lf-photo.org.uk

Thinking of buying a drum scanner as my last bill for scanning was £140.
I don't know that much about the pitfalls of owning one (most likely a secondhand one) so are there any questions I should be asking before taking the plunge?


Thanks
Ed

Ed Moss wrote:Thinking of buying a drum scanner as my last bill for scanning was £140.
I don't know that much about the pitfalls of owning one (most likely a secondhand one) so are there any questions I should be asking before taking the plunge?


Thanks
Ed

I may be wrong Ed, but I think Tim Parkin knows a thing or two about drum scanners http://www.timparkin.co.uk/blog/1620790091716128640

We bought one for work about a year ago. From what I understand most are very fragile, and the chassis can be distorted from being moved incorrectly (installing/ decommissioning). The guy that installed ours (a heidelberg linotype) brought a custom frame with wheels that bolted onto the base of the scanner.

In addition, some are very large (our inc.), and need a large space to house them. Then you have to buy all the accessories (mounting station is a must) like fluid, film, swabs, cleaner etc. But having said all of that, they do make perfect sense to buy considering the cost of a drum scan Vs the cost of a scanner itself.

I'm sure others will have more to say, as i'm not an expert by any means - I only have experience of seeing one installed etc.

I assume you have decided that the Epson V750 is not up to the job? after all you can't polish .....

I think that currently the only new options would be from Screen or Aztek I believe the Aztek Premier comes in at about $30 000.

A far greater variety of equipment is available secondhand you might like to look atthe large format info collaborative scanner comparison and have a read of this topic


Realistically the best options are what are humorously referred to as the "table top" drum scanners of these the Howtek scanners are most likely to be the best choice as parts / support is still available from Aztek also you won't be forced to use a Mac as silvefast is available for the Howteks however you would be far better off getting Digital Photo Lab from Aztek which starts at about £500.

Best bet is the scanmaster 4500 I paid £635 for one two years ago off ebay that included two drums mounting station and lots of consumables.

This model is capable of a real 4000spi optical resolution for 4x5 for 10x8 you will only get 2000 the in production aztek premier is a development of the Howtek HiResolve and is capable of 8000spi. The D4000 has a smaller drum and is less capable while the 7500 has two drum options one of which is big enough for ULF.

The Howteks need a scci interface lurk around ebay and you can usually get those for £5 or there abouts.

Other possibilities are the Optronics Colorgetter scanners a bit bigger and heavier than the Howtek weighing in at 100Kg and requiring that you get a full setup, this means you need the controler box these came with (a small 386sx pc with an at gpib card and a custom card that talks to the scanner) also required will be a gpib card and all the cables. The general consensus is that the better software for these is sadly Mac based and because of it's age is unlikely to run on anything newer than a G4 powerMac

You could get lucky on ebay .....but then might spend a lot of time getting the other bits you need, or you might find someone selling their rig like here
The colorgetter II can do 4000spi over an 11x14 area and contains a beast of a Xeon lamp as does the III which does 8000spi, some people regard these models as giving better shadow detail because of the light source than the later birds of prey range (Hawk, Eagle etc) you can find more info on the colorgettershere

There are other options but the above are what I have some knowledge of ultimately what you end up with might be down to what you can find sometimes you do even see people giving these machines away.

If your still interested let people know what your looking at and they might have more specific advice relevant to a particular model.

have I mentioned recently phpbb sucks ....

Ed,

Both Tim Parkin and I have one of these:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/DRUM-SCANNER-CROS ... 141wt_1141

Didn't sell, so if you get in quick it might still be available.

It's absolutely brilliant, not that difficult to use, and well worth the money... and at £400 it's a bargain.

Paul

Sorry, but I've already bought it! I may be selling my 7500 in the near future though if anyone is interested?

On buying a drum scanner, pick it up in person, check the drum for scratches, ensure the scanner works by doing a test scan and ensure you get a mounting station.

Thanks for the replies, really helpful, will probably keep going with the Epson 700 and getting drum scans done on an adhoc basis. What I think is putting me off is the potential cost of spares, understanding yet more software, and getting it set up properly. I've just taught myself 5x4, C-41, rotary processing and scanning in the past few months.Don't think I've got the energy to learn something else, just yet..

I had some drums done by Bluesky for a client who wanted some 30x24 prints. The difference between the Epson scan is like applying USM at 1000%. The amount of extra detail you get is amazing.

So how much did you pay AbsolutelyN?

Clive Gray wrote:have I mentioned recently phpbb sucks ....

Are you volunteering to transfer the board over to something better? Not forgetting providing the hosting, maintenance and moderation?

BTW, just what do you find so abhorrent?