Information,
hands-on experience, and helpful product reviews
of 35mm slide scanners, prepress flatbed scanners, drum scanners, laser
printers, wide format scanners, large format printers, color plotters,
and high-end large format digital scanning back cameras for desktop
publishing, graphics design, pre-press. Evaluations including
peripherals such as DVD-RAM, CD-R, RAID systems. Reviews 35mm
cameras (Leica
and Nikon),
medium format (Rolleiflex
and Hasselblad), and 4x5 (Sinar,
Linhof,
Arca-Swiss,
Cambo,
and Wisner)
cameras. Covers photo studio
equipment, especially lighting
(studio lighting for digital photography and for conventional film photography).
Ample diversity of scanners at SGIA 2016 expo
Updated Sept. 23, 2016; first posted September 19, 2016
It was a pleasant surprise to see several nice flatbed scanners (and a roll-fed scanner) from ImageAccess of Germany, at SGIA 2016 in Las Vegas last week.
I was curious to see how many scanners are at Photokina 2016 the week after SGIA. So far we have found a modest booth of Cruse (but not with their big scanners). The booth of RENCAY has even more. But the old-fashioned flatbed scanners are almost nowhere to be seen any more.
At Tecnargilla 2016 (Rimini, Italy) Cruse scanner company has a booth.
Two of us from FLAAR will attend Tecnargilla 2016 and Sign Istanbul 2016. Three of us attended Glasstec 2016 in Duesseldorf. Presently three of us from www.digital-photography.org are at Photokina 2016 in Cologne.
Not much new in desktop scanners
Posted January 5, 2016
For flatbed scanners, for scanning slides and negatives, not much new and I do not expect much at Photokina 2016 this autumn.
I will not attend CES or PMA@CES since this is a Photokina year. PMA collapsed already several years ago. CES is worth attending but I have to attend SGI (aka Sign Middle East) in Dubai the same week.
I occasionally see roll-fed scanners at SGIA in the USA. These are not acceptable for giclee, since feeding can be iffy. You need a professional scanner for giclee, such as Cruse, or at least a Phase One system. The Italian competitor for Cruse is something we see, but only occasionally. Since we don’t have one, we can’t evaluate how it compares with Cruse or Phase One.
Most of what is new in “scanners” is in 3D scanners (which we cover on our 3D web site). We saw several interested technologies at SIGGRAPH 2015 and look forward to SIGGRAPH 2016 (if it is not same week as another expo that we also have to attend).
However realize that if on a budget, you can also scan into 3D using any normal DSLR camera. And you don’t need multiple cameras any more. Our 3D team does 3D scans with a single camera. You just need to understand and learn how to do it, and then use the appropriate software.
Photokina 2014 this autumn in Cologne
Posted May 13, 2014
Two of us from FLAAR will attend Photokina 2014. We attend every two years.
Photokina has changed a lot; ten years ago it had booths of most large format printer brands. But since FESPA and VISCOM exist throughout Europe, most brands with eco-solvent and UV-cured or textile inks exhibit elsewhere (and all brands exhibit at APPPEXPO 2014 in Shanghai; this is now a larger wide-format printer expo than DRUPA).
There are hardly any brands of scanners being manufactured any more. And we cover digital photography on our www.digital-photography.orgweb site.
So we are not doing much updating of this cameras-scanners web site. This was one of our first web sites, about 14 years ago.
But FLAAR is in full function; we have a staff of about 18 people, and we test digital photography equipment every week in remote areas of Guatemala. You can see the results on our www.Maya-ethnobotany.org.
A
scanner is the next most useful accessory after a digital camera.
A
scanner
is potentially the most
important computer peripheral you will ever decide to buy because
you can "scan" all
kinds of 3-D
objects
directly on top of your flatbed scanner. Use your scanner for much
more than just scanning paper and pictures.
