Scitex Eversmart Calibration Slide

[The Austrian Dude]

Hey everyone!

I'm a longtime lurker, and I have finally decided to sign up. I just hope it's okay that only have a 35mm and a medium format camera. ;)

So, I recently came across two Scitex Eversmart scanners (not Pro or any of the other versions), and I could get both with an Apple Macintosh G3, three different instruction manuals, and 3 different CDs. According to the seller at least one of the scanners works, but in theory the other one should be functional as well. The total price would be around $110. While this sounds like a great deal, turns out the calibration slide is missing. I did a bit of research and it seems like CPS is the only place that still sells them here in Europe. However, they charge $350 (without shipping) for one. In a later email the seller told me that the G3 runs two different copies of the same software, one for each scanner. According to him one of the scanners is calibrated, while the other one isn't. The software for the one that isn't calibrated throws out an error messages about the lamp parameters not being correct (whatever that means). Interestingly enough, the scanner that apparently isn't calibrated makes better scans than the one that is.

So yeah, as you can probably tell by now, it is a very messy situation (if that's what you want to call it).

My main question is if I should go for the scanners? If the scanners are worth it, I could theoretically bite the bullet and go for the $350 calibration slide. Although, how important are those? Would a cheaper scanner like an Epson be a better option?

I hope this isn't too confusing.

With best regards,
The Austrian Dude

[Ari]

Eversmart scanners are among the best flatbeds you can buy, even the earlier models.
Scan quality and calibration are both tops, in my opinion.
Having the calibration slide makes these machines useful; without one, they're not going to serve for much, so the $350 investment is very much worth it.
Getting two scanners (one for parts?) and the G3 tower for ~$460 is a fantastic deal; there isn't an Epson that can outperform even these base models.

[The Austrian Dude]

Yeah, from what I have been reading these past few weeks, they are absolutely fantastic. My only concern is that these machines are close to 20 years old. While age certainly shouldn't be the biggest concern, the seller doesn't know anything about the history of the scanners. So if one of them breaks and I can get parts from the other one, I won't be able to do much since these machines are complex, and only one place in Europe that services these scanner is in the UK (I don't live in the UK). So $450 isn't a lot, if I can get scanners which are going to work for the next few years.

Ari, I take it that you also have one of these scanners. May I ask how you transfer your scans from your old Mac to a new computer?

Also, I got a question about the scanning process. I know that on Epson scanners you do a preview scan and then you select the pictures that you want to get scanned. After that you can leave the scanner and do something else. Is it the same for Eversmart scanners?

With best regards,
The Austrian Dude

[Ari]

Ari, I take it that you also have one of these scanners. May I ask how you transfer your scans from your old Mac to a new computer?

Also, I got a question about the scanning process. I know that on Epson scanners you do a preview scan and then you select the pictures that you want to get scanned. After that you can leave the scanner and do something else. Is it the same for Eversmart scanners?

With best regards,
The Austrian Dude

Yes, I have an Eversmart Pro, circa 1997, it runs great, as does the G3. I upgraded to a small SSD and it helped speed up scans, which were not that slow to begin with.
I keep a small USB drive connected to the G3 and scan directly to it; then I transfer the USB drive to my Mac, which is up-to-date with High Sierra.
And yes, you can tell the scanner what to do and it'll scan several negs while you do other things.
If you search this forum, you'll find another thread on Eversmart scanners, and in there is a link for an operating manual you can download online.

[Johnny LaRue]

Ari, I'm sending you a message. I got a question about your scanner, but I didn't want to interrupt the discussion.

[The Austrian Dude]

Thanks Ari! Unfortunately the Mac doesn't have a USB port, so I will have to use an FTP server or use Dropbox. I didn't look for any of the manuals since the scanner comes with quite a few.

I just sent an email to CPS, but I am not sure if I'm ever going to receive a reply since the site hasn't been updated since 2013. Do you know if any calibrations slides have been sold on this forum before? I currently can't find the posts, but if my memory serves me right, I saw a few "unofficial sales".

[Ari]

Yes, you can use FTP/Dropbox as well.
I forgot to say that the USB slot is in the keyboard, and that's what I use.

You can also try to contact Michael Streeter at Genesis Equipment Marketing.
He'll know how to help you if nothing comes of your call to CPS.

