Video tutorial on drum scanning, or the scanners themselves?

[Daniel Stone]

hey all,

Well, bit by bit I'm getting there. However, my curiosity is piquing me... How loud are these machines, in particular, the DPL8000, or Premier when running? Are they the kind of machine one could "set and forget", say, watch a movie while its working in the next room over, without having to put on headphones or turn up the volume more than normal? The reason for my asking is this: WHEN I move into a new apartment, if I take the scanner with me, I don't want to be problematic if I want to run a batch of scans overnight, go to bed and wake up, un-mount, etc... Especially if I'm scanning an 8x10 at hi-res(2-4000dpi).

So, would anyone here reading this who owns/operates one(Aztek DPL8000/Premier able to make a short video(say 2-3min) of the scanner running? Or just a brief run-through of the various parts of the scanner? I'd be very grateful!

thanks

-Dan

[Andrea Gazzoni]

Dan here it is a 45 seconds clip of my Scanmate 5000 running a preview with audio on.
It was shot one year ago when the scanner arrived here, before a good cleaning.
It is not a loud machine but I certainly would not let it run all night.
Andrea

http://vimeo.com/31674046

[Daniel Stone]

Thanks Andrea!

I know they're not "whisper quiet", but after seeing some videos on youtube of these big Screen/Fuji units which seem to almost "scream" while scanning, I was getting a bit worried since the scanner will be in a home inhabited by more than just me :D.

does anyone else happen to have a short video of a Howtek/Aztek unit while its running? I'm surprised Aztek hasn't done something like this, just a short video on what a drum scanner is, what parts are which, etc... But I guess most of their clients are people who are already "in the know", and not complete novices like myself.

-Dan

[Sideshow Bob]

The Howtek 4500 I use to own was nosier than my ScanMate 5000's but not that bad.

Gale

[Lenny Eiger]

Not as loud as my ice-cream maker.

Lenny

[EOTS]

Hi Dan,

my Howtek 4500 is just as loud as the old PC of my girlfriend, which is loud if the fans are running.
But nowhere near a vacuum cleaner.

That's the basic sound ... the rotation of the drum and motion of the optical part is loud when you're during a preview scan, but very silent at higher resolutions like 2000 dpi or above.

I also do a lot of scanning in the night, and my neighbours never protested in any way.

Ooooh but on the other hand ... now that explains those sinister looks in the stairwell ;-)
Just joking ;-)

Regards,

[clay harmon]

My Howtek HR8000 is not loud at all, just a tick,tick,tick sound as it scans. I had it right next to my desk for years, and I would let it do its thing while I worked on other things on the computer.

[Daniel Stone]

Clay:

Thanks for the info! I've been offered a "show and tell" by a fellow member here on the forum on his Aztec Premier(similar to the DPL8000 I'm looking at), so it should be a good learning experience this sunday! He told me via email that the DPL's bearings(non ceramic) should last for a good long time if not worn out, and are freely moving. Making sure they're lubricated(?) and free and clear of dust/grime will help keep them moving well.

I'll make sure to have my camera and a few extra batteries charged to make some short videos and lots of pictures, along with lots of note taking :). Hopefully I can then upload them so others like myself looking at purchasing a drum scanner can have them as informational sources.

fingers crossed!

-Dan

[:Kraftakt:]

Hi everyone!

@Dan: is there any news? Did you have the opportunity to make a small video? I would love to see some footage of all this..the are a couple of videos on how the mount the film but none of the scanning itself:)

Cheers,
Toby

[Daniel Stone]

Hi Toby,

I made a very short video, but the person who was showing me his scanner didnt feel it was prudent to show the scanning software b/c supposedly aztek has some "non disclosure agreement" about doing public tutorials on their software, since its proprietary. Now, once I have MY scanner up and running, I'll be happy to show the scanner during its cycle. To be honest, it isn't the most interesting thing, it basically does a pre-scan, and you apply your corrections, adjust aperture to match your desired output needs, and to match the grain size of the original material. Well, there is other things to do, but the aforementioned things aster the may and potatoes of it. The setup time(not mounting the film on the drum) for each scan can take anywhere from 5-30mins, depending on operator competence and skill level. Now, Lenny Eiger can probably whip up a scan in 1/4 the time it'd take me, but I haven't started scanning yet ;). But to satisfy the masses, I can make a short video of mine during the scanning process.

Dan