Lanovia Quattro, Heidelberg NexScan F4200, Scitex Eversmart, or . . .

[mcfactor]

I found an eversmart jazz+ on craigslist for $25. Calibration slide and software included. All I had to do was buy a mac capable of running os 10 ($100). The scanner works perfectly, and so for $125 I have a scanner for my 8x10's that, when wet-mounted, look great. These old scanners can be great if you are willing to put in a lot of time and effort (that is the trade-off you make for little or no money). Oh, and having them take up a huge amount of space in your apartment.

[Don Dudenbostel]

There's really no place to stash the dongle inside the machine. There are some locks for the carriage and camera that are stored but no way to stash the dongle.

Fuji bought Crossfield in the UK some years ago. They made all the scanners over there and there was some serious friction between the Crossfield and Fuji USA. Don't know why but it was almost impossible to get parts like the dongle. MY first scanner came with an OS9 Mac dongle but was supposed to come with a PC XP dongle. I wound up with a combo Mac OSX and OX9 but that wan't what I needed. Fuji finally got my XP dongle and told me to keep the Mac dongles. I sold one and use one plus the XP. It only took about a year to get it when they were making them. It's a long story but I actually had three 2750's that never worked properly. Fuji gave me at no charge a free upgrade and I wound up with a working 5000 which is the earlier version of the Lanovia Quattro. This is the one I used for six years until the logic board failed and I couldn't get parts. Any of the Finescan Fuji's are excellent. Generally they are quite reliable and produce superb scans. Fuji made a C550 which was the earliest version of the Quattro and had a cast iron frame. It's a very desirable machine but rare and probably weighs close to three hundred pounds. They had a 2750, 2750 XL, 5000 and the Lanovia Quattro. All are excellent with the main difference being resolution and speed.

The Fuji machines are XY axis machines and do not need to stitch. The Quattro has 4 top of the line apo Fuji lenses and adjust repro ratio and focus to achieve a full res scan anywhere on the platen without stitching. The 5000 is the same and the 2750 series has only 2 lenses and does the same but at lower res. The scanners autofocus up to 10mm in depth. They all scan true 16 bit color and the Quattro has an actual dmax of 3.9.

Here's a link to the specs

http://www.fujifilm.pt/files/docs/fi...ners_00022.pdf

I also believe they made the top of the lone scanner for Agfa sand may have for Heidleberg but not certain of that.

[Brent Long]

Great stuff again, Don. Thanks. It looks like I'll just have to keep my eye out for someone who knows enough to keep the important bits with the machine. Maybe some day I'll score one. You, on the other hand, sound like you've created a fairly good resume for yourself through your dedication to make these things work. Ever think of working for Fuji? I guess they'd need some convincing to get back into the high-end scanner business, though. Maybe you could do some consulting with Epson to improve their machines

[Don Dudenbostel]

No chance with Fuji. Epson could fairly easily make a really great machine if they wanted to. They could do a lot in software by stitching so the entire bed is the sweet spot. The other thing would be to improve the lens in the scanner and make it where you could focus the internal camera. A few servos and software redesign would do it. I think for a first rate pro grade scanner people would pay $2500-$3000.

[Brent Long]

I think for a first rate pro grade scanner people would pay $2500-$3000.

I would.

[aming]

I have a Fuji Lanovia Quattro. It REQUIRES the proper dongle for the specific OS you're running and the appropriate software. Only Fuji made software for their machines. If you find one working with the dongle there is a Fuji download site for the software or I could provide it. These are large heavy machines but do scan 16 bit and are extremely fast. They are about the fastest machine with high quality scans in the industry. The quality is comparable to the Eversmart Supreme.

Forgot to mention it also requires the diagnostic / calibration neg for focus set, registration etc., the 35mm calibration transparency and calibration print. Parts and service are hard to find. These items plus bulbs may be impossible to find.

I previously had a 5000 model Fuji which failed after six years. I purchased a spare 2750 for parts but the one part I needed had been removed from the parts machine. I found a like new Lanovia Quattro for $2000 and bought it.

I'm fortunate that I have the 500 page service manual, manuals and all the goodies plus the knowledge to keep it running. Setup /calibration requires the large 13x18 neg and detailed info on how to do it properly.

One other little detail, even if you have the proper dongle it requires the unlock code to be able to use it.

Hello Don, recently I have found a lanovia quattro with software and some other items but without the dongle. My questions is that can the scanner run without the dongle? And you have mentioned it also requires the diagnostic / calibration neg for focus set, registration etc., the 35mm calibration transparency and calibration print. Can the commercial available calibration print and calibration film be used to replace the original calibration items? Thanks.