[Jim Andrada]

Michale isn't at Genesis anymore - I think they dropped out of the scanner business

His e-mail is info@scansolutionsonline.com.

Give him a holler - he's knowledgeable and helpful whether you buy from him or not.

[The Austrian Dude]

Michael Streeter - that name is synonymous with Eversmart scanners! :D
I looked at GEM several times, but they are located in the US so there is a good chance that I will end up paying quite a lot for the import.

[The Austrian Dude]

Hey Jim! Thanks for the info!

[Jim Andrada]

No problem. Drop him an email if you have any questions. He's a really super guy to deal with. He sells the calibration sheets but I don't remember the price.

[The Austrian Dude]

So I got a reply from CPS! :D

They sell new and used calibration slides. The new ones are $270 and the used ones are $130. Can someone give me a reason why the used ones are only half the price? Is it really just because they have been used before? Can these slides "deteriorate" over time? I think Howtek had calibration slides that started turning yellow, although I might be mistaken.

They also sent me an entire list of spare parts, so I can post them here if anybody is interested.

[Ari]

I just remembered this recent post: http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?142472-CREO-iQsmart-New-price-list-for-spares-and-software-from-CPS
Maybe the used slide has scratches? Better to ask and get photos, otherwise buy new.

[Pali K]

Considering that these slides have been well out of production for more than a decade, anything you buy today will come with its age even if it branded "new". Mine is from late 1990s and I don't see any issues with it and the scanner calibrates perfectly using it. You should be perfectly fine as long the used one is not damaged and scratched as Ari mentioned.

Pali

[The Austrian Dude]

So, apparently the slides are perfectly fine. They don't have any pictures of the slides, so I will just have to trust them. I personally think it isn't their intention to fool people since they operate in such a niche market, that just one "bad review" could have serious consequences.

[Jim Andrada]

Give the used one a try - you have most likely a 90+% probability of it being OK and, given the cost differential, it's a good bet.

[The Austrian Dude]

Hey, I wanted to thank all of you guys for your input! Highly appreciate it!

The used slides with VAT and shipping will cost me about $180. So everything together is going to cost me $300. I would say it's pretty good, no?

I'm going to order the slides once I pick up the scanners, which is going to be in about two weeks. I will update you guys once I pick them up!

[Ari]

Good luck with your new set-up, keep us posted.

[SURF]

I would say it's pretty good, no?

It's OK. Must have for adjustments and calibration in that scanner.

[The Austrian Dude]

It's OK. Must have for adjustments and calibration in that scanner.

What do you mean?

[SURF]

What do you mean?

I mean... You must have the slide for adjustments and calibration in that scanner. Though you can scan for years if everything is OK without it.

The first thing is to clean the optics in the scanners. Though it can scan without it.

[The Austrian Dude]

I mean... You must have the slide for adjustments and calibration in that scanner. Though you can scan for years if everything is OK without it.

The first thing is to clean the optics in the scanners. Though it can scan without it.

Maybe I am missing your point, but we have been discussing the calibration slide for quite a bit now. The scanners unfortunately don't come with one, so I am going to order one from CPS as soon as I have them.

Do you have a guide on how to clean them? Or is that in the user manual?

[SURF]

My point is that I say it's OK, when you asked "The used slides with VAT and shipping will cost me about $180. So everything together is going to cost me $300. I would say it's pretty good, no?"

BTW you do not need slides. You can do fine with ONE slide for both scanners.

Another BTW: first thing you can do is killing the glass while cleaning it. It is a long discussed thing. New glass costs more than you paid already.

[The Austrian Dude]

My point is that I say it's OK, when you asked "The used slides with VAT and shipping will cost me about $180. So everything together is going to cost me $300. I would say it's pretty good, no?"

BTW you do not need slides. You can do fine with ONE slide for both scanners.

Another BTW: first thing you can do is killing the glass while cleaning it. It is a long discussed thing. New glass costs more than you paid already.

Which is why I said I'm ordering one. :D

And also I asked about a guide because I know that these machines can be very delicate, and even the slightest mistake could mess up the entire scanner.

[The Austrian Dude]

Hey everyone!

