brill64 Posted September 24, 2012 Share #1 Posted September 24, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) does anyone have any thoughts on buying an imacon scanner for 35 up to 6x6 & 6x7..? i seem to have gone backwards by investing in one i've recently found, rather than going for an mm or trading up later for an m. my mp with older lenses are getting more fresh air & travel amongst the frenzy & talk, which i believe is always a good thing, no..?..thoughts appreciated. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted September 24, 2012 Posted September 24, 2012 Hi brill64, Take a look here scanner thoughts... I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
CalArts 99 Posted September 24, 2012 Share #2 Posted September 24, 2012 You might want to consider picking up a used drum scanner. The out of service Howtek scanners can be purchased for less than an Imacon. The software (Trident and Aurora) can be run on a dedicated (and cheap) old PC machine. There are several companies that deal in refurbished (and you can find them on eBay, too.) Here is just one of several in the US: Howtek Scanners | CTP | Refurbished Scanners Aztek (which makes a current drum scanner based on the Howtek) also is a support company in California for the Howtek (Howtek Professional Scanners, digital imaging and photography ) They also supply scanning supplies (Kami fluid and mylar, etc..) Of course there are companies worldwide, too (Kami is a German product.) Besides Kami, there is also Prazio (Prazio Mounting Devices ) and Lumina (About ScanScience) Personally, I'd get a used drum scanner over a new Imacon. Just my opinion.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
honcho Posted September 24, 2012 Share #3 Posted September 24, 2012 I use Imacon 949 and 646 for scanning Velvia, C41 (XP2, BW400CN, Ektar 100) and silver-based mono negative films from 35mm (Leica MP), 6x6, 6x7, 6x9 and 6x17. Much of the mf output has, and still is being used commercially. They are robust machines, designed for industrial and professional use. As desktop scanners go, nothing beats an Imacon from later Flextight onwards. If you are going to stay with your MP and mf gear for the foreseeable future it would make sense to invest in Imacon, not only for the much better performance over anything else but also for the service and support you will have from Hasselblad. The MP deserves an Imacon if your workflow is hybrid with traditional filmstock. A used drum scanner can be a viable option if you are publishing your images but my advice would be to stick with current or later machines that are supported. Repairs and replacement drums, laser heads etc are frighteningly expensive on some and unavailable for others. A good, late Tango from a liquidated bureau would be very nice, the cost could be comparable or less to a new Hasselblad X5 or even an X1 and Heidelberg is what I would add to my short list within that sort of budget. Downside of Imacon scanning is that the time taken up by it is a complete pain in the arse. Upside is you know you have the right digital equipment to complement your analogue output and equipment. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
philipus Posted September 24, 2012 Share #4 Posted September 24, 2012 The ScanHi-End Group is interesting to follow and has lots of info on higher end (and other) scanners. Karl Hudson sells, services, installs and offers training on several scanners across the globe, including Tangos (I am not affiliated with him). I have been considering replacing my Coolscan V with a more competent scanner, such as a Coolscan 9000. However they're very expensive on the used market and it may be an alternative to consider a lower-end Imacon (with FW then, not SCSI) or a 343. But, from what I've read, these are slow scanners and the software doesn't support (correct me if I am wrong) digital ICE which may be a deal-breaker. The Nexscan flatbeds seem interesting, too, esp since they have full resolution across the whole bed. There was recently a discussion in the ScanHi-End group which gave suggestions on several types of scanners. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
honcho Posted September 24, 2012 Share #5 Posted September 24, 2012 ........ software doesn't support (correct me if I am wrong) digital ICE which may be a deal-breaker. ..... FlexTouch. Don't use it. Learn to work clean. If you are creating 3F files (FlexColor version of "raw"), scanning times are longer but the format is useful for archiving scans. ETA: I'd rather have a 343 than a 9000 for the build quality and support alone. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brill64 Posted September 25, 2012 Author Share #6 Posted September 25, 2012 the scanner in question is an "Imacon Flextight Photo", from before Hasselblad re-badged & re-vamped it. It has a SCSI, not firewire interface & the original Imacon software drivers & Apple Coloursync Profiles, there's no internal cooling of the ccd, etc., so although the scanner is in very good condition still, it's quite old & probably difficult to repair or upgrade software. It's for my own, personal, low volume & non heavy-duty professional use so it seems like a reasonable choice for me..? I'm going to test it tomorrow so would appreciate any of your comments/experiences here, if any..? Many thanks..!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sblitz Posted September 25, 2012 Share #7 Posted September 25, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) plustek optic film 120 is supposed to great, about $2000 for sale in US in early October (according to them) ...... might be a very good solution. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveYork Posted September 25, 2012 Share #8 Posted September 25, 2012 If I were looking for a scanner, I'd wait and see what this new Plustek was all about. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brill64 Posted September 25, 2012 Author Share #9 Posted September 25, 2012 really thanks a lot, all, for your valuable inputs... CalArts99 - i looked at Haltech Refurb with interest however these fabulous machines, apart from their size, would be wasted on me. might be hard to get a drumscanner up the stairs here too. honcho - the x5 or x1 from hassel would be the dream for most members here if it weren't for their fabulous price-tag. lovely machines, though.. philipus - useful link to ScanHi-End Group. the imacon i'm looking at is a scsi although i wld need to find a scsi to pci card, etc to link to an older mac than the one i'm currently running. a dedicated mac is inexpensive but space & heat here..have to think about that. sblitz - i'm encouraged by your timely post & am looking into it. SteveYork - timely advice, thank you. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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