I have just re discovered my collection of 35mm slides and would very much like to start looking through them. Holding them up to the light just doesn't cut it! There do seem to be plenty of old projectors for sale on sites like ebay, by the way I am in Sydney, Australia. As these items are beginning to get a bit old, I would rather get a better quality item than a cheap and cheerful one. Would appreciate feedback on which makes/models are worth looking at and especially those which have readily available parts such as lamps. Plenty of Kodak and Hanimex on ebay but have been looking at Rollei, particularly the P335 as there are a couple of those available. All information welcome, thanks. Peter
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Kodak has the advantage of both projectors and accessories being plentiful. I've found them to be adequately reliable.
kodak
My Kodak Carousel still works fine and I bought a spare bulb for it not too long ago.
My Kodak Carousel still works fine and I bought a spare bulb for it not too long ago.
I would suggest a Kodak unit. They are widely available and also parts and they are quite inexpensive. The Leica could be very good but I don't have one and the price is quite expensive.
There are 3 lines of Kodak projectors.
1. The Carousel (they called this line Carousel although all of their projectors use a carousel slide tray) was designed for hobbyist and home use.
2. The Ektagraphic was designed more demanding uses like in an organization for presentation.
3. The newest Ektapro which has many extra features but they are quite expensive used.
There are 3 lines of Kodak projectors.
1. The Carousel (they called this line Carousel although all of their projectors use a carousel slide tray) was designed for hobbyist and home use.
2. The Ektagraphic was designed more demanding uses like in an organization for presentation.
3. The newest Ektapro which has many extra features but they are quite expensive used.
I'm at a disadvantage in trying to choose a tray format for you as I have no idea what slide tray formats are/were common in Australia.
My first question would be "How many slides do you have". If the number is fewer than about 500, a well designed manual projector may be the sensible answer. If you have a few thousand to see, the faster operation of a slide projector using a tray would be worth it.
That being said, the European Straight tray is quite rare in the USA, and I do not have a projector using it at present. The popular trays in the US were the Airequipt metal magazine and TDC/Universal (plastic) tray (mid-1950s-early-60s) followed by the Kodak Carousel and the Sawyer's Rototray (mid-1960s-circa 2000). I would avoid the Airequipt-using models for two reasons: 1) since each slide goes into an metal frame, which in turn is inserted into the metal magazine, it's a royal pain to use them unless you intend to keep the slides stored in the trays and 2) it seems the the friction of those metal frames against the walls of the magazine increases with age, causing jams.
The Carousel trays are extremely unlikely to jam, but the truth is that the Sawyer's Rototray is just as reliable so long as the slides are intact. The Rototray-using models are mechanically simpler than the Carousels, and easier to repair if something goes wrong with the projector itself. Most projectors that take the Rototray can also used slides in TDC/Universal straight trays (Carousels can use only trays made just for Carousel. Carousel projectors can also project slides manually - insert a slide into the slide gate upside down, and press SELECT to make the slide pop out like a piece of toast!)
Two other notes - not all Kodak projectors are Carousels. Kodak make manual projectors early on, than had ones using the Airequipt Magazine or a built-in stackloader, followed by their own straight plastic tray format called Cavalcade, before rolling out (no pun intended) the Carousel in late 1961.
There were projectors sold under the Hanimex brand sold in the US in the 1970's and 1980's that used the Sawyer's Rototray. I don't know whether the Hanimex Projectors sold elsewhere used the Rototray or not (The Rototray stands up inside the projector like a Ferris wheel, now flat like a Carousel)
Things to consider when buying a slide projector would be to make sure everything is there, make sure the power cord is in perfect shape, that everything runs, and check the availability and cost of bulbs on the open market (i.e., find the code for the bulb the projector uses and check internet auction sites for that lamp code).
My first question would be "How many slides do you have". If the number is fewer than about 500, a well designed manual projector may be the sensible answer. If you have a few thousand to see, the faster operation of a slide projector using a tray would be worth it.
That being said, the European Straight tray is quite rare in the USA, and I do not have a projector using it at present. The popular trays in the US were the Airequipt metal magazine and TDC/Universal (plastic) tray (mid-1950s-early-60s) followed by the Kodak Carousel and the Sawyer's Rototray (mid-1960s-circa 2000). I would avoid the Airequipt-using models for two reasons: 1) since each slide goes into an metal frame, which in turn is inserted into the metal magazine, it's a royal pain to use them unless you intend to keep the slides stored in the trays and 2) it seems the the friction of those metal frames against the walls of the magazine increases with age, causing jams.
