Digital BW, The Print

I want to upgrade from my Canon FS2710. What scanner is the best? 
Nikon? Polaroid SprintScan?  Thanks for any advice. Arlene Love

The Imacon Flextight Series scanners would be the best but may be 
outside your price range. 

Duncan

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "lovelipp" 
<ArleneLoveL@a...> wrote:
> I want to upgrade from my Canon FS2710. What scanner is the best? 
> Nikon? Polaroid SprintScan?  Thanks for any advice. Arlene Love

Not that I object to seeing Arlene Love's question or Duncan's response to
her here, but Tony Sleep's filmscanner list (addresses below are
from his web site) is maybe a better place to ask questions about film
scanners. Tony Sleep shoots B&W and so do many of the active subscribers to
his list.

At 11:12 PM +0100 7/10/02, ListServer@... wrote:
>ADDRESS FOR POSTING CONTRIBUTIONS
>  filmscanners@...
>
>ADDRESS FOR COMMANDS eg 'subscribe','unsubscribe' etc
>  listserver@...
>
>HUMAN ASSISTANCE (last resort please!)
> filmscanners-owner@...
>
>HOST WEBSITE
>http://www.halftone.co.uk Tony Sleep Photography
--
Sam


>I want to upgrade from my Canon FS2710. What scanner is the best?
>Nikon? Polaroid SprintScan?  Thanks for any advice. Arlene Love

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "lovelipp" 
<ArleneLoveL@a...> wrote:
> I want to upgrade from my Canon FS2710. What scanner is the best? 
> Nikon? Polaroid SprintScan?  Thanks for any advice. Arlene Love

Film scanning being an important of the process leading to digital 
b&w prints, I would suggest that you look at the Minolta 5400 35mm 
film scanner to replace your Canon 35mm film scanner.

Search the site at:
http://www.photo-i.co.uk/

Cheers,
Andre

As to my experience, Minolta 5400 is the best for the money. I used Minolta Dimage 2820 for three years and was happy with it. Then I upgraded to Microteck Artixscan 4000 tf (which is similar to Polaroid), but did not like it. Now I am back to Minolta (5400), which has good hardware and very convenient software and like it very much.Of course, my opinion is subjective.  Yume 

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: lovelipp 
  To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Friday, August 22, 2003 11:30 AM
  Subject: [Digital BW] best film scanner


  I want to upgrade from my Canon FS2710. What scanner is the best? 
  Nikon? Polaroid SprintScan?  Thanks for any advice. Arlene Love


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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I like my Nikon 8000 very much.  If I were buying right now I would want to take a good look at the newest Minota.
 
TB

Yume Grot <yum@...> wrote:
As to my experience, Minolta 5400 is the best for the money. I used Minolta Dimage 2820 for three years and was happy with it. Then I upgraded to Microteck Artixscan 4000 tf (which is similar to Polaroid), but did not like it. Now I am back to Minolta (5400), which has good hardware and very convenient software and like it very much.Of course, my opinion is subjective.  Yume 

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: lovelipp 
  To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Friday, August 22, 2003 11:30 AM
  Subject: [Digital BW] best film scanner


  I want to upgrade from my Canon FS2710. What scanner is the best? 
  Nikon? Polaroid SprintScan?  Thanks for any advice. Arlene Love


  Please visit the Group Homepage to check the Files, Bookmarks, Polls and other resources as they are often being updated. The page is at:

  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint

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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]


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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I was in the exact same position just about a year ago, I had a Canon and
wanted a better scanner.   I was able to get a terrific deal on a refurbed
Polaroid SS4000 directly from Polaroid.   After about a month I dumped the
Polaroid as it simply wouldn't cut it.   It was higher res then the 2720 but
this really didn't matter as in terms of dpi the 2720 was adequate.   In
terms of sharpness the Polaroid was little better then the 2720 and the dmax
was only marginally better.  I've been told there was a sharpness issue with
the Polaroid software, I tested the Polaroid with the Polaroid scanner,
Lasersoft 5.5 (full version) and a little with Vuescan.   Still the same
lack of sharpness.   Another very irritating and time consuming issue with
the Polaroid is the film holders.

I purchased a Nikon LS40 and am quite happy with it.   If my budget was a
bit more, I may have looked at the LS4000.

