display method, it would be advisable to have a duplication of each one made to project and keep the original stored away. As far as storing them goes, just think of it like a negative and use the same kind of procedures as were talked about before in a not-too-long-ago thread. What you described sounds very reasonable to me. There are also 20-pocket pages made specifically for slides available. I've also been known to place individual slides in a standard card toploader and store them that way right along with cards, though that can get cumbersome if you're dealing with a lot of slides, in which case I strongly recommend the pages.

Craig, if you're ever doing to be working with anything larger than 2.5" or so, there are only a couple of consumer-level flatbed scanners that I am aware of for films: the Epson V700 and Epson 4990 models. Both are out of production currently (I think. Definitely the 4990 is not currently being produced), but can be picked up on eBay pretty frequently in the $300 range. Finding one with all the original film carrier templates is a little tougher, and will probably cost you a bit more, but depending on what you're doing you may be able to get away without them. Other than those two, you start getting into professional-level scanners, and the prices jump dramatically.

Thanks Lance. I'm way overdue in getting a good scanner for my prints, slides and negatives as I've promised several members too many times now that I would begin to post my Mantle collection.

Griffins · #3 11-13-2013, 01:32 PM

the problem I've found with consumer level scanners (the epson and canoscan being the best I've seen) is that the dynamic range (the range of light to dark at which it can hold detail) is much lower. You can fix that a bit in photoshop if you're pretty good, but for getting detail and contrast you really need a drum scan (as opposed to a flatbed like the scanners above). I've never had an image printed by a client that wasn't drum scanned.
The price for a drum scan ranges from $15 up to almost $100 last I checked, although it could've come down in the last few years.
The suggestion of making a dupe slide to project is an excellent one, and that should be $3 or less. Just make sure whoever is doing it is responsible in handling the original- scratching the film is all too easy, especially a slide that isn't sleeved in acetate.

perezfan · #4 11-13-2013, 01:45 PM

They used to make hand-held slide "viewers" that you would just hold up to the light. These were great for viewing slides without using a clumsy or potentially dangerous projector. You'd just insert the slide and face it towards a light source.

There's also the kind that uses an internal bulb. A simple option, and perhaps more primitive than what you're seeking. But just thought I'd mention it, if that helps....

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_saca..._sop=12&_frs=1

thecatspajamas · #5 11-13-2013, 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by perezfan

They used to make hand-held slide "viewers" that you would just hold up to the light. These were great for viewing slides without using a clumsy or potentially dangerous projector. You'd just insert the slide and face it towards a light source.

There's also the kind that uses an internal bulb. A simple option, and perhaps more primitive than what you're seeking. But just thought I'd mention it, if that helps....

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_saca..._sop=12&_frs=1

http://www.amazon.com/Pana-Vue-2-Ill...rds=pana-vue+2
This is one that I have that is very much like what you're describing. Very simple to drop the slide in and press the big button on top to turn on the backlight which is a small internal bulb that doesn't generate enough heat to damage anything. Very basic but functional, like a single-slide-capacity light table that runs off of 2 AA batteries.

obcbeatle · #6 11-13-2013, 02:00 PM

Thanks for mentioning the slide viewers and the link to the Pana-Vue. I looked at these before I found the slide projector at the SA, but wasn't sure the viewers would project well enough. I might look into getting one of those for now. Thanks!

thecatspajamas · #7 11-13-2013, 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by obcbeatle

Thanks for mentioning the slide viewers and the link to the Pana-Vue. I looked at these before I found the slide projector at the SA, but wasn't sure the viewers would project well enough. I might look into getting one of those for now. Thanks!

Jerry,
The viewer doesn't "project" at all, but it does magnify the slide and backlight it. So looking at it that way is like staring into about a 2"x2" TV screen, but works well in most cases.

Edited to add: Looking again at the photo shown in the Amazon listing, it's a little misleading. The slide drops into the viewer through a slot in the top just in front of that wide white rectangle which is the backlight button. What looks like a screen at the front in their photo is actually a magnifying lens, so you're still looking down into the thing at the slide in the middle of the unit, not at something projected to the front of it. It's strictly a one-at-a-time experience.

My usual process is to first hold the slide up to the light (leaning back since the light in my office is above/behind me), then if I need to see more detail or get vertigo from leaning back and sitting up too much drop it in the slide-viewer, and then if I need to see even more detail or get an image of it I go to the scanner. I guess from that point you could get a projector that would project the scanned image from your computer onto the wall, but I've never had need for that. Just depends on what you're doing as to which is most appropriate.

obcbeatle · #8 11-13-2013, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thecatspajamas

Wow Jerry, I gotta say, the thought of putting a high-dollar "slide" transparency in an old projector fails the "pucker test" for me (as in, if I find that my backside clenches at the thought of doing something, I try to go another direction rather than tempting fate). That said, they're yours now to do as you see fit with them, but you've got a bigger pair than I do, heat shield or no

Keep in mind that these were placed in slide mounts to facilitate handling when used in production, not with the intent that they would ever be placed in a projector. If that's your chosen display method, it would be advisable to have a duplication of each one made to project and keep the original stored away. As far as storing them goes, just think of it like a negative and use the same kind of procedures as were talked about before in a not-too-long-ago thread. What you described sounds very reasonable to me. There are also 20-pocket pages made specifically for slides available. I've also been known to place individual slides in a standard card toploader and store them that way right along with cards, though that can get cumbersome if you're dealing with a lot of slides, in which case I strongly recommend the pages.

Craig, if you're ever doing to be working with anything larger than 2.5" or so, there are only a couple of consumer-level flatbed scanners that I am aware of for films: the Epson V700 and Epson 4990 models. Both are out of production currently (I think. Definitely the 4990 is not currently being produced), but can be picked up on eBay pretty frequently in the $300 range. Finding one with all the original film carrier templates is a little tougher, and will probably cost you a bit more, but depending on what you're doing you may be able to get away without them. Other than those two, you start getting into professional-level scanners, and the prices jump dramatically.

OK ... that is why I asked :-) I'm pretty old school and love old electronics. I occasionally still buy 8mm & 16mm film, clean it and run them on old projectors. If I find something cool enough I'll even digitize portions of the film. Anyway ... I'm probably a bottom feeder within this group in that I can't afford an original Mantle or Ruth so if I did lose one of these slides, it certainly wouldn't break the bank ... but it would be a heartfelt loss. That being said ... when I projected these slides on my family room wall it was a pretty amazing 30 minutes. I'm not sure they make a computer display that big :-) But ... I guess I'll flip this slide projector on eBay and save up for a scanner. Been down that road before when looking for something for some negatives I have. I think the Epson 4990 was what I was looking at and as Lance mentioned, the original film carrier templates are an extra cost unless you get lucky. At least that is what I seem to remember when I looked about 6 months ago. My problem is I keep spending what little money I have on old cards and photo's so I never have enough for a scanner :-) Thanks for all the replies, tips and especially the warning on using the slide projector. Much appreciated!

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