Any Kodak Ektagraphic III Slide Projector Owners Here...?

Vincent Peri · Aug 1, 2020

I'm thinking about buying an Ektagraphic III slide projector. I'm having trouble finding out what the differences are among all the different versions. I'd appreciate hearing from owners of the various models... how you like them, problems, etc.

Also, can a Leitz Colorplan 90mm f/2.5 lens be used on the Ektagraphic?

Thanks for any info.

cjbecker · Aug 1, 2020

A secondary question, how does the ektagraphic iii compare to the ektapro models?

jtk · Aug 1, 2020

The original Ektagraphics were less tricky than later models were. I helped produce many multi-projector commercial slide shows.the best were the European (German) models, imported through weird channels, which, although quiet, were no better than the cheapest US versions. 8

Kodak's lenses were, not surprisingly, coke bottles. I had a client that smashed out the Kodak optics in order to use the Kodak lens mount with NIkon f2.8 enlarging lenses...far, far higher resolution but didn't autofocus any more. Kodak's autofocus was valuable for most people IMO.

Look for Buhl projector lenses on ebay et al.

Tom Taylor · Aug 1, 2020

About 20 years back I purchased a new Kodak Ektagraphic III AMT projector from B&H with a 75-120mm F2.8 Ektapro Select FF projection lens. They were expensive at the time but well worth their price - I'm thinking $300 or so for the lens alone and around $500 or so for the projector. Also ordered the Kodak case for the projector. The AMT was Kodak's top of the line model along with the ATS which included a feature I didn't need at the time:
The AMT model was Kodak's best selling professional projector for many reasons. It has every feature offered on the Ektagraphic III series except the integrated pull-out view-screen (to get this feature see the top-of-the-line Kodak Ektagraphic III ATS projector listing). The AMT has the features most will use (auto-focus, remote-focus, variable timer, etc). It projects an excellent picture, and like all the Ektagraphic III machines it is very durable and has better registration than the Kodak Carousel series of projectors (which were made for home use). The AMT did cost quite a bit more new but can be had used now for about the same price as the other Ektagraphic III models. The Ektapro Select were Kodak's best lenses.

I still have this set-up and haven't had a problem with it yet.

Vincent Peri · Aug 1, 2020

Thanks, Thomas. The AMT model is the one I'm most interested in. Now to find one for sale LOL.

jtk · Aug 2, 2020

One cool thing about Carousel projector was coverage...ability to project square Super Slides and ability to handle anti-newton glass mounts.

AgX · Aug 2, 2020

Over here those projectors that are or can be made to project Super Slides actually were of the higher end type. But professional photographers unlikely used type 127 cameras. And for cutting a 4x4cm patch out of a 6x6cm or so slide I have so far found not a trace of a respective tool.

jtk · Aug 2, 2020

AgX said:
Over here those projectors that are or can be made to project Super Slides actually were of the higher end type. But professional photographers unlikely used type 127 cameras. And for cutting a 4x4cm patch out of a 6x6cm or so slide I have so far found not a trace of a respective tool.

Hasselblad made backs designed to make 16 super slides using conventional 120 film. I've used super slide trimmers ... They may be online. Hasselblad or GEPE will know. 46mm long roll neg film was common for portrait studio photographers in 80s.
I shot it with E4 from a Sickles animation camera.

AgX · Aug 2, 2020

Here 46mm wide film never existed, and I guess Super Slides rather were made abroad.
I did not know of that 4x4 back by Hasselblad, interesting.

Vincent Peri · Aug 2, 2020

I found a really nice Ektagraphic III AMT projector on ebay this morning and bought it. Thanks to everyone for your comments.

jtk · Aug 2, 2020

jtk said:
Hasselblad made backs designed to make 16 super slides using conventional 120 film. I've used super slide trimmers ... They may be online. Hasselblad or GEPE will know. 46mm long roll neg film was common for portrait studio photographers in 80s.
I shot it with E4 from a Sickles animation camera.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=hasselblad+a16s&_sacat=0 I don't think they were "uncommon" in major cities..saw them occarionally in San Francisco. Beautiful but challenging money-wise.

I don't remember what kind of trimmer we used. We (my company) shot 46mm long roll Ektachrome E4 from 35mm and other original size in order to assemble as panoramas to make tremendously wide Ektagraphic presentations . We did sometimes use the German Ektagraphics but those were incompatible with conventional Kodak slide trays so we abandoned them...despite their Germanic version of beauty.

