Hello Stephen,
thanks for your post, very interesting as I just bought my first four
rolls of fuji sensia. Unfortunately a couple of olympus purchases means I
can't afford to go anywhere to use them yet ;-)
The VIP club you mention, I assume this is a melbourne photo processing
centre, where about's is it? how much do they charge etc. At the moment
I am using the local chemist as my photo processor, I've onyl had 3 rolls
out of about 100 scratched, I guess I have been lucky....
Stuart Goggin
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Subject: |
[OM] Slides on the cheap - a beginners guide |
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From: |
"Chung, Stephen (D&B Telecom)" <ChungS@xxxxxxxxxxxx> |
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Date: |
13 May 98 17:08:16 |
Hi OMsters,
The list seems to be a little flat lately so I thought I'd really bring
it down a notch by adding this little ditty:-
I've been putting off using slides till now because I figured you'd have
to be mega-rich to support an OM habit annnd shoot slides at the same
time. After all a decent loupe, light box, slide projector, screen,
slide copier (I've got the bellows attachment) and cibachrome processing
aint cheap right?
Wrong, here is my beginner's recipe for doing slides on the cheap -
cheaper than getting high quality prints from C41 - and not much more
expensive than prints from the local mini lab and their scratchomatic
processor. BTW The ingredients for this recipe will vary per local
conditions, so your mileage will vary accordingly, plus being a relative
beginner myself chances are I don't know what I'm talking about any way.
So here it is:-
a) Join the VIP discount scheme of a good lab. I'm assuming that these
"good" labs charge such outrageous prices that they wouldn't have many
customers at all if they didn't offer any discounts.
b) Take advantage of any VIP discounts on slide film and processing that
the lab is offering. I'm considering buying a bulk roll (30M) of Konica
Chrome R-100 which my lab is selling at a discount price $44.00. At
that price I'm willing to give it a try.
c) Use a camera that has an accurate exposure meter e.g OTF.
I used my OM4 over my OM1n because I find that the OM4 gives consistent
and accurate exposures compared to the OM1n. My first roll was Sensia
II 100 on the OM4 shooting at the Melbourne Zoo on a generally overcast
day, and methinks all of them are in the properly exposed ball park. If
there are OM1 guys out there who can get 36/36 good slide exposures in
difficult and variable light conditions - I salute you.
d) Specify "Develop only" when submitting your film for processing and
mount the slides yourself - I believe that there are slide mounting kits
you can buy, but unless you are mounting heaps of slides, I reckon a
pair of sharp, round ended scissors and a box of VIP discount plastic
slide mounts are all that you need.
e) For a cheap light box, a flourescent tube equipped desk lamp turned
light side up and covered with a sheet of translucent plastic - e.g a
lunch box lid might be suitable. I actually use one of my aquarium tank
lights and a plastic water filter jug which seems to transmit the right
amount and color of light.
f) Use your zuiko 50 f1.8 for a handy loupe, else buy a cheap loupe to
enjoy ok centre, to lousy corner resolution with severe distortion
effects at no extra cost. :O)
g) Keep an eye out for a used manual slide projector - my wife managed
to pick up a working manual slide projector for $5.00 ( $3.00 US) with a
5 inch lens which performs quite well considering its age and origins
(Hobart, Tasmania) - looks like something out of the 50's. I'm
projecting on to our living room wall which is painted a creamy white
for now.
h) Buy lots of rope or duct tape to guarantee a captive audience, else
organise your best slides into deep and meaningful order and learn how
to complement your slide presentations with charming and witty
commentary. Keep a sling shot handy for discouraging your children from
staging a shadow puppet play when you are trying to project your slides.
i) Get the Oly slide copier attachment to bellows...................er
anyone who knows how to use this confounded contraption, I mean this
intrigueing tool please drop me a line.
i) Force yourself to allocate %10 of your monthly OM/Zuiko budget
towards a good projector, screen, loupe, light table, oh! and one of
those Bowens Illumintrans electronic slide copiers would be nice and
don't forget the restaurant/entertainment venue expenses.
Why the restaurant/entertainment venue expenses? Well, I read right
here on this list that it pays to be on first name terms with your lab
technician to improve your chances of getting good color prints. So its
stands to reason, you'd have to be on positively intimate terms with
that lab tech to get a halfway decent Cibachrome print. You
married/committed people though, are better off training your
spouse/partner to find and acquire photographic gear at bargain basement
prices (if you haven't done so already) and skip to the next step
instead.
k) Forget having your Cibachromes done professionally and join the queue
for your local "How to amuse yourself in the Dark Room" course - try to
find one which offers a bonus Zuiko 50 f1.8 on enrollment.
So there you have it beginners, eleven simple steps, to really finish
off any thoughts you had for using slide film:-)
Regards
S.C.
PS Apologies in advance to those who have associations with Hobart,
Tasmania. It's not a bad place actually, they have their own Mt.
Olympus down there you know......
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