Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Capturing Slides Directly To A Camcorder

The slide projector was once a common way to display photos.








The 35 mm slide was once the best medium for a photographer to use to achieve sharp, vivid photos. The invention of digital photography made taking and sharing photos much easier than displaying slides. Photographers can transfer 35 mm slides to a videotape or DVD using a camcorder.


Instructions


1. Set up a screen. Find the old projector screen and set it up in a darkened room. If you don't have a projector screen, use a white piece of poster board attached to a wall. The screen needs to be clean, free of dust and flat against the wall.


2. Set up the slide projector. Place the projector 10 feet from the screen. The image does not have to take up the entire screen. The more it is magnified, the less sharp the image will be when it is shot with the camcorder.


3. Place the slides in the slide projector. Several different kinds of projectors were made. Load the slides according to the instructions for the model you own.


4. Put the camcorder on a tripod. Situate the tripod behind and above the projector.








5. Load the DVD, tape or CD into the camcorder. Turn on the projector and focus it and the camcorder. Fill the camcorder viewfinder with the slide image. When the image is sharp on the screen and looks sharp in the camcorder viewfinder, begin recording.


6. Record each slide for five to 10 seconds. Advance through each slide while the camcorder is recording. Periodically check to ensure the images are being recorded satisfactorily. If any glare appears, adjust the location of the camcorder to get rid of it.


7. Record narration while taping. Speak the date, location and names of people appearing in each slide while recording. Put the camcorder on pause and begin when a new set of slides is ready.

Tags: each slide, slide projector, camcorder viewfinder, each slide while, projector screen