What large format projectors are available?

I know about the Noblex one mentioned here but I was wondering if there are any others, or else if anyone knows anything about the Noblex (like the price :-)

-- Chris Bitmead (chrisb@ans.com.au), May 07, 1998

Answers

B&H lists the Noblux at around $3000 w/280mm f/4 lens (website listing is under Medium format projectors). I've never seen any others, but I haven't been looking too hard!

-- Michael Cheetham (cheetham@nas.edu), May 07, 1998.

Noblex make a 4x5 projector. You may wish to check Http://www.cameras-scanners-flaar.org/html/Noble_4x5_slide_projector.html and related links.

I have read that movie sets use back projection of 8x10 transparencies (2001-A space odyssey famously used these, for all the primate background scenes, which were shot in South Africa), so there must be 8x10 projectors around, though they may be custom made. I expect stock items must be hideously expensive.

-- Mani Sitaraman (bindumani@pacific.net.sg), May 07, 1998.

For a very cheap large format projector, use an overhead projector. For better quality, replace the lens.

-- Alan Gibson (gibson.al@mail.dec.com), May 08, 1998.

Good answer!

Which lens to replace? You mean the lens in the top bit? How would you get a lens that fits those optical requirements? By buying a very good quality overhead projector perhaps???

-- Chris Bitmead (chrisb@ans.com.au), May 08, 1998.

I think an overhead projector would have too much distortion to use as a LF projector (unless you are not very picky about image quality).

-- Ron Shaw (shaw9@llnl.gov), May 11, 1998.

Sure, the quality may not be adequate for the task, it depends what the task is. Different OHP units will have different shortcomings, but obvious problems will be uneven illumination, and less-than-ideal lenses, yes, the one near the mirror that actually focuses the film on the screen. This lens is likely to be of large aperture, but may suffer from chromatic abberation, among other problems. It could be replaced with a modern camera or enlarging lens, but these are likely to be small apertures. You might be able to find an old large-format aerial lens in a junk shop.

Sure, I wouldn't suggest that Lucasfilms use this for back-projection on their next Star Wars episode, but for those of us on a more modest budget, ...

-- Alan Gibson (gibson.al@mail.dec.com), May 22, 1998.