So over the past weeks I was trying to find software the right software for OS 9.2 so that I could start setting up everything as soon as I buy the scanners. I was thinking about using Goliath (WebDAV client) so that I could run Box as cloud storage, but I just recently found out that developer site isn't online anymore. Seems like that this was the last WebDAV client that still worked on OS9. Next, I tried to find to find a PCI USB card for the Mac, but I couldn't find anything either. I talked to my a friend of mine, who has quite a few of these old Macs at home, and he told me that it is next to impossible to find one. Now my last option would be setting up a TFP, but I have absolutely no experience with that, and I can't find any proper tutorials online. So, this has turned into a very risky purchase. Do you guys have any suggestions on what I could do? I was really interested in these scanners, but obviously I don't want to buy something I won't be able to use. I also had another idea, which some of you will definitely not like. I was thinking of getting a macro lens and just use the digital camera as a scanner.

[SergeyT]

Assuming by looking for the right software you mean you are looking for a way to transfer your scans to the editing station here is what can be done:
Get a TCP\IP client for Mac OS 9 or
Get a G4 and install both Mac OS 9 and MAC OSX. Boot into Mac OS9 to drive your scanner and boot into Mac OSX to transfer your files over TCP/IP or
Get a G4 with Mac OSX and an EversmartScan(3.5?) that is supported on Mac OSX. Scan on and transfer from Mac OSX

Regarding the calibration slide. Scratches are usually not an issue. But there is a piece on it for white balance calibration and that may fade\color shift with age. So the scanners white balance after calibration might be off. Scans of Fuji trasnparencies will come out with a distict magenta cast anyway and will require adjustments in post no matter how good the white balance was set during the calibration.

Hope that helps
SergeyT

[Pali K]

The simplest, and fastest, method for transferring files from a G4 with OS 9.2.2 to a working machine is to use Fetch FTP client and FTP server on your main machine.

Pali

[nbagno]

The simplest, and fastest, method for transferring files from a G4 with OS 9.2.2 to a working machine is to use Fetch FTP client and FTP server on your main machine.

Pali

Or, you can use Dave software and drag files from os9 to any machine or NAS on your network.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[The Austrian Dude]

Sergey, you gave me an idea. The scanners come with a beige G3, so I could get a G4 with OS 10.4, and use that to boot into 9.2. That way I could use 9.2 for the scanning, and once I'm done with that I go back into 10.4, and use that for the data transfer. This is slowly turning into an expensive purchase. ;)

Pali, unfortunately I don't know how to set up FTP, but apparently OSX machines can still communicate with each other. However, if that doesn't work I can just simply use a USB stick.

nbagno, isn't Dave software extremely expensive?

Is it just me or are you guys really trying to make me to buy those scanners? :D

[Jim Andrada]

Would we try to convince anyone to get a great scanner? Would we? Of course not!(Ha Ha Ha)

[The Austrian Dude]

Good to know, Jim. :D

What are some of the things I should look at before I purchase them? Are there any lights that indicate certain problems or anything similar to that?

I'm also wondering about how the film is held in place. I know Epson has special film holders (which apparently are total garbage, especially if your film curves a bit). From the pictures I have seen it seems like the film is just placed in the scanner without any special holder, so it's basically "sandwiched" between two the glass plates.

[Jim Andrada]

You're correct - the Eversmats/IQsmarts don't use holders. There are masks for different film sizes or you can get a blank one and cut yout own, but a lot of folks just tape the negs to the glass.

[The Austrian Dude]

That is very convenient.

Is there a way to check if the scanners are ok apart from the calibration?

[Pali K]

Since the scanners is coming with a G3 computer, it should already have Eversmart Scan installed. A calibration / test utility comes with the software that you can run to check the scanner. It will let you know if there is anything wrong with the scanner hardware, calibration, or software.

Also the scanner status led should be green. Blinking RED could indicate a hardware issue or could be a loose panel.

Pali

[SergeyT]

USB on old Macs of v1.1 and are terribly slow (unusable for scans transfers)
Theoretically you can drive your scanner from under Mac OSX if you manage to find the right Eversmaert software for it and a working Ratoc FR1SX FireWire(IEEE1394) to Ultra SCSI Converter.

SergeyT

[Ari]

USB on old Macs of v1.1 and are terribly slow (unusable for scans transfers)
Theoretically you can drive your scanner from under Mac OSX if you manage to find the right Eversmaert software for it and a working Ratoc FR1SX FireWire(IEEE1394) to Ultra SCSI Converter.