Rick Schiller


Subject: best film scanner

I want to upgrade from my Canon FS2710. What scanner is the best?
Nikon? Polaroid SprintScan?  Thanks for any advice. Arlene Love

> I was in the exact same position just about a year ago, I had a Canon and
> wanted a better scanner.   I was able to get a terrific deal on a refurbed
> Polaroid SS4000 directly from Polaroid.   After about a month I dumped the
> Polaroid as it simply wouldn't cut it.   It was higher res then
> the 2720 but
> this really didn't matter as in terms of dpi the 2720 was adequate.   In
> terms of sharpness the Polaroid was little better then the 2720
> and the dmax
> was only marginally better.  I've been told there was a sharpness
> issue with
> the Polaroid software, I tested the Polaroid with the Polaroid scanner,
> Lasersoft 5.5 (full version) and a little with Vuescan.   Still the same
> lack of sharpness.   Another very irritating and time consuming issue with
> the Polaroid is the film holders.

Rick,

This is the first I've heard about a sharpness issue with the Polaroid SS4k
scanner.  I had one for 6 months, and didn't have a sharpness issue at all.
Is there a chance that it might have been your scanner, and not an issue
with this scanner in general?

Also, unless you're scanning slides (and even if you are in most cases) the
dMax of the SS4k should not be an issue.

Regards,

Austin

----- Original Message -----
From: Sam A. McCandless <samcc@...>
To: <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Friday, August 22, 2003 11:11 AM
Subject: Re: [Digital BW] best film scanner


> Not that I object to seeing Arlene Love's question or Duncan's response to
> her here, but Tony Sleep's filmscanner list (addresses below are
> from his web site) is maybe a better place to ask questions about film
> scanners. Tony Sleep shoots B&W and so do many of the active subscribers
to
> his list.
>
> At 11:12 PM +0100 7/10/02, ListServer@... wrote:
> >ADDRESS FOR POSTING CONTRIBUTIONS
> >  filmscanners@...
> >
> >ADDRESS FOR COMMANDS eg 'subscribe','unsubscribe' etc
> >  listserver@...
> >
> >HUMAN ASSISTANCE (last resort please!)
> > filmscanners-owner@...
> >
> >HOST WEBSITE
> >http://www.halftone.co.uk Tony Sleep Photography
> --
> Sam
>
>
> >I want to upgrade from my Canon FS2710. What scanner is the best?
> >Nikon? Polaroid SprintScan?  Thanks for any advice. Arlene Love
>
>
>
> Please visit the Group Homepage to check the Files, Bookmarks, Polls and
other resources as they are often being updated. The page is at:
>
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint
>
> If you wish to receive no emails or just a daily digest, or you wish to
unsubscribe, please edit your Membership preferences by visiting this same
page.
>
> Please follow these basic guidelines:
> - Include your full name with your message.
> - Include the address of your website, if you have one.
> - As threads develop, trim off excess portions of earlier messages to keep
them short.
> - As the topic of a thread changes remember to change the subject header.
> - Good manners are required at all time. No personal attacks or flames
> - Complete your Yahoo profile.
> - Before posting a question, search the message archives and the various
resources on the homepage.

>
>
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Austin Franklin [mailto:darkroom@...]
> Sent: Friday, August 22, 2003 4:54 PM
> To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: RE: [Digital BW] re: best film scanner
>
>
(snip earlier)
>
> Rick,
>
> This is the first I've heard about a sharpness issue with the
> Polaroid SS4k
> scanner.  I had one for 6 months, and didn't have a sharpness
> issue at all.
> Is there a chance that it might have been your scanner, and not an issue
> with this scanner in general?
>
> Also, unless you're scanning slides (and even if you are in most
> cases) the
> dMax of the SS4k should not be an issue.
>
> Regards,
>
Austin,

I had a similar good experience with my Polaroid SS4000. I only traded it to
move up to a larger format SS120. The holders were not the best by any means
but sharpness was never an issue. The current model SS4000 Plus has an
increased bit depth as well.

I wonder if the experience people are having in comparing scanners is a
result of running one scanner with software sharpening turned on and the
other with it turned off? Could just be the issue of an encounter with a bad
unit too.

Martin

I am surprised that no one has mentioned the Microtek Artixscan 120tf.   The 
hardware is basically the same as the Polaroid 120 Sprintscan -- Microtek is 
the builder and Polaroid rebranded it.   Now that Polaroid is in the tank, 
Microtek sells the machine under its own name. 

I bought one a few weeks ago, and my initial impressions are that it's a 
great machine.   I've used an Epson 3200 flatbed and the Polaroid 120 Sprintscan 
before this one.   The Microtek has all of the benefits of the Polaroid, which 
most seem to prefer over other MF scanners (like the Nikon 8000) for scanning  
 b+w negatives in MF.   In addition, the Microtek has firmware improvements 
that allow multiple sampling of negatives, up to 16 in a single pass, that 
reduces noise in dark areas.   

