****To all Imacon Precision scanners: be aware that the bulb OSRAM 12-950 Prooflight

[40moses]

IS NOT PRODUCED ANYMORE. WHAT CONSEQUENCE; WHAT AID ?

After the instruction book 4.20 for all IMACON FLEXTIGHT PRECISION you must insert only 12-950 tubes (the reason consists in the light character and in 5000° Kelvin). Remember: White balance at 5000° is very common.
But since 2 years OSRAM Inc. has discontinued (OSRAM make further tubes of 59cm lenght 12-950 but not 24cm lenght). The answer of OSRAM support says:
"Replacing with 12-954 tubes the colour reproduction and temperature is not the same (this is clear- because 954 has 5400° Kelvin). This means that you will probably need to undertake a big calibration job."
Hasselblad support goes not into details, only responds summary: "Take 5400° tubes now and all is good working".
(This answers is motivated by the fact, that Hasselblad should not have sufficient economic power to accomplish a new production line at OSRAM to continue wth 5000°. Remember that Hasselblad now sells the 848 etc).
But I cannot cast away such an excellent scanner only by lack of simple tubes !)

Questions:
1) Any Hint if it is possible to recalibrate the scanner permanently (eg to make speciale "setups" in ColorFlex to eliminate the temperature difference once forever by using 12-954) ?
2) Any other experience with this replacement problem ?
3) Or is it now necessary to adjuste every single negative scan to this new 5400° ?

Hope to find a good advice 40moses

[Sevo]

Going by my experience with other scanners, switching to another FL tube with different white point but similar CRI should be no problem. The startup calibration must account for the tube variations across time, and should have more than enough margin to deal with such a rather minor switch in characteristics.

[40moses]

I suppose now:

1) It could be that the international nomenclature for light tubes has changed; hence t could be that 954 and 950 has the same °Kelvin after this change consideration.

BUT
2) the new tube 954 has only grade 92% light power.
The old one was very high (near 100%) and was given with 98% minimal.

This could now give visible degradation of quality!