Screen 1030ai drum scanner user comments?

[michael_chmilar]

The price of used or refurbished Screen 1030ai drum scanners has

dropped to the point where I am considering purchasing one.

 

I have been getting drum scans of my 4x5 transparencies done by a

service bureau for a few years. They are scanning on a Tango, and I am

very happy with the results. However, at the current prices, the

Screen 1030ai would pay for itself in a year.

 

I have some questions for anyone who owns or has used this scanner:

 

Has this scanner proven to be reliable and trouble-free?

 

How difficult is it to operate? (I have an old Mac G3 on which to run

the software.)

 

How is the quality of the scans? While the 1030ai does not support the

resolution or density range of the Tango, it is still more than

sufficient for me (at least based on specs).

 

Is there a scanner in the same price range that I should be looking at

besides the 1030ai?

[roger krueger]

I've got a Screen 1045. It arrived broken because the seller forget to secure the scan head

for shipping. Service is expensive if you have to pay for hours of drive time--find out who

your nearest service provider is before you buy. Mine has since partially failed again--it

gets "lost" between scans in a batch. Hasn't been worth calling them back down to fix it

again--still does one-at-a-time O.K. Also had the bulb burn out, but that's easily user-

replacable.

 

The 1045 offers 16-bit output and an optional negative kit, the 1030 does not.

 

The batch software runs only on Mac OS 8.1 (and possibly earlier, but 8.0 and earlier don't

support HFS+, making the huge disks you want for gigabyte scans problematic). This

means you need a beige box, NOT a blue and white G3. If your scanner doesn't come with

the last version of the software finding it is difficult.

 

The hard part is learning to wet mount, but even that's not rocket science, and there is a

tutorial on-line somewhere.

 

The Photoshop plug-in runs on more modern Mac OS versions, but that's one-at-a-time,

not batch. It will not run in Photoshop CS.

 

A single scan is limited to 16,000 pixels in either direction. That means that (full frame)

anything over about 3200 dpi on 4x5 is going to have to be scanned as two pieces,

anything over about 4000 dpi will have to be scanned as four pieces. This isn't as big a

pain as it sounds, but it is a consideration.

 

Be very sure of the dimensions. The seller was a couple of inches off in their

measurements on mine, and that was the difference between making it around the corner

into the spare bedroom and not making it. I can say from personal experience that

marooning a drum scanner in your living room is NOT a recipe for marital bliss.

[d. light]

I am using this scanner and I am so far happy with it.

Sharpness + resolution is very good. Colors are also good when using the AI feature and when doing addional settings by hand, ie. the AI feature is not always sufficient.

 

Best results definitly come with gel mounting, which is by the way easier than oil mounting because of its increased viscosity (sp)

 

A few things to take care of.

 

It runs only up to a Mac G3, best with OS 8,0. Higher OS can be a problem because the scanner conflicts with the newer SCSI manager 4,3.

Be sure to get all the software and AI channels. Note that the AI channels usually are on floppy discs and that the G3 does not have a drive. So you will either use an external floppy drive or burn the software onto a CD.

Best is to buy the Mac that was running with the scanner along with the whole package and save your G3 as a spare.

 

The scanner is noisy but apart from that easy to work with (with practise). It is well build. However, I recommend to buy drumscanners only from experienced people who are able to give you detailed information about it and who know about the service history of the unit.

 

Take care the drum is clean and scratch free. Make a test scan before you buy, because new PMT s are not easy to get. Get a spare halogen lamp for replacement.

 

Good luck

[roger krueger]

<i>Higher OS can be a problem because the scanner conflicts with the newer SCSI

manager 4,3</i><br><br>

I've been running 8.1 for nearly a year now with no trouble. I also had no trouble running

the Photoshop plug-in from a higher OS, I think 9.22, but I didn't keep a

record.<br><br>

<i>G3 does not have a drive</i><br><br>The beige G3s do, and that's all you can run

8.0/8.1 on. I've tried booting a blue & white G3 on 8.1 and it just doesn't work. This page

on <a href="http://www.lowendmac.com/ppc/g3c.shtml">LowEndMac</a> confirms that

they need either 8.5 or 8.6.

[d. light]

Roger, are you talking about a 1045ai or 1030ai?

 

I am running my 1030ai scanner currently on an old powermac with OS 8,0. I tried to run it on a G3 with 8,5 and 8,6 it just conflicts with the SCSI manager of the OS. I am not totally sure with 8,1 for the 1030ai though.

The word of Dainippon here in Germany is that the 1030ai is only supported up to OS 8,0. According to them some of their customers are even using it with OS 9,0 on a G3. However, at least I wasnt able to run it with a higher OS, because of the mentioned problem.

[michael_smith18]

I own onedts 1030ai and one dts 1015ai. both scanners are excellent. I have the 1015 for

sale now. the 1030 and the 1015 are better than the 1045, this is because the use of

photomultipliers...in terms of image quality the screen scanners are excellent, if you have

the oportunity of buy one, do it you won't be dissaointed. good luck!

[roger krueger]

Bernd: Sorry, yes, I was talking about my 1045, although my understanding was that the

SCSI and software connections were the same.

 

Michael: Is the 4th PMT for optical USM that big a deal? For me it seemed like 16-bits was

far more important, especially if you're scanning color neg, which Screen doesn't support

or recommend on the 1015/1030.

 

Besides, I thought optical USM was merely an artifact of the days when digital USM was too

processor intensive, I've never understood it to be superior.

 

In any event, I don't want my 16-bit raw scan to have any USM applied, that's applied later

in Photoshop at a level appropriate to the circumstances of the individual image.

[thomas_r_st]

seems to me rather simple to operate, it?s a steady good machine.

my biggest problem, though, is that it was handed to me without any user?s manual, so

i?ve been fidgeting about, trying to remember what i once learned on a 1045, not entirely

being able get the full monty out of it... anyone know of a pdf-version put out there by

someone nice?

 

t.

[jude_taylor]

Hi,

 

I have an option to buy a 1030ai through a reseller (not a speciailist) but had some queries -

 

will it scan colour negs OK?

 

is the negative scanning kit included? (software or hardware?)

 

I assume its 10 bits per colour as opposed to 16bits for the 1045ai - will this have a major impact on prints done at 300dpi after manipulation in photoshop?

 

thanks, hoping this thread isnt dead.

[jude_taylor]

PS any tips on how to secure the scan head? it will have to be shipped if I buy it

[michael_chmilar]

Just to update some information about using the Screen 1030ai.

 

I have been running the scanner with a beige G3 for some time. However, I heard reports of using the 1030ai with a G4. I also have a G4 dual 800, which has an Adaptec 29160 SCSI card installed in it.

 

Anyway, I can confirm that the 1030ai is functioning perfectly with the G4. The G4 is running OS 9.2, and I use DTS Scan 3.4. Scanning speed is no different than it is with the G3, however the G4 has gigabit ethernet, more RAM, and faster processors than the G3, so everything else is faster and easier.

[dave_james1]

<p>Hi there<br>

Michael i wonder if you could give me some advise please,i have just obtained a screen 1050a1,my mac g3 is down at the moment/new HD on order.<br>

Could you advise,i started the scanner up without any scsi connection the display lit up but no initislisation or action of any sort took place in the scanner there was a brief light from the lamp but no head movement.should the head be free ie move along its rail as mine does not,i am hoping once the software is loaded and the scsi connected things should change,your advises would be appreciated, Dave</p>

[berdal_guy]

<p>Hello,<br />I use a DT-S 1030 AI.<br />I have to install the software on a G3 OS8.1.<br />I have the disks, but the first with the install is bad.<br />Could someone help me and copy the contents of this disk?<br />Thank you.<br>

Best regards.<br />Guy</p>

[john_harrison9]

<p>Join the Screen 1030ai Yahoo scanner group.<br>

Manuals and software are available to download.</p>