Hi guys i need help. I own a Leica Pradovit P 150 IR, am quite inexperienced at using projectors, and I need to know two things. 1. When I focus on a slide, it focuses like a SLR, where only a portion of the scene is in focus. Is this correct? And is there anything I can do so that I get the depth of field showing as I took it?

2. Is the Super colour pan lens any good, and does the special version really compensate for a non-flat slide?

Thanks in advance guys.

-- kronik (leicashot@hotmail.com), January 22, 2002

Answers

Kronik - this is a perennial problem with projection, especially if slides are not glass mounted for absolute flatness. Also, your projector should be absolutely aligned with the flattest screen you can find. Make sure the lens projector is at a height which brings the lens at the midway point of the screen and is not angled up or down or from right to left. There is very little depth of field. Any "keystoning" of the projected image means you do not have the projector parallel and you will never get an all over sharp image, even with glass mounts. As to the curved field lens, it does make a big difference on most slides not in glass, but it is not a perfect solution as not all slides have identical curvature. The CF lens is worth having though if most of your slides will be in cardboard or plastic mounts. Hope this helps.

-- Ivor Quaggin (iquaggin@rogers.com), January 22, 2002.

Kronik

The Super-Colorplan lens is probably the best there is. The curved field versions are a waste of time: you are better off with a flat field version. The CF version were designed for use with Kodachromes in card mounts. I found that the flat field lens is better even for this. If you got a flat field version, you may find your images improve a good deal.

But it is also likely that your focussing issue is a typical problem with "cheaper" projectors. All the cheaper Leica projectors are essentially "European" type projectors that are pretty much the same inside as projectors sold by Agfa, Kindermann, GAF etc. etc.

My experience is that they cannot produce a wholly satisfactory image and there is not much you can do about it. I suggest you consider buying a new or secondhand "professional" Leica projector -- Color 250, CA2500, CA2502, P2000, P2002. These are streets ahead of anything else including Kodak Carousels. Even these projectors are not perfect, but they are the best there is. I cannot comment on the Leica carousel type projectors as I have not investigated them.

The only way to get perfect edge to edge sharpness is by glass mounting your slides, but this is a pain, expensive and not advisable in my opinion.

-- Robin Smith (smith_robin@hotmail.com), January 22, 2002.

I have the latest Pradovit RT-s (in reality a German Kodak) with the 90 Super-Colorplan-PRO and it suffers from the same problem. In addition the AF is quite slow and I find I can refocus faster with the remote. Before this I had a C2500 with no AF and a Colorplan lens, it was no worse. Neither is my Kodak Ektagraphic with Schneider Prolux zoomlens. I had a P150 for a short time and it was about the same. The only advantage to the RT-s is it uses the same trays as my Kodak and most every auditorium has Kodaks so keeping my slides in non-Kodak trays is a PITA. Otherwise from my experience, there's a lot less difference between projectors and lenses than with cameras and lenses.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), January 22, 2002.

"Otherwise from my experience, there's a lot less difference between projectors and lenses than with cameras and lenses."

I would agree with this statement - most are not very good. The Leica P2000 and CA 2502 I have are much better (brighter and sharper image, sharper over more of the screen) than any German made Kodak carousel I have looked at (or any other projector for that matter).

-- Robin Smith (smith_robin@hotmail.com), January 22, 2002.

We have the P 2000 with the Super Colorplan 90mm. It's by far the best combination we've had in years and years. Of course, slides have to be stored in the straight trays; however, that may be a blessing in disguise, as you can store about 50% more slides in the same space as taken up by the carousels. As pointed out above - - be certain that you avois the keystone effect. Also, we've found that mounting our transparencies in glassless plastic in lieu of the cardboard mounts helps to flatten the film. And, use a matte screen!

George

-- George C. Berger (gberger@his.com), February 20, 2002.