Pakon Scanner

I've worked with my F135P quite a bit now; with just a bit of tuning I can easily exceed the IQ of my local Costco's Frontier scanning station. Images are overbright and colors tend to be a bit on the dull side with the default settings, but most subjects can be nicely toned and re-saturated in PSI with minimum effort. Brightly colored subjects like flowers Photoshop extremely well, to the point where I can't tell the difference between the Pakon and expensive NCPS Enhanced Scans of the same negatives.

I am totally sold. Unless you need absolute pixel-peeping perfection and have all the time in world to achieve it, this thing is a steal at about $1K.
 
It is, isn't? Unless you shoot mostly B&W. Haha.

I'm impressed by the color correction in it. It hits colors pretty spot on most of the time with a minimum of tweaking. You can set default adjustments too in the software if you find yourself always adding in saturation/sharpening etc.
 
I love the IDEA of shooting B&W, but the reality has never worked out for me for some reason. To me, even this brief series of what is left of the Bay Meadows Racetrack seems to benefit from color, although it's really a classic B&W subject: http://tinyurl.com/cqkuty
 
Yeah, I tend to agree. There's NOTHING like a B&W print by someone who really knows what they are doing.

That wouldn't be me. :)
 
I installed mine last days:

The software installation doesn't work on another language version than english Windows XP pro... now I have one! ;-)

What version of scanner driver and PSI software do you use?
mine is PSI 2.4 Build 0.3
USB driver 3.15
Scanner serial 4039
-> on PSI classic view -> Help -> About...

@5:00 PM
what kind of problems did you have with the USB controller of the mainboard?


Peter
 
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Hello,

I am new to this forum and I need help to find SW for my F235.

My computer crashed and all I can find is the original CD and upgrades that I'd downloaded up to V2.1 build 0.4 beta and PSI 3.0.

In order to run PSI 3.0, I have to install the other upgrades.

Can anybody help me with that or point me to any site that has the software as Pakon's ftp site is no longer available.

Thanks.

Charles
 
Hello,

I recently purchased the F235c with it's original computer 2000 pro and it works well. I just got the PSI 2.4 from Kodak and installed it in a xp computer the software works but when I scan the images are stretched. I ran through all the calibrations nothing failed but still getting stretched scans. I also wanted to know if there is a way to remove the "AA000" that gets added to the neg # when exported.

Thanks,
Chris
 
My sister is borrowing my setup, so this is from memory, but the AA prefix is fixed through a sub-menu of the save dialogue. You can make that prefix anything you want, including the roll number. That AA thing goes to AB, AC, etc. every time you do a roll so that you don't accidentally save two rolls on top of each other by inputting the same roll# twice.

If your images are stretched, you need to run the tracking test. Generally, it optically reads the DX codes (or sprocket holes) to keep its speed calibrateted. I had issues with short frames and it had to go to AES for cleaning of the DX sensors. Not cheap. Cost me $350. I think the diagnostics were something alone like $150. But I had it back within 10 calendar days.

Dante

ckphoto said:
Hello,

I recently purchased the F235c with it's original computer 2000 pro and it works well. I just got the PSI 2.4 from Kodak and installed it in a xp computer the software works but when I scan the images are stretched. I ran through all the calibrations nothing failed but still getting stretched scans. I also wanted to know if there is a way to remove the "AA000" that gets added to the neg # when exported.

Thanks,
Chris
Click to expand...
 
Dante thanks for the fast reply, I have done the track test and it passes also when I have the scanner hooked up to the windows 2000 computer I get good scans no stretching. Could have something to do with the usb port?

Thanks,
Chris
 
I know it has nothing to do with the OS - since I was last running it on a Mac Pro quad core running Windows XP (though without the scanner here I can't boot up PSI).

So maybe you have a bad port? If you read the published requirements for PSI, the port has to be on the motherboard. I don't think that's 100% true, but it may react to some USB controllers better than others.

Dante

ckphoto said:
Dante thanks for the fast reply, I have done the track test and it passes also when I have the scanner hooked up to the windows 2000 computer I get good scans no stretching. Could have something to do with the usb port?

Thanks,
Chris
Click to expand...
 
Hi Chris,

Can you please tell me where you got your PSI 2.4? I have tried Kodak's site without luck and the Pakon FTP site is not working (I guess they were shut down by Kodak).

Thanks.

Charles

ckphoto said:
Hello,

I recently purchased the F235c with it's original computer 2000 pro and it works well. I just got the PSI 2.4 from Kodak and installed it in a xp computer the software works but when I scan the images are stretched. I ran through all the calibrations nothing failed but still getting stretched scans. I also wanted to know if there is a way to remove the "AA000" that gets added to the neg # when exported.

Thanks,
Chris
Click to expand...
 
I just picked up a F335 on eBay, installed all the drivers and the software and I'm getting hard app crashes on XP SP2 whenever it tries to connect to the scanner (I think). Both in PSI and the testing tool: "Pakon Scanner Interface has encountered a problem and needs to close."

Using ports on the motherboard of a fairly new PC. Wondering if the Belkin card would help, or installing 2000 SP2? or different software?
 
willcodeforfoo said:
I just picked up a F335 on eBay, installed all the drivers and the software and I'm getting hard app crashes on XP SP2 whenever it tries to connect to the scanner (I think). Both in PSI and the testing tool: "Pakon Scanner Interface has encountered a problem and needs to close."

Using ports on the motherboard of a fairly new PC. Wondering if the Belkin card would help, or installing 2000 SP2? or different software?
Click to expand...

Did you install the english language version of the operating system?
I uses XP SP3 in English, that worked well.

I sell my Pakon F-135 at the moment in ebay! (for Europe)

best regards
Peter
 
Pakon ?Digital ICE?

Pakon ?Digital ICE?

Does the Pakon 135 definitely have Digital ICE and does it have automatic focusing?
If not, is there a manufacturer or other model that does? I have a V700 Epson scanner. It's fairly good but not in the same class as a dedicated film scanner. Would a Pakon (or similar) be a definite step up from the V700?
Thanks,
Ian
 
The f-135 does have ICE and it has auto focusing. You need to run calibrations every now and then. It takes a few minutes.

The Pakon f-135 only scans perforated 35mm rolls or strips at least two frames or longer. I don't think it can do 240/APS like the 235 and 335.

It also only goes to 3000x2000. But it does that quickly and well.

The v-750 can scan anything from 8mm to 8x10. It also has higher resolution. It can also scan prints and mounted slides. The Pakon can't do any of those.

The v-750 is slow but flexible, the f-135 is fast but limited.
 
Reading through the older posts I am confused.

I have a Pakon F-235 and it scans black and white film beautifully. It doesn't require DX coding. I have scanned 30 and 40 year old film without problems. I did have trouble with some 70's Kodak color with the weird edge printing. I scanned it as positives and fixed them in photoshop. I am going to try a magic marker over the weird edges and that should fix it.

So anyone reading this, the Pakon is just as good at b/w as it is for color.
 
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