High Quality Image Projection

[gib_robinson]

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Since I'm not about to invest in Leica's spectacular digital projector (D1200 around 13K U.S.), and have not seen any high-quality digital projectors in my price range, I am about to experiment with transferring some digital files to slide film (via a service using an LVT film recorder) and then projecting them the old fashioned way using a Prodovit P300IR. Has anyone gone this route? If so, what's your take on the quality of the final product?

 

Thanks,

 

--Gib

[theno23]

Since I'm not about to invest in Leica's spectacular digital projector (D1200 around 13K U.S.), and have not seen any high-quality digital projectors in my price range, I am about to experiment with transferring some digital files to slide film (via a service using an LVT film recorder) and then projecting them the old fashioned way using a Prodovit P300IR. Has anyone gone this route? If so, what's your take on the quality of the final product?

 

Thanks,

 

--Gib

 

Have you tried a UXGA projector? There a few thousand dollars (for a good one) and I've seen them used in galleries to project photographs, and the results were impressive.

 

 

The resolution is only a few MP, which doesn't sound like much, but it looks good in real life.

 

 

Why don't you take along a laptop with a high res video output to a projector dealer and try it out?

[Laki]

Since I'm not about to invest in Leica's spectacular digital projector (D1200 around 13K U.S.)....

--Gib

 

the Leica d1200 is out of production for some time now. and thee a plenty of beamers nowadays with even better specifications for less money, except if you go for a 4K one.

[gib_robinson]

the Leica d1200 is out of production for some time now. and thee a plenty of beamers nowadays with even better specifications for less money, except if you go for a 4K one.

 

Do you have some specific projectors you can refer me to?

 

Thanks,

 

--Gib

[Laki]

Do you have some specific projectors you can refer me to?

 

Thanks,

 

--Gib

 

well mainly depends on your budget maybe this site will help you choose: Projectors, Projector Reviews, LCD Projectors, Home Theater DLP Projectors at ProjectorCentral.com

[gib_robinson]

well mainly depends on your budget maybe this site will help you choose: Projectors, Projector Reviews, LCD Projectors, Home Theater DLP Projectors at ProjectorCentral.com

 

Thank you, that site is helpful.

 

--Gib

[Hugh 38]

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I have seen some digital files converted to slide by Cavendish here in the UK and the results are very good.

 

As for a digital projector I have seen very good results from a Canon SX80 mark 2 . I have found it works best when conected to a Mac Book Pro using high quality cables , the HDMI and DVi conections best .

[leica dream]

Gib

I have just gone through this process in the UK. I tried two suppliers Digital Slides and http://www.Peakimaging.co.uk.

Results from Peak Imaging were superb. That is not a service which they offer generally but they charged me GBP2.80 per slide. The colours were true, bright and vibrant. This firm processed all my films before I went digital.

Digital Slides charged GBP3.00 but sadly their colours were not at all real compared with the original.

I have found that the most difficult task is finding a suitable slide projector. However, although transparencies are far better images than projected digital, after a lot of heartache I have decided to search for a digital machine which delivers the best images for my purposes.

Richard

[koray]

...

 

As for a digital projector I have seen very good results from a Canon SX80 mark 2 . I have found it works best when conected to a Mac Book Pro using high quality cables , the HDMI and DVi conections best .

 

Canon SX80 looks terrific. Do you know the differences between SX80 mark 1 and mark 2?

 

Thanks

 

K.

[koray]

Canon SX80 looks terrific. Do you know the differences between SX80 mark 1 and mark 2?

 

Thanks

 

K.

 

Answering my own question from projectorcentral website comparison:

Featuring a new Photo Mode setting, the REALiS SX80 Mark II allows you to make precise adjustments to the projector's color temperature and color level

Seems otherwise identical.

 

K.

[gib_robinson]

Gib

I have just gone through this process in the UK. I tried two suppliers Digital Slides and http://www.Peakimaging.co.uk.

Results from Peak Imaging were superb. That is not a service which they offer generally but they charged me GBP2.80 per slide. The colours were true, bright and vibrant. This firm processed all my films before I went digital.

Digital Slides charged GBP3.00 but sadly their colours were not at all real compared with the original.