SergeyT

With respect, I disagree, Sergey.
I use G4 with Eversmart Pro; I scan directly to USB key, and when I'm done all scans, I transfer to Mac mini.
Works faster than my previous set-up, a MacBook Pro and Epson v750.

[Jim Andrada]

I run my IQsmart 2 from a middle aged Macbook Pro saving the files to a USB stick which I then transfer to my REAL (Windows) computers. My Modus Operandi is simple - load a bunch of negs on the scanner, start the scan, and go to sleep.The scans will be finished by morning.

[The Austrian Dude]

So, I'm finally picking up the scanners tomorrow! What should I watch out for when I transport these beasts? I read something about CCD lock down on the CPS site. Know anything about that?

Also, one last question regarding the calibration slide: does a calibrated scanner scan "sharper" than a non-calibrated one?

[Ari]

Make sure the scanners are locked and that the glass tray is packed separately and very well-padded and protected for transport.
Bring friends, these are heavy scanners, and awkward to carry.

[The Austrian Dude]

Are those simple to lock down? What about the glass trays? And I'm bringing two other people with me.

[Ari]

Yes, the lock is indicated on the bed.
Bring both flat and Philips screwdrivers to remove the glass and possibly anything else you see before transport.
Bring lots of padding and make sure the scanners are well-protected.

[calebarchie]

I will be collecting one soon, they are bigger than my Scanmates! Will be going in the boot - is it really necessary to remove the glass beds though? Will padding or bubble wrap between the bed and lid be suffice?
I feel the glass panels are more prone to breaking by themselves if its only 3mm thick or so given the limited space I have to transport.

[SURF]

Those scanners were shipped with the glasses in place and sheet of thick paper between them. All over the world BTW. Make sure that the upper part will not open while transporting.

And for future: do not clean zipper line on a glass. It goes off easily. Scanner calibrates stitching on it.

[The Austrian Dude]

So I finally got the scanners, but I only did the lockdown thing. I left the glass in the scanners and it was okay, although like SURF said, putting some sort of padding between the two glass plates is a good idea (which I obviously didn't do, because I read this too late) since the top glass plate is attached to a spring or something similar.

I also managed to transfer my first scan via TFP. I have to say, it was easier than I expected, but it took me long enough to figure it out.

Now I have three questions regarding the scanner. What's the best way to clean the glass plates? Mine have fingerprints and quite a lot of dust on them. Since these glass plate apparently have coating on them, I don't want to damage them.

What is the best way to scan B&W negs? I noticed that my tiff files are rather small. I'm guessing it has something to do with the negs not being scanned with 16 bits, but 8. I think there was a discussion about the Screen Cezanne scanners doing that with B&W scans. If my memory serves me right, scanning the B&W negs as positives solves that problem.

Now my last issue is that the scanner completely overexposes the scans. I found a test scan from the previous owner on the G3, and it was completely fine. Do I have to change something in preview mode? I remember seeing several settings, but I'm completely new to the software so I didn't want to ruin anything. Here is a sample scan and below that is the edited scan.

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173113

So, the scanner does seem to pick up a lot of info, but it's obviously overexposed.

One thing that i find somewhat strange is, that when start up the scanner software I get about 6 error messages about the parameters not being optimal. Those seem to be caused by the scanner not being calibrated. Somehow, the scans still seem sharp. Should I post a 100% crop?

[Jim Andrada]

I think first step should be to calibrate the scanner. I'd do that before trying to scan anything.

[SergeyT]

Calibration or luck of it is unlikely to affect sharpness as scanner performs auto focus with each pre-scan and fine-scan. EversmartScan wont allow to save 16 bit files in any format (applies to all Eversmart scanners that don't support DT format). The scanner - Mac path is 16 bit and all adjustments in the EversmartScan are done in 16 bit mode. So you will want to make your image as good looking on a pre-scan as you can in the scanner software before fine-scanning\saving it. That includes converting from scanner RGB to let's say Adobe RGB or ProPhoto RGB.
The DAC is very good and there is never a banding , unless the input profile is defective . So don't worry about 8-bit per channel files. For an extra assurance scan B&W in color mode and then strip the color info off as a final step in image processing. If you expect to apply heavy edits to your 8-bit per channel files - convert them into 16-bpc files as first step.

In my opinion scanning Negatives as Positives on an Eversmart with no DT support in a no-go due to the above limitations.

