ho_co Posted January 21, 2009 Share #1 Posted January 21, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) AFAIK, early Leitz slide projectors were manual single-slide devices bearing the name "Prado." I assume that "Pradovit" means 'a Prado with rapid advance,' just as "Leicavit" means 'a Leica with rapid advance' and "Reprovit" refers to a rapid-action copy stand. (I guess '-vit' is from a Latin root meaning "speed" as in French vitesse.) Anyone got an idea why the term chosen for a slide projector should be "Prado"? OT: I think the Leitz overhead projector was the "Illumitran," with the obvious reference to illuminating a transparency--again a Latinate derivation. Also OT: Standing at the counter of the camera store where he had recently purchased a Leitz projector, an acquaintance told the salesman how much he liked his Pradovit. Overhearing the conversation, someone standing nearby asked curiously, "Pradovit?" To which my acquaintance responded, "You bet I am!" He later told me he had prepared for just such a moment. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted January 21, 2009 Posted January 21, 2009 Hi ho_co, Take a look here anyone know source of "PRADO" for projecters?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
crm.ecosse Posted January 21, 2009 Share #2 Posted January 21, 2009 AFAIK, early Leitz slide projectors were manual single-slide devices bearing the name "Prado." I assume that "Pradovit" means 'a Prado with rapid advance,' just as "Leicavit" means 'a Leica with rapid advance' and "Reprovit" refers to a rapid-action copy stand. (I guess '-vit' is from a Latin root meaning "speed" as in French vitesse.) Anyone got an idea why the term chosen for a slide projector should be "Prado"? OT: I think the Leitz overhead projector was the "Illumitran," with the obvious reference to illuminating a transparency--again a Latinate derivation. Also OT: Standing at the counter of the camera store where he had recently purchased a Leitz projector, an acquaintance told the salesman how much he liked his Pradovit. Overhearing the conversation, someone standing nearby asked curiously, "Pradovit?" To which my acquaintance responded, "You bet I am!" He later told me he had prepared for just such a moment. Perhaps the Museo del Prado in Madrid? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
UliWer Posted January 21, 2009 Share #3 Posted January 21, 2009 AFAIK, early Leitz slide projectors were manual single-slide devices bearing the name "Prado." I assume that "Pradovit" means 'a Prado with rapid advance,' just as "Leicavit" means 'a Leica with rapid advance' and "Reprovit" refers to a rapid-action copy stand. (I guess '-vit' is from a Latin root meaning "speed" as in French vitesse.) Anyone got an idea why the term chosen for a slide projector should be "Prado"? Your theory about the "vit" in Pradovit seems to be right. The Prado was not the earliest projector, there was a "Parvo" or "Gnome" and "Udano", "Udimo", "Umino", often just codewords becoming names or living their own lives besides numbers and other descriptions. Leitz even built projectors in pre-Leica time, though not for slides, they where called "Universal Projektionsapparat". My theory is that the "Pra" was used to give an association that it was just a projection apparatus. So somebody might have had the good idea that with adding the "do" another association to great artistry in spectacular illumination might work much better than all the poor Parvos and Gnomes before. OT: I think the Leitz overhead projector was the "Illumitran," with the obvious reference to illuminating a transparency--again a Latinate derivation. The Illumitran was an apparatus to copy and print slides or other transparent pictures by illuminating and taking photos of them, a sort of analogue scanner. It was made by Bowens of London and only marketed by Leitz. The projector for paper photos was the Epidiascope, where we are back again at the Universal Projektions Apparat of pre-Leica times. I remember a huge modern one used in my school, which always had to be carried by two schoolboys, under the teacher's surveillance who made a fuzz that one had to be so careful with it for the simple lamp alone was ever so expensive. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ho_co Posted January 22, 2009 Author Share #4 Posted January 22, 2009 Uli-- Thanks for the information and the history lesson! That makes complete sense and sounds completely Leitz-like. The Illumitran was an apparatus to copy and print slides or other transparent pictures by illuminating and taking photos of them, a sort of analogue scanner. It was made by Bowens of London and only marketed by Leitz. Thanks for the correction. I even owned one of those until it was stolen with some other Leica equipment years back--long enough that I had forgotten till you reminded me. The projector for paper photos was the Epidiascope, where we are back again at the Universal Projektions Apparat of pre-Leica times. I remember a huge modern one used in my school, which always had to be carried by two schoolboys, under the teacher's surveillance who made a fuzz that one had to be so careful with it for the simple lamp alone was ever so expensive. Why does that not surprise me? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ho_co Posted January 22, 2009 Author Share #5 Posted January 22, 2009 Perhaps the Museo del Prado in Madrid? crm-- Good suggestion! An invitation to landscape photographers, since I think prado means "meadow" in Spanish. FWIW--In the US there's an organization, PRADO, which refers to something like Public RAdio Development Organization (?). Here there is virtually no government support for radio or television, so stations are either commercial (supported by advertising) or public (supported by listener donations). The Development Director at public stations is charged with raising the money to keep the station on the air, and PRADO is the national organization of Development Directors. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jc_braconi Posted January 22, 2009 Share #6 Posted January 22, 2009 In my collection I have 3 items that are exactly the same but 1st is engraved GNOME the 2nd PARVO and the 3rd PRADO and I cannot see any difference, except for the more harmonious sound when you pronounce the last one. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. No Posted January 22, 2009 Share #7 Posted January 22, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) In my collection I have 3 items that are exactly the same but 1st is engraved GNOME the 2nd PARVO and the 3rd PRADO and I cannot see any difference, except for the more harmonious sound when you pronounce the last one. yes, there were similarities. take a look at the german wiki: Übersicht Projektoren - Leica Wiki (deutsch) have fun, OLAF Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
k_g_wolf ✝ Posted January 22, 2009 Share #8 Posted January 22, 2009 E. LEITZ used those short five- letter- names for LEITZ items before it changed to productnumbers as we know them now. I. e.: the LEICA MP b/p: 10 302, today still with five digits. LENEU, in the old Barnack-days resembled the LEICA II, VIDOM a viewfinder, PRADO et al was chosen for projectors. This was handy in those days to reduce mistakes when telegraph- orders were placed by their faithful dealers worldwide. They had hundreds of these short words to define the productportofolio and they didn´t mean anything special in most cases. Best Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ho_co Posted January 23, 2009 Author Share #9 Posted January 23, 2009 K.G.-- I've always been fascinated as well by the NOOKY in its various manifestations. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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