We did use Wess super slide mounts, not GEPE, to my recollection. Both were excellent but Wess was easier to use.

jtk · Aug 2, 2020

AgX said:
Here 46mm wide film never existed, and I guess Super Slides rather were made abroad.
I did not know of that 4x4 back by Hasselblad, interesting.

Here's how 46mm long rolls were used in American high production school/portrait studios.

http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Camerz

jtk · Aug 2, 2020

Vincent Peri said:
I found a really nice Ektagraphic III AMT projector on ebay this morning and bought it. Thanks to everyone for your comments.

I think wide accceptance of digital slide projector controllers (e.g. beginning with Smithsonian, 1976) was beginning of end of sophisticated Ektagraphics.

AgX · Aug 2, 2020

Yes, I know about the Camerz cameras. (The only spread long roll cameras in West-Germany were bank and traffic security cameras.)
By the way, I only once in my whole school career I saw a schoolphotographer....

Seperate projector control units are a topić of their own, hardly ever put up at Apug, and with not much information elswhere either.

Chan Tran · Aug 2, 2020

I have 2 Ektagraphic III and think a A and a E. One of them doesn't have AF. Which is fine by me. They are both great. Better quality than the Carrousel series which I have some too. I never have to Ektapro but reading up on them I think they are great projector. I would like to get one but they are very expensive.

AgX · Aug 2, 2020

Over here the Carousel models were professional projectors and thus are rare. But the US-made and the german-made Carousel series were different. I do not know whether that included quality too.

Tom Taylor · Aug 3, 2020

Vincent Peri said:
I found a really nice Ektagraphic III AMT projector on ebay this morning and bought it. Thanks to everyone for your comments.

Congratulations!

The next thing to consider, if you haven't already, is the projection lens. I chose a flat-field which is superior to a curved-field when projecting glass or plastic slides. The curved-field is superior when using embossed cardboard-mounted slides but is equal to a flat-field when projecting non-embossed cardboard mounts. According to Kodak a 75mm lens projects a 6.7' wide image on a screen 13.3' distant from the lens and a 150mm lens 26.6' away. The AMT allows you to adjust the brightness of the bulb and a wide lens aperture will allow you to conserve lamp life without an overly dim projection image.

Thomas

AgX · Aug 3, 2020

What is the difference between embossed and not embossed cardboard mounts? Over here we only knew cardboard mounts (back then typically from the Kodak lab).

jtk · Aug 4, 2020

For best resolution/focus use glass mounts...and since projection hurts film it's better to project duplicates.

Tom Taylor · Aug 4, 2020

AgX said:
What is the difference between embossed and not embossed cardboard mounts? Over here we only knew cardboard mounts (back then typically from the Kodak lab).

Embossed mounts have beveled edges around the aperture for pre-heating and "popping" the film; non-embossed mounts do not. Kodak (Kodalux) mounts were embossed.

AgX · Aug 4, 2020

I had to search the net to find the difference. However I do not think the bevelled one was used in continental Europe, cardboard mounts are less common here anyway.

But I still have no idea what you mean by pre-heating.

MattKing · Aug 4, 2020

AgX said:
I had to search the net to find the difference. However I do not think the bevelled one was used in continental Europe, cardboard mounts are less common here anyway.

But I still have no idea what you mean by pre-heating.

The Carousel/Ektagraphic projectors gently warm the slides that are in the slots immediately preceding the slot that holds the currently projected slide.
That way it isn't as much of a shock for them when they drop into the projection spot.
It is the Kodak way .

AgX · Aug 4, 2020

But what is the benefit of the bevelling in this context? One could argue on maintaining laminar flow, but I consider that far fetched...

jtk · Aug 4, 2020

AgX said:
But what is the benefit of the bevelling in this context? One could argue on maintaining laminar flow, but I consider that far fetched...

It's hilarious.

AgX · Aug 5, 2020

I still do not understand the difference... is it about the bevelled and non-bevelled versions fixing (glue) the film differently?

Over here there is only one curved-field lens, made by Leitz. Intenteded for cardboard mounts. No reference to any bevelling. So even people at Leitz seem ignorant...

Any Kodak Ektagraphic III Slide Projector Owners Here...?

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