In article ,
says...
HI Charlie

On Wed, 20 Feb 2008 08:45:14 -0000, Charlie Pridham
wrote:

In article ,
says...
On 19/2/08 19:34, in article ,
"Charlie Pridham" wrote:

I do talks for garden clubs but my slide projector is starting to show
its age and will need replacing. I was thinking that I ought to consider
changing over to a digital projector but there seem to be several types.
I seldom project onto a bigger than 4'X4' screen.
Also digital images, what's the sort of file size that's required for
reasonable quality? and will scanning my existing slides give good enough
quality? (I have 2000+ slides and the thought of having to retake them
all is a bit daunting!)
I would be grateful for any hints, tips or comments from people who have
changed over.

I had my first web site lesson this am and the tutor used one of these - a
new gadget IME! I'll forward your query to him and ask him what he thinks.
He was doing a direct computer to projector job.

I have been watching other speakers who are using them and have decided
that a stand alone model would be best (one less thing to go wrong!) but
its realy the images that are giving me cause for concern, particuarly
ones which are a historical sequence telling a story, I mean you can go
back and retake a flower picture but you can not go back in time! if I
can scan some of those I think I may take the plunge

Some thoughts for you...

- When you choose a projector, find our what the replacement bulbs
cost. They are not your standard car headlamp bulb - and some of the
prices may make your eyes water, careful choice of projector could
save you lots of money when it comes to replacing the bulb. (You'll
want to carry a spare bulb with you)

- A stand-alone unit will mean you don't have to lug a PC round with
you - but if I was you, I'd make sure that I had 2 copies of the card
/ disk / whatever with your slides on... - call me paranoid !

- Scanning - Some years ago it was possible to buy a carrier that
screwed onto the front of a SLR camera into which you could drop a
slide to copy it. It contained the necessary optics to allow the
camera to fill the frame with the image. You can use a conventional
flatbed scanner, but the results may not be as good, and you'll have
to do some cropping of the scanned image afterwards.
Thanks for all that, yes I fancy a stand alone model but am finding that
its not easy to work out which model does it and which does not from the
specs on the web sites.
Yes I was aware that the replacement bulbs were very expensive its been
putting me off while the slide projector was working OK!
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea