Imacon vs. flatbed scanner

[thomasyun]

I shoot midformat film and currently have the Epson 4900 flatbed scanner. Looking at getting an Imacon

343 virtual drum scanner. I didn't get a chance to actually try one first hand yet so I'm wondering if

anyone has one or can give an opinion if it is even worth getting compared to my flatbed.

[robert lee]

Take a look a Nikon CS9000 or a used CS8000 as well.

[ellis_vener_photography]

agree with Robert.

[jtk]

What will you do with your scans? Print murals or...?

[thomasyun]

I guess my hope is to get more resolution for my prints than I'm already getting if that's even

possible.

[robert lee]

"I guess my hope is to get more resolution for my prints..."

 

Sure. The difference between the flatbed and dedicated film scanners will be night and day, and probably not so much between the Nikon and Imacon (don't have experience with the 343.)

 

A new CS9000 is about $2k. Good photo stores should have the Nikon's available for rent. My local place charges about $100/day for a CS8000.

[willscarlett]

I've used the CS8000 a little bit and was never a big fan of it. Maybe it just needed some

calibration, but compared to the CS9000, scans always looked a bit muddier.

 

CS9000's are sort of hard to find if you're looking to buy one. I just got one from Freestyle

and they had two left, so I imagine there's just one now. B&H has been sold out for months.

[jtk]

Tom, what's your typical largest print size?

[jtk]

...also, you'll significantly improve the performance of that 4900 (4990?) with a wet mounting kit or http://www.betterscanning.com/

 

The problem with Nikon 9000 is that it's almost unavailable. As well, it has film flatness issues.

 

Buy now or forever hold your peace, 'cause it looks like Nikon's leaving the scanner business. None of the Nikons is generally available now, and some of the important accessories are even more scarce.

[thomasyun]

My prints go from 8x10 to 11x17. I actually got a chance to use the Nikon cs 9000 today and I liked it. The photo shop has 1 left in stock and I think I'll get it. It seems to have a lot of features which makes it somewhat confusing. One feature which if any of you can explain is the one where you choose the number of passes. "sample pass" I think it was called. It gives the option of 1,2,4,8,16.

[jtk]

Go for it.

[david_henderson]

I've recently bought a 9000 and have had some scanned images printed to 16" sq from 6x6. I can't tell you that I can see a big difference between these LightJets and equivalent prints from the same images I had made from Tango drum scans in terms of detail and sharpness. I think there may be a little more in the shadows on the prints from the Tango, though I don't know whether thats a function of the scanners themselves or the settings used/post processing. Anyway so far I'm pleased.

 

You will need a glass carrier too though- otherwise sharpness falls off noticeably towards the edges.

[willscarlett]

Tom, the setting you're talking about is "multi sample scanning" and the 1, 2, 4, 8 or 16 tells

the scanner how many times it should pass over the negative that you're scanning. The more

passes, multiple scans are combined to reduce overall image noise and such. You can

definitely see a difference between setting the multi sample setting at 1 vs. 8 or 16. There's

also a "super fine scan" mode if you only want the scanner to use one of the three CCD's

when scanning. Also, it's a good idea to scan at 16-bit as compared to 8, calibrated RGB as

compared to grayscale for more tonal depth, even if you're using b&w. Just watch out for file

sizes...they can get big really fast.

[thomasyun]

"You will need a glass carrier too though- otherwise sharpness falls off noticeably towards the edges." I picked up the cs 9000. What is a glass carrier and where can I get one? Also included in the items were a few thin black strips that the manual mentions in the items included but doesn't mention what they are for. Anyone know? Thanks.

[mervyn_yan]

if the printing is the goal, wouldn't keep the negatives, print 8x10 contacts sheets, and pick few good one to have it professionally done or DIY be better? Sure you can find a pro-lab somewhere for fraction of the cost?

[willscarlett]

A glass carrier is just a carrier for the Nikon CS 9000, but it has glass plating that covers the

negatives. This also helps keep them flat during scanning. I'm not sure where to find one tho,

I haven't been able to.

[bruceincalifornia]

The glass carrier is for medium format scanning and it keeps the edges sharp while eliminating Newton's rings, which can be a problem for the medium format film holder on the CS 9000. The part number is FH-869G and it runs around $230.00. You can see a picture of it on Adorama's site.

 

The black strips are spacers for your medium format negatives that in theory, should prevent newton's rings from appearing.

[thomasyun]

Thanks

I found one on B&H photo. Do you think the glass will interfere with the scan due to

refraction etc...