Side Questions

[selmerdave]

The last few rolls I've been shooting have been slide film, and I have a couple of questions about developing. When viewing the slides with a projector (Kodak 5100), with many photos the edges and the centre are in different focus, I can choose one or the other but not both. I assume this is due to the slide not being held perfectly flat by the mount, and I wonder if this varies by developer. I am shooting Kodachrome so I know that it's all developed at the same place no matter what, but who does the mounting? Is this inherent with slides or is it reasonable to expect that slides mounted in cardboard could be flat? My other question is, is it common to get them numbered by the developer? I take notes on each shot as I take it and when the slides come back it takes considerable time to figure out which photo is which.

Dave

 

[Big Mike]

I don't really know for sure but I think that I read somewhere that slides will pop once they heat up a little from the bulb. This is supposed make the the projection look better...or I could be way off.

Might it be possible that you are seeing out of focus spots because of your depth of field?

 

[Hertz van Rental]

It could be a mount problem - check to make sure the mounts are not warped. But it might be the projector. Check to make sure the slides are going into the projector properly. Also check the condensers to make sure they are seated right. And check the screen.
I suspect that you might have the projector too close to the screen though.
If you have it too close then there is not enough depth of field in the projector lens to sort out the unevennesses that creep in (and the image is projected in a slightly curved plane anyway). Try moving the projector as far back as is practicable.
You could also try getting a different projector lens - Kodak do ones of different focal length and with different apertures. A smaller aperture will make the image a bit dimmer but should solve the prob.
As for mounts - Kodak used to give you the option of having your film left unmounted. Most processing houses will do the same. Mounting your own slides is not to difficult, just time consuming.
Cardboard mounts are reasonable but plastic mounts are best.
Avoid mounts with glass in them as this will give you different problems.

 

[selmerdave]

Thanks for the responses guys. I think I might try mounting them myself, this of course solves the numbering problem but I hope I can do an equal or better job than what I'm getting. Any suggestions for brand of mount (B&H apparently has a considerable selection)?

I may also look into the different projector lens, mine is the 102mm f/2.8. I was viewing from about 7', would you say this is too close?

The problem is not in the original photos as it is possible to see all parts of these photos sharp in focus, just not at the same time. It is not a terribly extreme problem but it is a little bit frustrating. Thanks again for the help.

Dave