slide projector - how to choose

[LENS]

Hi guys, thinking of getting a slide projector from 2nd hand market..

i notice there is 1 kind is for a row of slides, and other kind is putting the slides in a round arrangement.. which is more useful?

is the lens on slide projector critical? anything else i should look out?

it seems pretty cheap in 2nd market

i saw a kodak carousel s-av 1030.. is it good?

any model to recommend? thanks.

 

[LENS]

hi guys, any opinions of slide projector? i wonder is light source or lens in slide projector critical?
or any slide projector can do the job? thanks.

 

[sweat100]

It actually depends are you using it for hobby sake or work. For me, my friend's pass me a semi working slide projector with the automatic advance spoilt. For me it worked well and served my purpose as i manually advance the frames.
The lens I cant comment much as I never seen slides projected from a very good lens and a bad lens before.
As for lamps, usually is the 150W bulb, bright enough to go from 60" to 100" diagonal provided you are in a dark enough place.
As for the slide reel, the round one can but more. If I am not wrong is 120 slides while the 1 row type is 40. Depends if you have many slides to display at once.
You can also look for those with Auto-focus function if you are keen.

 

[GavinTing]

Ehs.. Just make sure the bulb can be easily replaced.. My precious projector lamp blow le, cannot find bulbs.. hahas

 

[sammy888]

The circular slide loader allows you to load alot more then a straight box magazine. It really depend on what you are using a slide projector for. There are the most basic ones and they can go up to those that allow you to syn with other slide projectors to do multiple slide proejction or a wall of images and it can also take in signal from a specially prepare audio tape or CD to trigger the slides.

The bulb are very proprietary in most cases so it is hard to use a third party one and might require you to go back to the same manufacturer to get a replacement. Also...alway keep a spare. They burn really hot and burn short and can be pretty delicate in that if you drop the project, knocked it hard against some thing or you drop the bulb..it can break that fine filament inside and that is the end of it. Bulbs are not cheap! It gets worst if you are using one of those modern day digital project. The cost of a bulb can be up to 1/3 the price of the project. So if you are looking into a 2nd hand one...check how old is the machine to gauge how old the bulb or if they can take it out to show you. And ask how much for a spare just in case. If not once you buy the projector and bring it home and then one week later the bulb blows...the new bulb might cost you a small fortune to buy.

As for your slides. USE A DUPLICATE NOTYOUR ORIGINAL! And if you are using those slide professionally for presentation...etc. or in tend to project the image for a long time in one frame....note!..the intense light from the bulb can and will MELT your slide. Slides are not heat proof and at the very least they can be distorted..permantly. So most pros will use GLASS SLIDE FRAMES. I use to use slide projectors alot as I am in multimedia work and all slides I processed a duplicate I will pay for those german made glass slide frame mounting. Plus a glass frame protect your slides from scratches when you man-handle it...eg loading the magazine box. A glass slide frame has 2 thin glass panels which in the middle you sandwich your slide. So if the heat gets too hot, it will not distort your image as you project it. If you have use slides or have seen a slide show you will know what I mean...you will see the image suddenly start to look warp..that is because the heat from the projector's buld is slowly cooking your slide. So again.. I repeat...never use your original slide...use a duplicate always...

If you are buying a second hand one, make sure you check it by placing slides into a magzine box and do a few run of it..to check the mechanism that will drop and slide into the projector's focusing chamber and it is able to push it back out and move the magazine forward AND backward without jamming. Some old and badly looked after ones have problems with the mechanical parts and some may have problem with slide frame that is not of the right thickness. And sometime as the projector heats up, some parts inside it start to distort about so after some running time using it..it can start to act funny....like slide would not drop in or can not pop back out..etc. So give it a good thorough check

just some thoughts lah....