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Slides


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19 replies to this topic

#1
K-9

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There's nothing that beats a great transparency.  Very hard to get them processed now, and even harder to get good Cibachrome prints.  Although, I believe this place is still functioning: http://www.lab-ciba.com/index.html

 

I don't feel there will every be a better medium in photography, unless some sort of 3-d projection type photos gets invented in the future.  They were so sharp, crisp, 3-d like without being 3-d, and there's something special about viewing a projected image on a large screen.  A 6x7 slide can still rival any sharpness of a digital file created by the D800.

 

I fell like I always want to keep at least one 35mm film camera around, just to take some transparencies on occasion.  I also like buying slide lots off ebay, either from amateur photographers stashes they've hidden away for years, or professional sets released for educational purposes back in the 60s-80s.

 

Damn, if there's one thing I miss in the digital age of photography, it's definitely slides.

 

 



#2
alden

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I have many carousel trays of them from the 70's, 80's and 90's.

 

I need to spend a few days going through them and pulling out the best ones to have digitized. 



#3
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Yes, I've got many filled carousel trays, too. And a lot of 6x7 slides but I never had a medium format projector.

#4
DCB

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I have a large box full of slides...all I used to shoot. For enlargements always had them done direct for best quality. 

 

Nothing digital, that I have seen, looks better that a slide projected on a large screen.

 

Peace



#5
Outdadarwin

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I always preferred slides when I used film, but they fade over time.

I scanned all the best ones a few years ago before they faded too much.

Same goes for prints, especially if you live in a hot humid climate like Darwin.



#6
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Yes, the one downside is they don't last as long as negatives. And they are the original so you have to take extra care of them. I lost one of my best photos which was a 6x7 slide. Luckily, it was published in a magazine so I can still view it, but if I never find the original slide, I can't make any future prints. You lose a print and you still have the negative, or even vice versa, if you still have a decent print to scan, all is not totally lost. However, you lose the slide and it's a wrap.

#7
Guy

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Positive film is nice but the right tool for the right job.  BW negative film has practically double the dynamic range ( if you meter and develop the film for highlight compression). So for high contrast scenes, positive film is not the way to go in general.



#8
foto guy

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I'm no expert, but I would think storing slides in archival sleeves would be preferable to storage in trays, as far as long-term preservation goes.

I welcome any feedback/rebuttal 'cause I really don't know which is best.

I've got a bunch of slides--some mine, some dad's--and I'm trying to decide how best to store them. I intend to digitize the best ones, as well.



#9
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As far as archival sleeves vs slide carousels, one is stored vertical, the other horizontal.  I believe the slide can bow/warp more when it's horizontal due to gravity.  I haven't tested this though!  I have all my carousels with their covers on, to not allow dust/moisture in.  



#10
foto guy

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Well, I store my sleeves in a notebook on a shelf, so they are vertical. But good point to note about storing horizontal.

I suppose as long as they are kept cool, dry, and away from light, one particular storage method isn't better than another.



#11
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Well, I store my sleeves in a notebook on a shelf, so they are vertical. But good point to note about storing horizontal.

I suppose as long as they are kept cool, dry, and away from light, one particular storage method isn't better than another.

 

The only problem with storing archival sleeves upright on a shelf is that dust will inevitably fall into the top of the sleeves and get on the slide.  I guess you could put them in an enclosed cabinet, but even those aren't impermeable to dust.  I have plenty of slides in sleeves in notebooks and they are all inside closed storage bins, but not vertical.



#12
foto guy

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The only problem with storing archival sleeves upright on a shelf is that dust will inevitably fall into the top of the sleeves and get on the slide.  I guess you could put them in an enclosed cabinet, but even those aren't impermeable to dust.  I have plenty of slides in sleeves in notebooks and they are all inside closed storage bins, but not vertical.

Good point. I should remedy that.



#13
Sante

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Slides are good medium, but they are basically outdated and overcome by the digital age. Just like the film. Digital photos are much easier to store and manage.



#14
foto guy

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Slides are good medium, but they are basically outdated and overcome by the digital age. Just like the film. Digital photos are much easier to store and manage.

I agree they are easier to store and manage, but not that they're outdated. They're an older medium, with their own unique look, but as long as they keep making film, there will be folks shooting slides. Heck, I know people who still make images using 19th century methods. Just because they're different doesn't mean they're bad.



#15
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I never got to do slides. My wife did though. She has several carousels of them.

#16
BonOlgirl

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I have a box of slides before I was born and when I was a kid. A lot of them are faded, but I love looking at them. Some time ago, I set up a small slide viewer on the table with my camera propped on a tripod and took pics of them. Quality didn't turn out as well as I wanted. Would like to have a better setup to do this.

 

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#17
George in Georgia

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Like others, I have zillions of slides, both those I shot and many,many my Father shot, some of which are Kodachromes dating to the 30s, 40s and 50s.  My long-term project is to scan them all in, and use Lightroom to build via its Tags or Keywords, an easily searchable database.  I should be able to find any given slide very quickly.  That's the plan, anyway.

 

The real question is where to get processing!  I've done Ektachrome, starting with E 2, IIRC, the one that used a photoflood bulb for the reversal. :o   I'm not enthused with doing that again!  Additionally I'm not convinced that the kits now available are comparable to what Kodak used to offer.

 

It also seems that the labs I've found on the 'net tend to offer mounting for 35mm only.  I shoot 35mm and 120 in 6 x 6 and 645 formats, and I scored a used Kindermann projector so I could view them as they should be seen.

 

Any of you have experiences with 'chrome labs, good or bad?  Inquiring minds want to know... 



#18
cooltouch

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Where I live, there's a pro lab that will develop E-6. They mount 35mm only though.  You might try Dwayne's -- they're practically "the place" in the USA to have your film developed quickly, correctly, and in fresh chemicals.  Maybe they mount medium format slides?

 

I've been shooting slides since shortly after I began shooting 35mm cameras, back in about 1982. I've always preferred slides over print film because the images seem sharper and have greater color saturation. I also like to be able to look directly at the image, without there having to be any intervening technology in order to see the correct image.

 

I have several thousand slides that I keep in archival sleeves in hanging files.  I store them in file boxes in cool areas of my house. My slides date back to about 1983 now, many of which are E-6, and many of these early E-6s have not begun to shift colors. Some have. Some of my Kodachromes have, too, far as that goes. With regard to the quality of home kits vs Kodak's processing (and we shouldn't leave out Fuji's), I haven't seen any noticeable difference. I have developed my own slides, on occasion, since 1985, and those early slides show no evidence of color shift yet. So here's hoping that stays true because I'm doing all my own E-6 processing now. And I've recently started doing all my own C-41 as well, to keep costs down.  It's a LOT cheaper if you do it yourself.



#19
Musicman

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Slides are definitely a great medium.  I still have many carousels full of them.  I agree that nothing beats viewing slide images on a big screen.  It's too bad that slide film processing and mounting is so expensive these days.  That alone keeps me from using it.  As soon as I get a good scanner (in a couple of months or so) I'll be picking out my best shots to digitize them.



#20
daveFM2

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Shooting professionally my clients preferred slides. It was the reproduction factor. I also used digital, reluctantly, while Kodachrome was available, it was the preferred medium by my clients. I stored my slides in safe plastic pages. The pages were then stored in binders. Black and white negatives will last, B&W prints like wise.


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