Linotype hell SAPHIR : is it worth it?

[lenicolas]

Hi,

Last week, a pro lab I used to work for has moved to a new building.
They got rid of some old stuff they don't use anymore, and among other gifts, i got a saphir flatbed scanner.

This must have been out of use for a while cause I never saw it when I worked there.
However, it was stored in it's original box and seems to be in perfect condition.

Yet, it's SCSI controlled, and my modern computer only has USB and FireWire :)
I made a quick search and realised an scsi controller for my computer might cost up to 150 euros...
And this scanner is realy huge.
And the optical resolution is only 1200x600 :(

I'm a spoiled brat : In school or at work, I've always had access to Imacon semi-rotative scanners, thus, when i tryed a friend's V700, i found that it couldn't compete with the machines I usualy use.
I still have access to an Imacon every day, so I don't even need a personal scanner that much...

So, here's my question :
Is the SAPHIR any better than the Epson? I understand that it's almost 15 years older, so I don't expect it to compete in terms of resolution or Dmax, but what about the optics? will the saphir provide clarity close to that of the imacons? and speed? a 1200x600dpi scan can't take that long, can it?
I could use this scan for contact sheets and small prints, I would spend less time scanning personal stuff on the imacons and I'd get home earlier :)
But I don't want to go through the trouble of finding and buying a SCSI controller, and making room for this huge beast just to end up with a poor man's V700.

Any thoughs?

[domaz]

A PCI SCSI controller is not going to cost $150 if you look on surplus markets like E-Bay. Try more like $30-$40.

[lenicolas]

A PCI SCSI controller is not going to cost $150 if you look on surplus markets like E-Bay. Try more like $30-$40.

I'll take a look, but if I understand these things right, I need to buy one that has drivers available for my OS : Xp pro 64 bits. And I didn't find that many brands offering downloadable drivers for this OS.

[Sevo]

A SCSI controller can be quite expensive if you don't have a free PCI slot any more or need one with 64bit drivers.

The Saphir may deliver a bit better calibrated results than a Epson V700 if you have (and can run) the original software and have a fresh calibration slide - but then you could run Vuescan with the Epson and calibrate that too. Resolution wise the Epson obviously is superior - but it may take some effort to get it into good enough focus to get that extra resolution out of it...

[streetlevelfoto]

Personally, I don't think you'll gain anything here over the current run of Epson flats. It will just take more time and fiddling and space to get equivalent results.

I think compared to your imacon you're going to be disappointed with the saphir too...

[Matt_Bigwood]

I used to own the previous model to the Saphir (can't remember the model name/number) and spent ages getting a SCSI card to work with XP via Vuescan, but got so frustrated that I bought an Epson 4990, and as others have said, and got much better results from day one.

[Ron Marshall]

Donate it to a local museum, and stick with the Imacon.

[nolindan]

Agree with the other suggestions.

If you got it free you may have paid too much.

If this is 15-20 year old kit then getting the original software drivers to work with XP may be impossible. Legacy equipment like this may require you to dig up a mid 90's computer, DOS 5.x and a copy of Windows 3.1. SCSI cards from that era aren't interchangeable as none of them (and none of the equipment they plugged into) conformed to SCSI - you are going to need the SCSI card that came with/was recomended for this scanner. And it is likely going to be slooooow.

[lenicolas]

ok, thanks for the replies.
I'll start looking or a new hom for this baby.

cheers.

[Sevo]

SCSI cards from that era aren't interchangeable as none of them (and none of the equipment they plugged into) conformed to SCSI - you are going to need the SCSI card that came with/was recomended for this scanner.

That notion is generally wrong - pretty much everything from the eighties on worked (and works, provided that your software works on a modern computer) fine with a full blown Adaptec card. You often were SOL if you tried some cheap bundle card that came with another device, as these were often hardwired to the capabilities and address of whatever they came with.

You may now however be stuck with XP if you use older Adaptec cards - they dropped support for the most widespread series of PCI cards with Vista and Win7.

[Paul Fitzgerald]

If it's a help Windows XP Pro x64 has native support for an Adaptec 29160 Ultra|SE SCSI card as well as MOST SCSI cards, which is why most don't have down-loadable drivers, they're built-in.

You could build a newer computer with USB3.0, it is faster, but I have not seen any scanners using USB3.0 yet.

[8x10 user]

The later topaz scanners should be OK but I don't know if the sapphire is going to be worth the pain.