Imacon concerns?

[Rogier]

Hi,

I am thinking about buying a used Hasselblad Imacon scanner.
What are the concerns about buying a older used one?

 

[ottluuk]

The older ones were with an SCSI interface only, I think. So to use these on a modern Mac you'll have to find a SCSI to FW or USB adapter and drivers which might work... or might not.

 

[Pete B]

Does this mean the newer ones are usb? I'd like one too 🙂
Pete

 

[ottluuk]

Does this mean the newer ones are usb? I'd like one too 🙂
Pete

The newest ones at least are Firewire.

 

[sevo]

The older ones were with an SCSI interface only, I think. So to use these on a modern Mac you'll have to find a SCSI to FW or USB adapter and drivers which might work... or might not.

Well, a modern, currently supported SCSI card will do even better - unless you insist to use it in a low-end system or laptop, where that avenue might be blocked by a lack of PCI/PCIe slots...

 

[jslabovitz]

I beleive Imacon's have only been SCSI or Firewire. I've never heard of any that had a USB interface. SCSI-USB converters generally will not work, especially on a Mac.

If you have a Mac, the SCSI scanners will only work with systems up to Snow Leopard. They are *not* supported in Lion or any future versions. Best/easiest thing to do is to invest a couple of hundred dollars for an old Mac mini, iBook G4, or similar ancient machine (does not have to have an Intel processor), and dedicate that to your scanner.

If you use a desktop machine, a SCSI card may be a good option. Otherwise, you'll need the Ratoc FR1SX SCSI-Firewire adaptor. It's recently been discontinued by the manufacturer, so make sure you can either source one on eBay before you buy the scanner, or only buy a scanner that comes with the adaptor.

--John

 

[Rogier]

Thanks for all the quick input.
Other than the scsi issue anything else I need to look out for?

 

[Particular]

Thanks for all the quick input.
Other than the scsi issue anything else I need to look out for?

Check that the holders are in good shape, i.e. that the flexible magnet is not ripping in the corners. I once had a favorite 4x5 positive get mangled and badly scratched after it started flexing in the wrong direction because it wasn't being held tightly. It threatened to do the same with other 4x5s I was scanning, but they popped back just in time. The popping did cause shifted scan lines in the images requiring a bit of photoshop to fix.