What Scanner/Mac combo for Medium/Large Format?

[keith_clementson]

I haven't done the math because I'm not quite sure how, so I'm hoping someone would be so kind as to

recommend system requirements for a G5 Mac sufficient to work smoothly with the enormous files

associated with medium and large format in CS3. How large will the file sizes be, first of all (for say color

negs)? Secondly, what is a comfortable range for memory, processor speed, hard drive capacity? And

what scanner would you recommend considering all things mentioned above?

[keith_clementson]

I forgot to mention the film sizes to be scanned are 6x6 and 5x7.

[colin_mattson1]

Is there a specific reason you're considering G5 systems and not the current Mac product

line? The current Intel processors blow the doors off the G5 systems.

[keith_clementson]

No good reason for mentioning G5, I'm just that out of touch as to what the newest line is

called. I'm currently chugging along on a G4 with 512 RAM, dual 833 mz's and 160 gig hard

drive. Working with a RAW file from a 10 MP camera, or a 6x6 med res scan, things are

struggling a little bit. So I want a new Mac with the right specs and I want to get a 5x7

camera to venture into LF.

[daniel_bliss]

Cadillac system -- MacPro with the Xeon processors, 2.66GHz, or if you really want to go wild, 3GHz. As much memory as you want. Let's say 4GB for starters. Apple 23" or 30" Cinema Display.

 

More than adequate -- MacBook Pro, Core2Duo, 4GB (now very cheap), Apple 20" or 23" Cinema Display (it will take a 30 if you wish). Consider external drives, both hard and DVD. I use a MacBook (original CoreDuo) but the Pro now has a big advantage being able to go to 4GB.

 

Filesize, all depends on how big you want. On a 4000dpi Nikon Coolscan 8000 or 9000 for the 6x6, I' thinking 200MB or so for a single layer file. On a 2400 dpi flatbed for the 5x7", we're getting up toward 400MB. 2GB will be tight.

 

The other nice thing with 4GB is that besides the huge speed increase, the internal hard drive speed becomes almost irrelevant with the current configurations. See here for details.

 

http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/apple/memory/Macbook_Pro_15_Memory_Benchmarks

 

Laptop ought to be fine unless you're doing a lot of batch processing, in which case I think I'd still go with the desktop of possible. As cool as the C2D laptops run, they will still heat up running full blast.

[erik scanhancer]

A 6x6 color scan at 4800dpi and 16bit (you wanted quality, no?) is 650Mb. Only the biggest machines with the largest amount of very fast

RAM will be able to chew it away smoothly. Take a Mac Pro of the latest crop with at least 4Gb of RAM, although I would personally take

more to have several memory-eating apps open at the same time without waiting time for the virtual memory to swap. Setting up an

internal SCSI raid with a few built-in harddrives as one big scratch volume (for Photoshop exclusively!) will help a lot too. OSX comes with

onboard aids to set this up.

[rich_morgan1]

I shoot medium format film (645, 6x7, 6x9) and digital, and large format film (4x5) and

digital. File sizes range from 100 mb (16.5mp digital) to over a gig (stitched panoramic

film or digital). 6x7 film scanned at 4000 dpi on a Nikon 9000 is about 550 mb typically.

 

If you shoot a lot, you're going to need a lot of hardrive space. I've currently filled about

800 gigs (1.6 terabytes including backup) with raw files and tif files. There's somewhere

between 15,000 and 20,000 images. I need more storage soon, and whatever I buy will

need to be doubled for backup.

 

I use a G5 dual 2.5 processors with 4.5 gigs of ram. The RAM is sufficient for my

needs...some stitching can take 10-15 minutes, but that's rare and generally only with

really large files. For monitors, I use a 22" CRT and a 24" widescreen LCD.

 

I scan 4x5 with a Microtek 1800f (discontinued) which does an okay job. Medium format

is scanned on the Nikon 9000, which does a great job, especially for its under 2k price

new.

 

If I were buying a new computer, I'd get a MacPro 2.66. I'd consider the 24" iMac, but the

4 gig RAM limit might make me pause. Currently, 4.5 gigs of RAM is sufficient, but I

wonder what tomorrow's needs will be.

 

If you have a lot of images, you're going to need software like Lightroom to organize

them. I'd waste a lot more time finding images if I didn't have Lightroom.

[william_john_smith1]

<I>.......blow the doors off the G5 systems.</I><P>Don't you mean door? The G5 only has

one door. What an image, door(s) being blown off of a computer. I can see it now, an ad

agency with over 30 G5s and the someone brings in an Intel machine and starts it up. WOW,

doors flying every which way. Sounds like there might be a lawsuit against Apple here.

[ellis_vener_photography]

The core 2 Duo equipped AMcintoshes are much faster than G5s. I have a 2.16Ghz 20" Imac (last years model, alas) with 3Gb RAM and it is faster than all butthe most powerful G5 towers I've worked with. Photoshop CS3 is optimized t owork wit hthe Intel equipped MAcs and the speed increase over usign PsCS2 wit hthe same machine is about 30-40% depending on what I am doing.

 

The largest bottle necks with scanning is the scanner software being used and the native scanner speed.

Define your output goals

[dietmar_hammerschmid]

i scan medium format with a mikrotek artixscan 120tf. is a lot cheaper than the nikon coolscans and the quality at b/w negatives is better than nikon.

[keith_clementson]

I am stunned. Thank you everyone for arming me with all this helpful info! 4-5 gigs RAM!

"Wow" is all I can think to say. I knew the file sizes would be huge, but I wasn't expecting

650 plus. I hate to sound like I've been living in a thatched treehouse for the last fifty years,

but I had no idea, Glad I asked. Very grateful for the scanner tips. This is going to be

expensive. This is going to take a well thought-out jewelry purchase for my wife. Kudos to

you all!

[Uhooru]

Yes, look to spend 4-5 thou USD for that system. Save some money by getting your ram some from Crucial, Corsair or OWC. Check out the prices of hard drives to see if they match the upgraded HD's that come with the Mac. Be prepared to start also buying several external harddrives to store the files quite quickly. It never stops..