shawn_williams

I haven't used mine in quite a while now since I've almost given up on film. I haven't had the time needed to deal with it and have gotten seduced by the convenience of digital. My scanner is collecting dust right now, but I did just see an e-mail from Silverfast about an update to their software which has me thinking of pulling it out to play with some more.

 

I think you'll be happy with the results especially considering the price difference between other options.

 

Good Luck

Shawn

If you look through the threads on dpreview about the 20D problems, you will see that it is a small minority compared to the ones that don't have the problem. It's just blown out of proportion since people who don't have problems don't bother going to forums like that in the first place.

 

It is unfortunate that there are real problems, but as stated earlier, it is software, and it is impossible, and very impractical even if it were possible to test every possible scenario that people will put the camera through.

 

As far as the firmware problems, this is most likely just a case of the people installing it incorrectly or getting the file corrupted while downloading from the web or extracting the .fir file from the archive. This was consistent with other responses from Canon which indicated that they would not be changing the firmware, but would clarify the steps in upgrading it on the camera.

 

Long story short, I wouldn't have any reservations about buying this camera (which I did) and upgrading the firmware (which I did as well even though I never had a problem with it).

 

Shawn

Good luck getting your order canceled. I ran into the same problem, except I wanted to cancel an order for a cheep scanner and order a more expensive one from them. I sent an e-mail with the order number, and explained that I wanted the more expensive scanner. It didn't do any good. I even called them the very minute they opened after their holiday and was told it was too late. The order had already been sent to the warehouse for shipping, and it was too late to stop it, even though it hadn't been picked up yet. I understand it may be difficult, but the fact that they wouldn't even attempt to stop it at their warehouse caused them to loose a $2000 dollar sale from me (I know it's chump change to them, but not to me).

 

So, I had to deal with FedEx to get them to stop the shipment and return it to B&H. On top of that, it will take time for the refund to appear on your credit card.

 

I have spent thousands of dollars at B&H and think they are the most reliable company out there. But, if they let you place an order online when they are closed, then the must allow you to cancel online as well.

 

As a result of this, they are the absolute last place I look to now when ordering camera equipment.

 

Shawn

I was just there a few weeks ago for the Cherry Blossum Festival, and the only problem I ran into was when I tried to set my tripod up to take a photo of the White House. One of the security gaurds told me that I was not allowed to use a tripod. I have heard this is the same policy at the Capital building, although I did not have any problems using it there.

I have a Microtek 120tf film scanner ($1800) with a glass carrier($180?). So, far I am impressed with the quality, but I haven't sent out for a drum scan yet to compare. It's a lot better then my Epson 1640 flatbed. My only complaint is that you have to get them film positioned just right in the carrier when using the included Silverfast AI software, since it does not allow you to adjust the frame position or spacing.

 

The Nikon 8000 may be another option, now that it has a $500 dollar rebate, it will cost about $1800 as well, and you will still want to get the glass carrier (not sure how much that is).

A few years ago, I was able to use my Hasselblad all around the Grand Palace. I did get harassed once by a gaurd when trying to take a picture of one of the paintings of the the Ramayana(spelling?) surrounding the main temple, but they eventually let me take the picture anyway after explaining that I was not a professional.

 

From my understanding, they only want to restrict professional photographers, so as long as you can explain that you are only taking for your own purpose, you might be alright.

 

I had no problems with bringing my camera bag into the palace grounds.

 

I was also able to take pictures without any incident at the other temples in and around Bangkok.

As far as requiring a permit for the D.C. area, I have never heard about it. I was there this spring with my tripod and Hasselblad and my wife had a tripod with our Canon camera and Pro lens. We used the tripods everywhere (in front of the White House, Lincoln Memorial, all around the Mall, in front of the Capital building) and were not approched by anyone who requested proof of a permit.

I have also recently purchased this scanner, but have quite a different impression of it.

 

I was running it on an old Pentium III machine (just got a new P4 with 2GB of RAM!), and only have a couple complaints:

 

1. I don't like having to force the carrier into the scanner

2. Not detecting the orientation of the 35mm slides(not a big deal, just put them in the way it is expecting)

 

Had no problems with installation at all with the scanner drivers or Silverfast on either my old PIII or the new P4.

 

As far as creating a profile, I just use the one that comes with the scanner and the results seem great. The fresh scan looks identical to the slide without any corrections. Initially I was getting the too dark scans, but then noticed the check mark to embed the included profile.

 

I also don't think the scanner is slow. I can scan a 35mm slide in 1.5 minutes (not including prescan) at 4000ppi. I don't know about the speed of the 3200, but my 1640 would take around 3-4 minutes at 1600ppi. So, that's okay with me.

 

I have yet to try the medium format slides, but I don't think I will be disappointed.

 

So, I would recommend this as a much more affordable option than the Nikon or Minolta (which is only a 3200ppi scanner for medium format).

 

The problems you have experienced might be due to issues with the Mac/OSX though I don't know much about the Macs.

I have the Elan IIe and am quite happy with it.

 

To answer your questions:

 

1. There is a depth of field preview. On my IIe, I can look up in the corner of the viewfinder to activate it (default), or change it to the CF button on the back (much easier to use).

 

2. You can press halfay on SR to focus, and hold to re-compose.

 

3. I don't know if this is possible (I never found a need for it).

 

As far as the previouse poster's issue with the ergonomics, I love how mine handles with the batter pack (BP-50 I think is the model number).

 

As far as the eye-control feature, I have disabled it. I don't want to have to worry about where in the viewfinder I'm looking when I focus. I prefer to just focus on what I want with the center focus point and recompose, of course most of the time I just focus manually since I do mostly macro and landscape photos.

Microtek has been making the Polaroid model, and is now selling them under their own name (Microtek Artixscan 120tf).

I don't have a Polaroid back for my 501cm, but I would think that the image size would have to equal the regular 6x6cm film size. The Polaroid back is mounted so that the film plane is at the same spot as your normal back, so the image size would have to be the same.

 

The other photographer's camera may have been a little bigger if it was a 6x7 camera.