quick change slide projector

[Rob-F]

I remember reading about a slide projector that slips the incoming and outgoing slides past each other very quickly, to achieve a fast-cut effect with little or no dark interval. But I can't remember who makes it. I think it uses the straight slide trays rather than the carousel type. Maybe Leitz? Anybody know which machine this is?

 

[Robert Lai]

You want a Leica projector

You want a Leica projector

Leica slide projectors do this. Any of the Pradovit series has this design. Other advantages include aspherical condensers for highest illumination efficiency (evenness and brightness) with a modest 250 W bulb (that costs under $2 to replace). You can go even further and get coated condensers with the Bright Light kit that increases the net illumination by 10-15% with the same bulb. Highly efficient cooling is another plus. Finally, you get some of the best projection lenses ever made - by Leica. The Super Colorplan lenses are meant to complement your Apo lenses (like the Apo Telyt).

I have the CA 2500 projector since my days as an assistant professor when we used to use 35mm slides in lectures. I still have it. The only downside is that the motor has a solid bearing that needs oil periodically. If you decide to oil you motor, take the condenser lenses out first and be very sparing with the oil, or oil will splatter all over when you run the fan.

 

[Rob-F]

Thank you so much for that info, Robert! I use Kodak Ektagraphic projectors, mostly the E2 model, for multi-projector dissolve shows. But I'd love to have this projector, with its quick-change action and compact slide trays, for showing a group of slides too short to bother with a dissolve show. I'll be on the lookout for one, now! And I want a CA 2500 like yours!

 

[Particular]

The Rollei twin projectors pull in two slides at a time and then fade from one to the other. The first slide is then returned, and the third is pulled in. It is a great mechanism, and certainly the coolest way to do a slide show. They take straight trays, so unfortunately they are not suitable for looping slide shows in galleries.
I love mine, although I haven't used it in ages.

 

[Rob-F]

The ones I see offered in Europe are 220V. I wonder if they have connections that can be changed to convert them to 110V. Alternatively, are there 110V models for the USA? There must be!

 

[Particular]

The ones I see offered in Europe are 220V. I wonder if they have connections that can be changed to convert them to 110V. Alternatively, are there 110V models for the USA? There must be!

Mine is in Europe too, but I at some point considered taking it to the U.S. I checked and it has a switch underneath to change voltage. Mine is an early model (without the fancy program modes of the later models), so I don't know if they are all dual voltage. There must have been some that were sold over here.

 

[Rob-F]

Which tray does this take? I could start collecting a few trays, since I will probably have a CA 2500 soon.

 

[Particular]

I had a bunch of generic straight trays of different manufacturers that all worked fine in the rollei. I thought the straight trays were standardized, but I may be wrong. I don't know about the leica. I do also have a small older manual feed pradovid and I used the same trays with it.

 

[Robert Lai]

The CA 2500 has a switch to adjust the transformer for 110/120/220/240 V AC. Internally, the projector works on 24V, as the bulb is a 24V 250 W unit. So, you realize that when working you will be drawing more than 10 amps with this projector. You could probably get a power cord for European plugs if you wish to bring this over to Europe, from Leica USA. They seem to carry all the spare parts for this projector still.

I have a specially made 10 feet long extension cord for the remote to allow me to be closer to the screen when lecturing. Leica USA made it!

 

[Robert Lai]

Leica made 50 slide straight trays which are the standard. They feed very reliably. For a later model they made a 100 slide tray (I think, don't remember for certain) which has a reputation for jamming. The Leica trays store in a box, two to a box. They pull out like a drawer.

 

[Rob-F]

Leica slide projectors do this. Any of the Pradovit series has this design. an.

Oh, I get it. "Vit" = "fast." So Pradovit designates that it changes the slide quickly? Suggesting that all Pradovits do this, apparently. And "Lux" means light. I suppose "Pradolux" implies that the projector puts a good light on the screen (but is not so fast as the Pradovit).

Leica does have interesting names for their stuff. I see where they also used the term "diapo" for "diapositif" or "diapositive" (positive film, transparency, or simply "slide"), in reference to their projectors, at least in Europe.

So, all Pradovits have the quick-change, even the little P150?

 

[Skiff]

So, all Pradovits have the quick-change, even the little P150?

No.
The quick-change have
- the latest Pradovit RT-s and RT-m professional projectors (these are carousel type projectors like your Kodak projectors)

- the Pradovit
C 1500
CA 1500
C 2500
CA 2500
CA 2502

Pradovit P 2000 and P 2002 have a bit longer changing time, but still very fast. Same is valid for the latest Pradovit PC and IR models.

The Rollei projectors for dissolving projection from one tray are also excellent:
http://www.dhw-fototechnik.de/en/slide-projectors.html

And some hints where to get projectors:
http://www.ffordes.com/category/Pro...dex=5&SortDirection=Ascending&SortExpression=

http://www.atelier-rieter.de/ang1.htm

http://heidifoto.net/technik/

http://www.rollei-diaprojektor.de/

http://team-foto.de/index.php?language=en&cPath=3537603_74392

http://www.braun-phototechnik.de/de/products/list/~pcat.106/Diatechnik.html

https://reflecta.de/de/products/list/~pcat.5/Diatechnik.html

 

[Dwig]

Leica made 50 slide straight trays which are the standard. ...

The Leica tray is/was the defacto standard in Europe, but only in Europe. In the states it was a minor player. In the US market most manufacturers had their own tray "standard" with Argus and Airquipt being the two most common.

 

[sevo]

The Leica tray is/was the defacto standard in Europe, but only in Europe. In the states it was a minor player. In the US market most manufacturers had their own tray "standard" with Argus and Airquipt being the two most common.

No, that would be the Standard- or Universalmagazin, the DIN standardized tray (DIN 108). LKM (Leitz-Kindermann-Magazin) and CS (Agfa and Reflecta) are (much less popular) later modifications of DIN108 that add increased safety (slides locking into the tray, lower risk of thin/paper mount slides jamming) and higher capacity, at the cost of being incompatible with full strength slide mounts.

That restriction against professional high quality mounts probably has been the reason LKM magazines never made it to significant popularity with the (high end) Leitz/Leica projectors, even though Leitz was one of the inventors/promoters of the system - indeed the magazines were less widespread than the mounts, as most large scale labs were mounting in either LKM or CS (both standards being tuned to being convenient for large volume automatic mounting rather than for high-quality projection).

The new systems were supposed to be downward compatible, so almost every CS or LKM capable projector will also accept the mainstream Standard/Universal trays. From the nineties on, projectors by brands not in one or the other camp usually accepted all three systems.

This page has a reference picture with the magazines used by the major German makers in the past four decades: http://www.mietscanner.de/faq/

 

[sevo]

Mine is a 153 IR. It does not seem to do anything special.

The fast ones don't do that much special, other than using a push-pull rather than pull-push logic - that will save a little less than half the blanking time, but it won't entirely do away with it. It is no fade-over - for that, you'd need a double lens projector, or two projectors (or something with a very, very intricate optical system inside).