How much computer power for scanning?

[Ben Calwell]

We're considering getting a new computer to replace our ca. 1997 model, which is way outdated. I would like to get one that would let me enter the world of 4x5 sheet film scanning with something like the Epson 3200 flatbed. Would a machine with, say, 256 RAM and a 40 gig hard drive be enough? I can't spend a bundle of money. Thanks in advance for your advice.

[j.e.simmons]

That would work, but I would recommend that you buy as much memory as you can afford. If you can get 512 RAM you will be much happier. You also won't be able to store many of your scans (at least at a high resolution) with a 40-gig drive, so I would recommend a CD burner so that you can store your images.

[Paul Kierstead]

You will find that indeed scans suck up disk space at an amazing rate. You should be able to go to a 80G drive for very little extra cost; actually, sometimes here they are actually cheaper due to 40G drives being old stock.

256M will stress your patience. More is merrier; 512 should be a small cost increment.

[JohnnyV]

4x5 scans will take up lots of disk space. Hard drives are so cheap now that 80-140 is now the norm. I'd go for at least one gig of ram - because you are not only scanning film, you have to work with a big file size in Photoshop.

[JohnnyV]

4x5 scans will take up lots of disk space. Hard drives are so cheap now that 80-120 gigs is now the norm. I'd go for at least one gig of ram - because you are not only scanning film, you have to work with a big file size in Photoshop.

[Larry Gebhardt]

You will want 1 or 2GB of memory for comfortable editing. A 40GB drive is fine, as long as you plan on archiving your scans to CD or DVD, but an 80GB would be better. I would get a DVD writable drive given the current price (about $120), as it will let you write CDs and DVDs. If I was short on cash, which I usually am, I would get a lesser processor and more memory. You can also plan on scanning your film at only 1600 dpi, which will only need 1/4 the memory of a 3200dpi scan.

[David Kaufman]

I am using an Epson 3200 to scan 4 x 5 originals, mostly colour negative. File sizes for 24-bit scans approach 500 megabytes in size and 48-bit scans are nearly double that. You will require at least 2 gigs of memory to work on files that size in Photoshop as the program needs three to five times the amount of memory as the file you are working with, and even more if you do a lot of work on those files involving adjustment layers. 4 gigs of memory would be ideal. Even with 2 gigs of memory you will be reading and writing to the hard drive frequently--so get a speedy and large hard drive. Please note that the Epson 3200 does not really resolve 3200 dpi; it's true resolution is closer to 2000 but its file sizes are based on 3200 dpi. It does a very good job (for the money) on 4x5 and medium format colour negatives, good enough to enlarge 4 to 7 times, depending on your demand for quality and the ancillary software you are using. But it does a less good job on transparencies, and a relatively poor job on black & white negatives (it doesn't see through the grain structure very well). If B&W is your metier, look elsewhere.

[QT Luong]

Just make sure the machine has empty memory slots, and it shouldn't be a problem to upgrade later, but I'd still start at 512. If you have Firewire or USB2, you can add external drive(s) (preferably the 200+ GB variety) that work just fine. For external storage, DVDs are much more space and time efficient than CDs and the cost per MB stored is close to CDs.

[Leonard Evens]

I work under Linux using the Gimp which is currently restricted to 24 bit color depth. I have 1 1/2 Gb and I would be happier with more although I can make do. Scanning is no problem for the 3200 even with much less ram, but complex photoediting requires a lot of memory.

No matter how large your drive, don't expect to keep images on disk. Use CDs to store them. A relatively fast and reliable CD burner is a must. Better yet, get a DVD burner if you can. Unfortunately there seem to be two competing standards out there, and until one or the other folds, it may be worth waiting.

I scan at 3200 ppi and rescale in my photoeditor to 1800-2000 ppi, which is probably overkill for most 4 x 5 work. The scanner has the pixels, but it doesn't have the resolution to justify staying at 3200 ppi.

If you can't afford all the memory you would like, make sure your motherboard allows you to add more when you have the money or the prices come down.

[Jeff Lentz]

I use a 550Mhz G4 with 600 mb RAM,I could use a bunch more ram though.(I wouldn't recommend any less) The scans can get pretty big with the 4x5. Photoshop 7 will suck the RAM up pretty fast. I got my G4 on that auction site for a pretty killer deal. If your going for Apple it would be a good idea to buy a used one unless you have a whole lot of cash laying around.