How about something like a Howtek drum scanner

[Steven Ruttenberg]

I think I will be looking to buy a used drum scanner next year. I have seen some Howtek 4500 on sale for around 3-4K. How good is this scanner? And can its connection be upgraded from scsi and then run on a mac? I would prefer not to have two different systems. Any competent drum scanners out there that use a modern interface that won't break the bank even in a used condition? The Howtek looks like a good deal and so do the Tangos, but they all seem to use last centuries os and interface. That is my main hangup. If I can have them interface via usb, and such and use moderns system. It's a no brainer.

[Jim Andrada]

Yup

Last century's stuff. Well said!!! SCSI, Firewire (because sooner or later it will smoke what's attached to it - and where there's smoke...there used to be my Sound Devices audio recorder. Fortunately, for only a thick stack of bills they could fix it.)

[Alan9940]

The Howtek's are good scanners, but not without issues. Do some surfing around various forums and you'll turn up many threads. The trouble with all these machines are that they're old; repairs can be problematic due to lack of parts, they all interface via old technology, etc. Sure, you can convert SCSI to USB, for example, but what will you run the software on?

If you decide to go with one of these old units, I'd highly recommend you find one that includes the computer and all the paraphernalia needed to run it. Or, do what I do...scan on a flatbed for work prints, then if you have something you really like send out for a drum scan.

[Steven Ruttenberg]

Currently that is what I do, but for the cost of a drum scan, I can buy one and make my money back after 50 scans. I wouldn't mind a newer one if I can find it on sale used. I progressing towards dark room prints for black and white and using the computer for the color stuff, but maybe not. I like to have options. I will keep lookiing around. There are some places that offer the scanner and computer plus warranty, but how well they honor it? Who knows. Maybe if I buy one I can also buy the spare parts that most commonly crap out.

[Mark Darragh]

Steven,
You’re obviously very enthusiastic about your photography which is great to see. Many of the issues that you are encountering regarding film choices, exposure, scanning etc come down to judgment and experience. All this take time to gain and, while forums like this, books, videos, even workshops can all help, the are really no shortcuts and magic bullets.

Drum scanners are only as good as the operator. They can deliver great results but, as has been mentioned, there many potential pitfalls. Learning to wet mount film and getting the most out of a drum scanner is an art in itself. Develop a good work flow and learn how to get the best out of your current equipment. At the very least it will help you develop the skills you need to operate a drum scanner. Get some drum scans done by Lenny Eiger or another experienced scanner operator. That might help in making an informed choice as to whether you really want or even need to make the move.

All the best

[Steven Ruttenberg]

I agree. I do wet mount currently with the V850 and still learning it and how to convert negatives and scan slides. I will agree as well I have a lot more to learn and know a lot less than most. I am still working the basics from film choice to final print. I figure by time I make the first true piece of art, I will be ancient.

I also read a lot, ask dumb questions and discuss often as wel as just doing photography, which is the only true way to learn.

[Alan9940]

Steven,

I wet mount with my Epson flatbed, too, but doing the same on to a drum is many more steps, a magnitude of more difficulty, and you need a mounting station to do it; which doesn’t necessarily come with the scanner. And, as already mentioned it generally takes years and years of experience to get the best out of a drum scanner.

[Alan Klein]

What does a drum scanner do differently than a flat bed?

[jp]

Might as well wait till you've mastered the epson before moving up to drum. I'm not there yet, but consider epson good enough.
If digital is part of the plan, you might as well shoot negative film and figure out the scanning to perfection to the capabilities of the epson. Essentially compressing the scene's range into something a scanner can handle.
transparency was original popular for it's wysiwyg which is no longer as important. Some people like transparencies for it self being the beautiful end product, like a tintype..

A drum scanner is wet mount and scans things more slowly into a sensitive vacuum tube photo sensor. Old school but high end.

[Sweep]

What does a drum scanner do differently than a flat bed?

I don't think it is what it does but how it does it. How it works is for someone else to answer.

Wet mounting on a drum makes the film as close to perfectly flat as can be achieved as it is held taught around the drum so the distance between lens and film always remains constant. Then there is the use of photomultiplier tubes which, as far as I understand, are several thousand times more sensitive to light that the technology used in, for example, the Epson V series. Whether you can get, need, or perceive, any or all of the advantages from the drum scanner depends, as others have mentioned, on the skill of the operator.
I own a Howtek D4500 and whilst I love owning it is not without issues. Mounting time, scanning time, consumable costs etc, all should be part of the equation.
Can I tell the difference? Nope, but I have never owned anything else :-) I suppose that's a bit like auditioning televisions in a shop; once you get it home you have nothing to compare it to so you just have to keep telling yourself it is better.
Do I have need for a drum scanner. Nope, but its a hobby so I liked the idea of the drum scanner to get the very best out of my film whether I can tell the difference or not