I have found that the most difficult task is finding a suitable slide projector. However, although transparencies are far better images than projected digital, after a lot of heartache I have decided to search for a digital machine which delivers the best images for my purposes.

Richard

 

Thank you, Richard. I'm glad to hear there are suppliers who do a good job. I will try having a batch of slides made from digital images even if it is just to know for sure what level of quality I can get from that process. I assume the quality of digital machines will continue to improve and if I dawdle for a few years, paying the price for a high-quality machine will not feel so daunting. I've used Leica cameras and lenses to get high-quality images and I am very reluctant to compromise that quality with a so-so digital projector.

 

I am curious about the difficulties you have had "finding a suitable slide projector". I've seen Leica projectors (new and used) for around 300-400 U.S. with excellent lenses. Is that the "heartache" that is spurring you to find a good digital projector?

 

--Gib

[leica dream]

Gib

Being a pensioner I took a very long time deciding my course of action and in fact assessed the options over several weeks and on two separate occasions several months apart. In the end I decided to take the longer view that maybe the ability to get transparencies from digital in years to come might get very prohibitive as demand plummets. I do have the ability to transfer my transparencies to digital with my Epson Photo scanner so can be self supporting and tweak as appropriate in photoshop. Eventually I went for an Epson projector too, but it did make a big hole in my pocket. As you say, using Leica to gain the images, one wants to be satisfied with the projected images - but within one's budget.

Richard

[Hugh 38]

Glad you have founds the difference between a mark 1 and 2 . I did not see any mar 1 models when I purchased the mark 2 .

There is also a medical version which is meant to be good for looking at X-rays.

 

As for conventional slide projectors I have found the P600s to be very good. At home I use the Colourplan 90 which is wonderfull , then when I give slide shows I use the vario elmaron zooms which can acaomdate different halls.

I have a CA 2502 with a 90 Colourplan which projects the best picture but mechanically it is unreliable.

[koray]

Glad you have founds the difference between a mark 1 and 2 . I did not see any mar 1 models when I purchased the mark 2 .

There is also a medical version which is meant to be good for looking at X-rays.

 

As for conventional slide projectors I have found the P600s to be very good. At home I use the Colourplan 90 which is wonderfull , then when I give slide shows I use the vario elmaron zooms which can acaomdate different halls.

I have a CA 2502 with a 90 Colourplan which projects the best picture but mechanically it is unreliable.

 

I currently use a Sony LCD projector for watching movies at home. I was wondering if you have ever tried SX80 for HD movies? I understand that it has better blacks and minimal grid compared to regular LCD projectors. Any other pros or cons compared to LCD projectors for HD movie projection?

 

Thanks!

 

K.

[Hugh 38]

Sorry for the delay in replying , I have been away and this week has been very busy.

I have not played any movies at all through the SX80 , let alone HD ones. I imagine I would conect it to the blue ray player via an HDMI lead.

 

The projector has been used mainly for showing presentations made on Keynote and Powerpoint as well as pictures , jpeg and tiff , . I also believe it best not to mess about re-sizing , though many would disagree on that .

[dkCambridgeshire]

I'm also looking for a decent digital projector and have spent hours Googling specifications and reviews. I'd almost settled for an Optoma HD131XE - however, AV forum comments suggest that the lens is liable to project images with unsharp top LHS and lower RHS corners - and that being a known fault are being replaced under warranty - presumably with models with upgraded lenses. As this anomaly has been identified fairly recently there might be a load of them in stock with not so good lenses - so purchase is 'on hold'

 

The search goes on ... 'shall ... I shan't I?' ... seems to me that whatever I decide to buy will never be perfect.

 

I may even opt for a good quality little used/secondhand WXGA model if can find one as I do not need HD for the intended use. But even WXGA specifications vary so much it's difficult to choose ... and some of those found have not generated any reviews/test reports.

 

There are hundreds of used (presumably ex corporate) SVGA and XGA models on Ebay - listed by specialist dealers and selling for c. £100 or less but replacement lamps when needed cost far in excess of the s/h projector cost. I guess it would be a matter of ditching the projector and buying another cheapy model when the lamp wears out ... but there's still the problem of not knowing how suitable they are for projecting photos as distinct from spreadsheets etc.

 

I never realised there were/are so many different types and models ... probably more so than with cameras.

 

Best wishes

 

dunk