35mm Slides

Since its introduction in the 1800s, 35mm film has become the standard film gauge used throughout the photography and film industry. The versatility in its application is so wide and varied that it has withstood countless variations its 35mm standard and has been incorporated into basically every industry that utilizes film for various purposes. It has been modified to include sound, color images, digital data and a wide range of widescreen formats.

35mm slides use this same 35mm film to project an image unto a screen. The slides are a positive photographic color or black & white image on film mounted in a cardboard or plastic frame for projection. Light is shone through the film from a light source such as a projector enabling a larger version of the image to be displaced on a screen.

The size of the film can be any respectable size, including for example 8x11", but because of its small size and flexibility 35mm is traditionally preferred.

This film however, is slightly different from regular 35mm film. This one is produced to create a positive image on a transparent base; other 35mm films generally produce a negative image. They are mounted individually and inserted into a slide projector.

Slides can also be produced from images from digital cameras; this is great as you can make virtually any number of reproductions of computer generated images from sources such as astronomical images, microscopic sections and paper documents.

35mm slide films are traditionally used in art classes and other areas where complete color accuracy is required. Although 35mm slides can come in color or black and white, color slides provide richer gradation and produce a wider density range. They produce an outstanding grain and sharpness with vivid colors and more natural skin tones. They are also better than negative film as they don’t need an accompanying print in order to use as a color reference.

Although slime films can be quite useful, many photographers stick to negative films. This is because when taking a positive image, the exposure has to be right. With negative film the color can be balanced out during photo development. Positive films used in 35mm slides are also more expensive than regular 35mm negative film.

Older model projectors used a sliding mechanism to pull the transparency out of the side of the device manually, which is then replaced by the next image.

In newer, more advanced projectors, a carousel is used to hold a large number of slides. This setup automatically switches to the next slide from the carousel where it is placed in front of the lamp ready to be projected. There are also smaller externally magnifying viewers available to view slides on at a time.

Duplicates of 35mm slides can be made using a slide copier. This is an optical device that can be attached to the lens portion of a camera and makes it possible to duplicate a slide. They can also be used to create digital copies of film based transparences if used with a digital camera. There are also lots of slide converters on the market that allow you to convert from a slide to a digital format.