I had bought (and then returned) a Polaroid 120 before buying this Microtek.  
 I found that trying to get the Polaroid to communicate over Firewire with a 
Mac running the newest version of the Mac OS was problematic.   When speaking 
with the support staff at Polaroid (a really fine group of people, by the 
way), it became clear that their scanner software development team had disbanded 
since they were exiting the scanner market, and that Polaroid scanner software 
will not be updated beyond its current state.   Given the state of flux of the 
Mac OS, and the continuing improvements being made to its communication and 
printing protocols, and the impending arrival of OS X 10.3, I figured the safer 
route would be to return the Polaroid and buy the Microtek.

If you're on the Windows side of the world, or you have no plans to move up 
to OS X on the Mac platform, then the Polaroid 120 Sprintscan is fantastic for 
MF negatives.   It is fine for 35mm as well, but I suspect that cheaper 
alternatives exist for 35mm.   But the Microtek 120tf sells for about the same 
amount of money and has the multisampling capability that the Polaroid lacks.   And 
it ships with Silverfast Ai 6.0, which is nice to have.   If you're scanning 
MF negatives, it's worth considering.

Sanders McNew.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: sandersm@... [mailto:sandersm@...]
> Sent: Saturday, August 23, 2003 5:40 AM
> To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [Digital BW] re: best film scanner
>
>
> I am surprised that no one has mentioned the Microtek Artixscan
> 120tf.   The
> hardware is basically the same as the Polaroid 120 Sprintscan --
> Microtek is
> the builder and Polaroid rebranded it.   Now that Polaroid is in
> the tank,
> Microtek sells the machine under its own name.
>
(snip)

Sanders,

Out of curiosity did Microtek come up with better film holders than the ones
Polaroid shipped? I liked my SS120 but the 120 holder was too narrow and cut
off about 1.5mm of image on both sides and I had to wait for the glass
holder to get full frame. With the firmware upgrades you described it sounds
like the better way to go.

Martin Wesley
http://www.borderless-photos.de/guests.html

>

If money is no object the Imacon Flextight Series scanners can't be 
touched by any non-drum type scanner.

Duncan

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "lovelipp" 
<ArleneLoveL@a...> wrote:
> I want to upgrade from my Canon FS2710. What scanner is the best? 
> Nikon? Polaroid SprintScan?  Thanks for any advice. Arlene Love

> If money is no object the Imacon Flextight Series scanners can't be 
> touched by any non-drum type scanner.


You mean:

I f money and space is no object ...

> If money is no object the Imacon Flextight Series scanners can't be
> touched by any non-drum type scanner.
>
> Duncan

Well, except a 13 year old Leafscan 45...is better in some aspects, and not
better in other aspects, certainly than all but the latest high end one.

Austin

Any information/experience on a Fuji FineScan 2750 for 4x5 negatives? A factory refrub is available, but pricey, (~$6,800.00) and want to know if it is worth it. It's a MAC only scanner and looks very, very robust.

Duncan Staples <gdstaples@...> wrote:If money is no object the Imacon Flextight Series scanners can't be 
touched by any non-drum type scanner.

Duncan

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "lovelipp" 
<ArleneLoveL@a...> wrote:
> I want to upgrade from my Canon FS2710. What scanner is the best? 
> Nikon? Polaroid SprintScan?  Thanks for any advice. Arlene Love


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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi Jerry,

I have the original model of the Polaroid SprintScan 45,
purchased on Ebay last year for $800.

I had a BW neg of mine scanned via a Nikon 8000 and Imacon -
I had been considering purchasing the Nikon as it has
4000 dpi vs the 2000 of my scanner. After closely 
analyzing the results, the Nikon was nowhere near the
quality of either the Imacon or my Polaroid, and there
was so little difference between the other two, it made 
me realize this scanner is outstanding.

Of course, this was just a sample of one of each type
scanner, and I am not sure that particular Nikon 
was functioning properly.

Just another idea for your consideration ...

Best,
Alex

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, jerry dungan 
<jerry_4y@y...> wrote:
> Any information/experience on a Fuji FineScan 2750 for 4x5 
negatives? A factory refrub is available, but pricey, (~$6,800.00) and 
want to know if it is worth it. It's a MAC only scanner and looks 
very, very robust.
> 
> Duncan Staples <gdstaples@y...> wrote:If money is no object the 
Imacon Flextight Series scanners can't be 

> touched by any non-drum type scanner.
> 
> Duncan
>