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View Full Version : Imacon 343 vs Photo model (and where buy one?)



philipus
24-Jan-2012, 09:47
Hi everybody

I am looking for a more competent scanner than my Coolscan V (which I find over-emphasises grain and is not great at handling shadows and under-exposed frames).

Over at Leica Camera Forum I saw an interesting discussion where
someone had used an Imacon 343 to produce what looks (to me) like
an amazing result:

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-m9-forum/111577-m9-vs-scanned-film-various-isos-4.html#post1180942

I've seen Imacon Photo scanners being sold for som 2500€ on a famous online auction site, but I can't find any Imacon 343s.

Can someone enlighten me how the Photo and the 343 compare in terms of scan quality?

And where does one find such scanners?

Are there any alternatives to these in approximately the same price range?

Kind regards and thanks very much in advance
Philip

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jslabovitz
24-Jan-2012, 11:04
I previously owned a Photo, and currently own a Precision (II/III). I've been quite happy with the scanners; they are a pleasure to use compared to the pro-sumer grade scanners, and obviously easier to use than drum scanners.

I believe there was a slight increase in dynamic range between the Photo & the 343, either from an active cooling system or possibly a newer sensor. The resolution is the same.

The main functional difference is the 343 uses Firewire, where the older Photo uses SCSI and requires either a compatible SCSI card in your PC or Mac, or a SCSI-Firewire converter. I don't know about Windows compatibility, but on the Mac, you'll need a machine that runs an OS no later than Snow Leopard (10.6); later versions won't run the version of Flexcolor (scanning software) that is required to interface with SCSI. So the 343 is more modern and a bit more flexible in terms of compatibility.

€2500 sounds quite high for a Photo. I bought mine (used) for $1800, and sold it again for about $2200, and I see them fairly frequently for around that amount. I rarely see 343's on the auction site; maybe their owners have chosen to hold onto them?

If you can use SCSI, you might instead look into the Precision II. You'll get higher resolution, better dynamic range, auto-focus, and the ability to scan 4x5 and 5x7 negatives, as well as reflective art (I haven't used the latter). The Precisions are more rare, but seem to sell for maybe $500-1000 more than the Photo -- not all that much for the greater quality.

Regarding the resulting scans from the Imacon scanners vs. Nikon, Epson, etc.: Many people have both tested and discussed this. It seems to be as much about preference as anything actually measurable. Although few people consider the Imacons to be poor; it's just whether they are worth the higher cost compared to, say, the Epson 750. It's a decision you should make yourself, preferably through scanning the same image at approximately the same resolution on the various scanners. (If you do this, try to scan as "raw" as possible -- I've often noticed that the quality of the scanning software or the skill of the operator is a larger factor than the scanner itself.)

Hope this helps.

--John

philipus
26-Jan-2012, 03:38
Hi John

Thank you very much for your reply, it helps immensely!

I liked the idea of the Precision II with autofocus. That is one thing I would want to have. Can I scan 6x6 on that one too? I'm predominantly a 35mm photographer but I am interested in using a Hasselblad too. Funny I just saw today a Precision II on the aution site for $3700. The slight problem is that it is in the US...

Will a SCSI-Firewire converter result in any form of reduced capability of the scanner?

And what about ICE - is that supported by the Precision II/III? I understood the 343 has that.

Cheers and thanks again for your assistance
Philip

johnnymoped
26-Jan-2012, 06:01
None of the Flextights has ICE, so you have to clean your negatives prior to scanning.
But Flextouch (a Filter integrated in Flexcolor) works pretty good for all the small dust particles. The large ones have to be removed in Photoshop.

jslabovitz
26-Jan-2012, 11:12
Philip: Yes, all the Flextight's can scan both 35mm and medium format (6cm wide by up to about 17cm long). The Precision can scan also scan 4x5 and 5x7 (minus a few millimeters). While each Flextight has its maximum scanning area, the specific sizes are dictated only by the particular holder you are using. There are many standard holders of various configurations; custom holders can also be ordered.

I've never been spoiled by ICE (never had a scanner that supported it), but I find that if you keep your negatives in a safe place, and are diligent with an air bulb and an anti-static brush before scanning, dust isn't a huge problem.

--John

jonreid
26-Jan-2012, 19:28
Not in Sydney Australia are you? I have a Photo model for sale...

philipus
27-Jan-2012, 02:39
Thank you very much for your replies.

I just discovered this page with links to the discontinued models, just in case it is of interest.

http://www.hasselblad.se/downloads/datasheets/discontinued-products/scanner-discontinued.aspx

Would it be right to say that the 343 and 646 are like the Photo and the Precision, respectively in terms of differences (though newer of course)?


None of the Flextights has ICE, so you have to clean your negatives prior to scanning.
But Flextouch (a Filter integrated in Flexcolor) works pretty good for all the small dust particles. The large ones have to be removed in Photoshop.

Thank you Johnny. Around 1/3 of my scanning is bw so I'm pretty used to removing dust in Photoshop anyway. Perhaps I wouldn't miss ICE too much.

I've understood (from this Luminous Landscape thread (http://www.luminous-landscape.com/forum/index.php?topic=51025.0)) that there are quite big scanning speed differences between the Imacon models, with the higher end models being much faster.

Since I'm considering the Photo, Precision II/III and 343 models (I expect all others are outside of my budget), how long would a 35mm scan take?



Not in Sydney Australia are you? I have a Photo model for sale...

Jon, I'm in Holland unfortunately. I appreciate your offer though.

Cheers
Philip

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johnnymoped
27-Jan-2012, 07:05
I've understood (from this Luminous Landscape thread (http://www.luminous-landscape.com/forum/index.php?topic=51025.0)) that there are quite big scanning speed differences between the Imacon models, with the higher end models being much faster.

Since I'm considering the Photo, Precision II/III and 343 models (I expect all others are outside of my budget), how long would a 35mm scan take?


I can't speak for the 343, but on my X1 it takes about 4min for a full resolution 35mm scan (6300dpi).
Most of the time I "only" scan with 25% resolution and this is pretty fast (less than a minute).

You should really go for the 343 as it has Firewire.
Though there is the old Flexcolor Software available (you can't use the newest with the old scsi scanners), you won't be able to use the software on Mac OS X Lion and future OS releases.
With the 343 you would be safe.

philipus
28-Jan-2012, 05:17
Thanks for the reply Johnny. I didn't know one can select percentages of the max resolution. That's pretty cool.

The 343 seems the best, as you say, provided I can find one within my budget. So far I haven't found one for sale anywhere.

There are a few Photo and Precision models around, even here in Europe - I am just wondering how they perform in comparison with the 343. That said, I guess they'll be better than my Coolscan V.

I do have Snow Leopard and as I understand it a SCSI-FW adapter would not introduce any drawbacks (to buy an SCSI card is not an option for me). So a fallback position could be those, older models.

Are there any firms - like photo firms or such - that might have these types of scanners for sale or are ebay and bulletin boards the only options?

cheerio
philip

johnnymoped
28-Jan-2012, 11:41
Sorry, don't know where to buy them.
You might try the sale section in this forum.