The Fascinating Renaissance of Slide Projection

(Part 1)

By Hermann Groeneveld / SilvergrainClassics

Discover slide projection with home cinema feelimg

What better way to enjoy slide photography than with a projection? Just in time for the holidays, in issue 25 of SilvergrainClassics, we take a look at the equipment for your own slide show and the magic of this analog experience.
The following article is an extended excerpt from the current magazine. Free for you analog film enthusiasts. To inspire you to get to grips with your slides on the quieter days between the years. And to rediscover slide projection for yourself.

Also check out Marwan El Mozayen’s introduction to the unique Rollei MSC slide projector.

The large-scale projected slide has lost none of its charm

The room is darkened, the canvas is raised. Now turn on the projector – the fan noise will be heard. And there it is again, the cinema feeling from seemingly long-gone days in the living room. Skilfully staged, a visual event is presented that appeals to the senses. The slide, projected extensively on the screen, has lost none of its charm to this day, not to mention its luminosity and brilliance. This applies to private slide shows as well as to presentations in the artistic field. The most fascinating type of slide presentation is undoubtedly the cross-fade projection: one projected image merges smoothly into the next, or, depending on the mood, sometimes hard. But always without an annoying dark break. No tiring light / dark change when moving a slide in and out and no glaring dazzling image surface when changing magazines.

Engaging with your images

Smartphones and tablets make it possible to carry thousands of photos around with us in our pockets, so to speak, which we consume on small screens. Digital technology does the rest to make them appear supposedly sharp and brilliant. Why is slide projection on canvas nevertheless experiencing a remarkable renaissance right now and for whom? These are the questions SilvergrainClassics asked Manfred Schmidt, owner of the international company DiaVision in Munich, Germany. Schmidt buys slide projectors, maintains them and sells them worldwide. “In addition to collectors of historical slide projectors, which actually exist, two groups have emerged in my experience: On the one hand, there are the interested parties, who have usually taken over a large slide archive, sometimes even from their ancestors. They want to continue to enjoy their treasures on the big screen. Mostly in the home environment, with family and friends. They are again taking the time to deal with their Images. Then there are the very young who have discovered slide projection as an alternative medium for themselves. They are simply fascinated by the fact that a small slide can suddenly be projected on the wall in a huge and colorful way compared to other digital media.”

Large and brilliant in effect – easy to use

The strikingly impressive size of the projected image undoubtedly achieves a high level of attention from the audience. Details and color intensity of a slide come into their own better on a large-scale canvas than is ever possible with a digital device. At best, you would have to invest a lot of money to achieve the quality of classic slide projection digitally with a high-performance projector. The technique of cross-fading is a wonderful enhancement: slide presentation without light / dark pause. The type of cross-fading can be used creatively in a variety of ways, similar to editing in a movie. In this way, the sequence of images can also be synchronized with musical accompaniment. A sunrise, for example, slowly and dramatically fades into another image of a nocturnal desert landscape. This announces a sequence of images that depicts the morning mood in the desert. From fast image sequences with high dynamics to sensitively soft cross-fades, the flow of a presentation can be varied. And always with the appeal of the “third image” or from image fades and overlays to special effects such as flashings. The visual impact of a presentation as a whole, through carefully used effects, supports its content. This is especially important in lectures, art exhibitions or cultural events, where the emotions and mood of the picture are to be enhanced. The slide is not to be surpassed so quickly in terms of simplicity and measured by what it ultimately unfolds in terms of size and brilliance on the screen. The usually simple operation of slide projectors also contributes to this. It is not uncommon for a proper projector to be required first, along with accessories, such as a canvas adapted to slide projection. You can get that from DiaVision, even with a workshop warranty. But which projector to choose? “There was such an abundance of slide projectors in the 1980s,” Schmidt states, “that we consistently focused on Rollei, Leica, Zeiss and, in the case of circular magazines, on Kodak, Leica and Hasselblad. We can’t cover everything. In return, we also offer the complete service for the brands mentioned.” With Rollei’s insolvency in 2014, DiaVision was able to take over their entire stock of projectors and parts. These include projectors with what is probably the most sophisticated technology for crossfade slide projection to date. As a result of the acquisition, the company can still offer brand new projectors or extensively maintained used equipment of this brand.

A look at medium format

If you are still considering the medium format for projection, you will definitely find what you are looking for on the second-hand market: The 14 kilogram Hasselblad PCP80 6×6 slide projector for 6×6 slides with round magazine and a 150 mm f/3.5 Zeiss Planar is already in the premium class and is offered for about 1000 euros. A Kindermann Super 66 with a long magazine for 30 medium-format slides is already available for a quarter of the price. Rollei is between 200 and 400 euros with its second-hand medium format projectors. In addition to the 6×6 format, the former Munich company Götschmann (Germany) had served the market with projectors up to 6×7 format. And if you even produce 6×9 slides, e.g. with a Fujifilm GSW690 camera, you can’t avoid the company Jensen slide projectors, which was also once based in Munich. However, the latter two are rare on the second-hand market, and a service is no longer offered.

The Fascinating Renaissance of Slide Projection (Part 2)

The Fascinating Renaissance of Slide Projection (Part 3)

See also

High-End Slide Projection – Part 1

High-End Slide Projection – Part 2