Treat your base glass the same way as you treat your coated lenses. Pay special attention to the cloth that you use . Ideally buy lint free scanner wipes like Aztec AZ-Wipes or similar. PEC-Pads should be fine too. But they are more "hard" on surfaces than Aztec ones. Anything that is safe on lenses will do on scanner base glass. The top galss is just a glass. You can use a non‑ammonia glass cleaner on it.

[MOW]

Software automatically analyses cropped area and has set dark point to outside of negative. That is why there is overexposure.

You need to either crop it and/or set end points manually. Usually both. White end point tend to clip highlight in negatives too aggressively so you need to compensate it with sliders in histogram.

Also by default there is sharpening turned on. You need to turn it off and save this sharpening setup and use it for best result.

Clean the base glass and upper glass first and then calibrate the scanner. That is right order.

I suggest you should also open the lid and clean upper side of lid glass. Open those lid 4 screws. You can move the light unit by hand gently to get glass cleaned below it (where calibration area is) and leave the light unit somewhere in middle of glass. It will automatically move to right position as scanning software is started (same applies to all moving parts). When putting lid cover back be very careful and only very lightly tighten lid screws. Plastic breaks up easily.

Use previous messages hints for base glass what comes to soft cloth and mild lens cleaning subtances and avoiding touching zig zag pattern (butting target). To get all the dust specks removed from bottom side of base glass you can use following method. Clean upper side of base glass, open the locks that keep base glass in place. Turn on the scanner, open software and turn on the light table by pressing right one of the green lights. When light table turns on look where the specks are and then take dry antistatic cloth meant for removing dust to your right hand and and with left hand rise the base glass up enough that you can wipe the specks away with right hand (when you rise the base glass while scanner is on light table will turn off and right side light will turn to red, it will go back to green when you put glass back). Lower the base glass back to its place and turn again light table on and check if there is more specks to remove. Repeat this as many times as necessary to get rid of all specks on bottom side of base glass. Be careful.

Fred Turro has lot of information about Eversmart Pro on his web page. Google translate helps on french. There are guides to all maintenance procedures what you can do at home to keep scanner running near original specifications. I would suggest at least cleaning the front mirror (this is having face up and collects dust), maybe ccd and check the ccd fan if bearings making noise and need to be replaced.

[Ari]

Great information above, I'd only add that I use scanner wipes with distilled water to clean all surfaces.
Whatever solution you use, make sure it has no ammonia, as Michael Streeter emphasized to me once.

[The Austrian Dude]

Thank you so much for all of the input, guys! I never thought I would get so much help!

I will be quite busy the coming few weeks, so I'm not going to have much time to experiment around. However, once I invest a few hours into learning the program, I'm sure that I will have a few questions.

[The Austrian Dude]

Hey everyone!
So, I finally got around to do a few more test scans. I scanned a few color pictures, and I noticed something interesting.

174385

174386

These are just crops from the 35mm scans. Any idea what those white spots in the first scan are? And why do they only appear on the first scan, but not on the second one? At first I thought it was dust, but there is just as much dust on the second scan. A dirty sensor is theoretically a possibility, but as you can see, the B&W scan I posted a few weeks ago doesn't show any of that (but maybe I'm missing something). So far I only "cleaned" the glass plates with a brush, because I still don't have any microfibre towels (the ones that are also used for cleaning glasses) and the right cleaning solution. I also scanned them with CMYK instead of RGB.

As you can clearly see, I still haven't figured out how to make a good scan. Seems like I still got a long way to go before I can master the art of scanning.

[MOW]

White spots are not scanner problem but related to development process. If you scan 35mm positives on frames be sure that you choose "Type: Framed" because that makes scanner to autofocus. By default scanner is focusing on level it found best when you calibrated scanner. Also I suggest you always scan rgb and set manually white and black point. If possible you can also use some near neutral looking gray point to balance picture. Then you can do more adjusting. You should google for Oxygen manual if you are not having printed one and read at least relevant parts.

[The Austrian Dude]

Hey everyone!

Could somebody tell me how the calibration process is done? So far I only found the "icon" that says "EverSmart (Pro) Calibration", and when I click on it, a window pops up with all kinds of "data" and buttons to press. I couldn't find anything in the manuals so I am wondering if someone here could tell me what to look for.

Also, I was also wondering if the calibration slide I have is the right one?

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