This is my first time shooting slide films. I was hoping it would come back with stacks of 3x4 prints along with the positive slides. I don't have a scanner nor printer. Where do I go from here to show my pictures to friends without using a projector.
Hi,
the easiest, best quality and cheapest way to show your slides to friends is using an excelllent slide loupe and a small slimline lightbox:
The quality with an excellent slide loupe is outstanding:
Excellent sharpness and resolution, no distortion, the full tonality the slide offers (in contrast to computer monitors, if scanned), and an almost three-dimensional effect.
I am using the Schneider 4x (for 35mm) and 3x (for medium format 4,5x6, 6x6, 6x7 and even 6x9: the image field is 8cm x 8cm, so with 6x9 you only loose some millimeters left and right, which is irrelevant).
I am very satiesfied and can highly recommend them. You can also use them for negatives and prints (there is a transparent foot for prints and a dark one for slides included, the foot is changeable).
http://www.schneider-kreuznach.com/f...hoer_lupen.htm
The Rodenstock loupes are also very good:
http://www.rodenstock-photo.com/en/m...al-magnifiers/
From my experience (in my environment) it is much easier and convenient to use the lightbox and loupe instead of the computer:
- no need to scan (saves lots of time or money, if you use a lab service)
- much faster: To look at the slide I just have to take the slide and the lightbox. It's just a few seconds.
With computer monitor I first have to boot my computer, which takes much more time.
- much better quality with the loupe and lighttable: The computer monitor only delivers an extremely low resolution of 1-2 MP, with the original slide you have the full package.
And you have the full color brillance and tonality with the slide on the lighttable. No losses like with the monitor.
Good new daylight lightboxes / lighttables are quite cheap.
Examples:
http://www.kaiser-fototechnik.de/en/...timent.asp?w=5
http://www.doerrfoto.de/Produkte/index.html
They are not only excellent for viewing color and BW slides, and BW negatives.
They are also excellent for calibrating BW film / developer combinations (taking the shots for the Zone series / evaluating the characteristic curve).
A daylight lighttable (with about 5600°K color temperature) and a very good loupe should be in every film photographers household.
And I highly recommend to also buy a very good slide projector and a screen: A projected slide on the screen with a very good projection lens is absolutely breathtaking!
With no other photographic medium you can get such a brilliance.
Slide projection is a league of it's own.
Cheers, Jan