I have a number of 35mm and 6 x 4.5 Black & White negatives that I would like to copy as slides for projection. What are my options for doing this and what materials and equipment would I need, quality will be important.

-- Nick Pullen (nickpullen@bigfoot.com), June 05, 2001

Answers

I think the best way to do this is to make prints and spot them. Then get the Kodak B/W Slide processing Kit (used with Tmax film). Shoot them on a copy stand and process as per the instructions in the kit. I used to do alot of this and the resulting slides were beautiful!

-- Scott Walton (scotlynn@shore.net), October 23, 2001.

Nick, this is a little known trick. If you contact your negs directly onto ( or even enlarge/projct them for large transparencies ) ortho- film (yes the kind used for line copies, halftones and lithographs!), then process the ortho in d-19, you will get great conversions. I would suggest setting up your system by starting with the d-19 at 68f for 4 min with continous agitation. Do a test strip just like making a print. you can control the contrast with the development/expopsure combinations instead or printing filters ( the same as the zone system for expanding/contracting the neg). don't forget to make sure the image and new film are emulsion to emulsion for sharpness.

if you do go the other route and copy your prints, i would not suggest the t-max kit. It has contrast and consistency issues, and the replenishment for it is not accurate enough for SLIDES. Try using the DR5 process. that will give you the consistency and control high quality slides need. good luck, any Q's feel free to e-mail me. George

-- George (zbeeblebrox42@yahoo.com), January 07, 2002.

One option that I have had great results with is this, get some Kodak fine grain positve release film. The last time I bought some in 2001 it was about $15.00 for a 100 foot roll. I think that the number is of the film is 5302. You can get it in 4x5 and I think that number is 5306. I use a 35mm nikon and a 55mm micro lens but many others will work.

Take the negative and put it on a light box, I have done many different size negatives including glass plates with a homemade lightbox.

Load up your 35mm with some 5302, I use reloadable cassettes.

The EI of this film is very slow so I brackett and the EI is about 1.5 so I use a tripod and try a few different shutter speeds.

Develop in Dektol and you can do this with a safelight on just like paper. I develop about a minute and a half, stop and fix as for paper and you may be surprised how well the slides come out. This probalby sounds more complicated than it is, but you get beautiful slides.

-- shannon (shannon76@anglefire.com), January 07, 2002.

Sorry,mistake above, it is 5302 and 7302 Kodak fine grain positive release film.

-- shannon (shanno76@angelfire.com), January 07, 2002.