The Carousel trays are extremely unlikely to jam, but the truth is that the Sawyer's Rototray is just as reliable so long as the slides are intact. The Rototray-using models are mechanically simpler than the Carousels, and easier to repair if something goes wrong with the projector itself. Most projectors that take the Rototray can also used slides in TDC/Universal straight trays (Carousels can use only trays made just for Carousel. Carousel projectors can also project slides manually - insert a slide into the slide gate upside down, and press SELECT to make the slide pop out like a piece of toast!)
Two other notes - not all Kodak projectors are Carousels. Kodak make manual projectors early on, than had ones using the Airequipt Magazine or a built-in stackloader, followed by their own straight plastic tray format called Cavalcade, before rolling out (no pun intended) the Carousel in late 1961.
There were projectors sold under the Hanimex brand sold in the US in the 1970's and 1980's that used the Sawyer's Rototray. I don't know whether the Hanimex Projectors sold elsewhere used the Rototray or not (The Rototray stands up inside the projector like a Ferris wheel, now flat like a Carousel)
Things to consider when buying a slide projector would be to make sure everything is there, make sure the power cord is in perfect shape, that everything runs, and check the availability and cost of bulbs on the open market (i.e., find the code for the bulb the projector uses and check internet auction sites for that lamp code).
Good information above! A valuable accessory for some Kodak users is the stack loader that lets you cycle through a stack of slides instead of having to load them into carousels.
Good point! The Carousel stack loader is the most reliable stack loader I've ever tried. The stack loader for the Sawyer's type machines is not quite as reliable (I do have one that is reasonably reliable when used with a GAF 2100-R, but not so well when used with a Minolta Autopak AF)
Caveat: The Carousel Stack loader will not work with the oldest (550) Carousel models.
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Projectors are available with different lenses. If you decide on a Kodak projector, then try to find one with a Schneider lens. If you decide on Leica, then go for the one with a Colorplan lens.
The Kodak is less prone to jamming. On the negative side, the rotary tray is quite rare in Europe and takes up a larger space to store than a straight tray.
Most straight tray projectors, such as Leica, Kindermann, Reflecta, Braun and Rollei, accept three tray formats, namely, LKM. CS, and universal. Universal trays made by Gepe of Sweden are available in Europe, you can also find them at B&H and Amazon. On the negative side, the straight tray projectors can jam if slide mounts of different thicknesses are placed on the same tray.
The Kodak is less prone to jamming. On the negative side, the rotary tray is quite rare in Europe and takes up a larger space to store than a straight tray.
Most straight tray projectors, such as Leica, Kindermann, Reflecta, Braun and Rollei, accept three tray formats, namely, LKM. CS, and universal. Universal trays made by Gepe of Sweden are available in Europe, you can also find them at B&H and Amazon. On the negative side, the straight tray projectors can jam if slide mounts of different thicknesses are placed on the same tray.
Interesting. In the USA, many slide projectors have interchangeable lenses, including all Carousels and nearly all those using the Rototray. This allowed the projectors to be sold with or without zoom without making changes in manufacturing the rest of the projector. It allowed for the sale of lenses as long as 7" (for large audiences) or as short as 3" (for homes with small living rooms).
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I have used my carousel projector with lenses from 50mm to 300mm. They all fit. The 300mm however is way too long and heavy I need to provide additional support to make it work.
What I can say is, the several Kodak carousel projector that I acquired has some issues turning and switching, or one stimply won't stop turning. (I also dislike the use of the extensive use of plastic parts and gears) . Funny enough I got an older Sawyer type with one of those straight trays works like a dream.
All Carousels use the same lenses. There are several makers that made higher quality lenses but most of the lenses available from GYF were adequate if not wonderful.
Four to six inch lenses were typical the 4-6" zoom was more $$ more from a convenience standpoint than anything else.
An Ektagraphic projector and stack loader would be reasonable situation.
The later Rollei projectors were made in Taiwan/China and at the shop I worked in it got to a point the sales folk wouldn't even sell them for fear of them coming back.
If you have the $$ for the Leica machine it has a far sharper/brighter image than the Kodak.
Four to six inch lenses were typical the 4-6" zoom was more $$ more from a convenience standpoint than anything else.
An Ektagraphic projector and stack loader would be reasonable situation.
The later Rollei projectors were made in Taiwan/China and at the shop I worked in it got to a point the sales folk wouldn't even sell them for fear of them coming back.
If you have the $$ for the Leica machine it has a far sharper/brighter image than the Kodak.
Kodak Carousels are the most reliable, had the fewest returns when I worked at camera stores and they are the cheapest.
Well, maybe i am just bad luck or they don't apply to 30 years old used models.
Projectors are great if you need to show to a group, but for individual viewing a direct viewer is much better. In addition to seeing the colors and details much brighter and clearer, the small, cool bulbs cannot damage the slides. Cheap Pana-vues are still available new. But the best is to go to the action site and pick up an old Pana-vue Bi-lens viewer. These use a set of half silvered mirrors to present the image to both eyes.
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