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I recently pulled out some of my Derann S8 prints and projected them on my GS1200, and realized that I could not get the usual razor sharp focus uniformity across the screen. I decided to clean the Elmo f1.0 zoom lens and also realign the lens barrel to the projector. Some improvement but still not that biting sharpness that I remember.
Later on I was watching TV and one of those irritating commercials for weight reduction came on. I noticed that I could not make out the fine print at the bottom of the picture, you know, the medical disclaimer for side effects, in this case very sudden weight loss, otherwise known as death!
Then it dawned on me that my problem had nothing to do with my super 8 prints, or projector, or lens - the problem was my eyes! Just like your ears can be the limiting factor of an audio system, so your eyes can be the limiting factor of a film system.
My eye doctor tells me I need to get cataract surgery. He says the cataracts are not only diminishing my perceived brightness but also producing blurring due to astigmatism. He assures me the operation is very low risk and it will correct all my visual problems and my super 8 prints will look just like they were 20 years ago! Fine, sounds great, but just lets check up on possible side effects, you know like the fine print at the bottom of that TV commercial. Holy cow, one possible 'side effect' is total loss of vision!
Sometimes it's a curse being an engineer. You learn in designing stuff the old engineering mantra that " if something CAN go wrong it WILL go wrong! We engineers are always trying to minimize risk in any undertaking. Sure cataract surgery is a very safe procedure - but its nowhere near as safe, for example, as flying!
I ran a test last night while projecting an S8 print. By tilting my progressive glasses in a vertical plane I could totally eliminate all vertical astigmatism and the print looked uniformly biting sharp across the screen, as I remembered it being.
This tells me that maybe a new set of glasses, designed to correct vertical astigmatism, will restore the perceived glory of my Derann prints, and that's the path I am now persuing
-the zero risk path first!
If that doesn't do the job, then I will probably opt for cataract surgery later this year.
Anyway, if you are getting up there in years, and your film prints are looking a little dim and/or slightly soft focus, you may want to get your eyes checked,
Later on I was watching TV and one of those irritating commercials for weight reduction came on. I noticed that I could not make out the fine print at the bottom of the picture, you know, the medical disclaimer for side effects, in this case very sudden weight loss, otherwise known as death!
Then it dawned on me that my problem had nothing to do with my super 8 prints, or projector, or lens - the problem was my eyes! Just like your ears can be the limiting factor of an audio system, so your eyes can be the limiting factor of a film system.
My eye doctor tells me I need to get cataract surgery. He says the cataracts are not only diminishing my perceived brightness but also producing blurring due to astigmatism. He assures me the operation is very low risk and it will correct all my visual problems and my super 8 prints will look just like they were 20 years ago! Fine, sounds great, but just lets check up on possible side effects, you know like the fine print at the bottom of that TV commercial. Holy cow, one possible 'side effect' is total loss of vision!
Sometimes it's a curse being an engineer. You learn in designing stuff the old engineering mantra that " if something CAN go wrong it WILL go wrong! We engineers are always trying to minimize risk in any undertaking. Sure cataract surgery is a very safe procedure - but its nowhere near as safe, for example, as flying!
I ran a test last night while projecting an S8 print. By tilting my progressive glasses in a vertical plane I could totally eliminate all vertical astigmatism and the print looked uniformly biting sharp across the screen, as I remembered it being.
This tells me that maybe a new set of glasses, designed to correct vertical astigmatism, will restore the perceived glory of my Derann prints, and that's the path I am now persuing
-the zero risk path first!
If that doesn't do the job, then I will probably opt for cataract surgery later this year.
Anyway, if you are getting up there in years, and your film prints are looking a little dim and/or slightly soft focus, you may want to get your eyes checked,
Being short-sighted for the whole life is one thing. But losing ability to focus to different viewing distance is quite a serious hit to me. Currently having 2 different glasses for distant & close viewing is already quite annoying - and hoping NOT to have a 3rd glasses soon!
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