Flatbed
scanners are gradually becoming a key part of anyone's office. At
entry level we recommend the top of the Epson scanners or the Umax
series of scanners as the most economical midrange scanners for
office use and for the more experienced desktop scanner. For more
sophisticated needs (research departments, institutes, museums,
pre-press, and professional digital imaging studios) we recommend
Screen, Fuji, Creo, and other manufacturers of high-end flatbed
scanners. We will be reviewing selected high-end scanners shortly.
Our initial "best impression" is Fuji C-550 Lanovia for
flatbed style if you also need to scan 3D objects or surfaces with
relief. If you need a professional quality flatbed scanner, high
dpi, then the new line of Creo EverSmart scanners is a good choice.
The advantage of the Creo scanners is that they come in a wide range
of reasonable prices. The Creo scanner software is considered the
best of the best.
At
the right, this 36 x 42 inch poster was enlarged from a single 35mm
slide? What scanner (and what digital printer) is capable of achieving
this quality? (answer... Creo
scanner and Hewlett-Packard DesignJet large format color printer).
What about LinoColor Linotype-Hell
scanners from Heidelberg? Professional scanner
software is most important ingredient.
Pictured in this site, two of the outstanding Creo
EverSmart flatbed scanners. Scan
48 slides all at once! If you need to scan thousands of sides
this Scitex scanner is the scanner for you.
Rediscovering the ancient hieroglyphic writing system of the Classic
Maya. With a rollout
camera it is possible to record data on film that is difficult
to see with the naked eye. AGFA 70mm
film allows continuous images to be made of the entire
circumference of any round artifact. Brought to you by archaeology
professor Dr. Nicholas Hellmuth,
a specialist in advanced digital imaging, and the Digital
ImagingTechnology
Center of the Foundation for Latin American Anthropological
Research (FLAAR
Photo Archive).
Digital Picture of the Week
FLAAR Digital Photography Course
Camera: Picture taken with Phase One P25
Guatemala City, Flowers from family Liliaceae. Composition Photography is part of the photo course of digital imaging professor Nicholas Hellmuth.
If you want more information about photo course,
enter here
PMA Trade Show 2005: This year, if you want to meet with Dr Nicholas Hellmuth, he is
available at PMA trade show to anyone who signs up for the digital
photography course.
This FLAAR course on how to select a digital
camera, and how to improve your digital photography, is open to all
ages and all backgrounds, anywhere in the world, since the course is
available via the Internet. Then at PMA you can join Nicholas in
person as he goes to each booth in the entire trade show, and learn
about every single camera, lens, studio lighting, accessory, and
digital imaging software.
There is still time to sign up for the course, e-mail digitalphoto@FLAAR.org . If you wish to have a private tour of this
nature, and are not taking the course.
Nicholas was pleasantly surprised to see that Fujifilm FineScan 2750 and Lanovia Quattro flatbed scanners are very much alive and well.
Creo sent a Supreme EverSmart Supreme scanner to FLAAR last month so we could experience it first hand. Since we don't have a Screen or Fuji scanner, we can comment primarily on our favorable experiences with the Creo.
We will be working with the Creo scanner all summer and autumn 2004 to show its capabilities for prepress and for photographers with archives of 35mm, medium format, and large format slides and negatives.
Creo is part of Kodak since 2005, so the scanners are
now Kodak scanners.
If you are in any country, including outside the USA, and wish
further information on these flatbed scanners, the e-mail is scanner@creo.com.
> Free Flaar Report, about: Be Successful & Profitable Producing Giclee ARt Prints Now available in FREE FLAAR REPORTS
FLAAR Premium Reports on SCANNERS, SEPTEMBER 2004
You can now order the report: Scanning Anything and Everything Besides Negatives and Slides: This brief FLAAR Fast Facts covers scanning prints, objects, medical x-rays, textiles, materials, etc. This report is free once you buy any other FLAAR Reports on scanning.
>Free Flaar Report, about: Printing directly onto a Door with a Wide Format Inkjet Printer. Now available in FREE FLAAR REPORTS
FLAAR Premium Reports on SCANNERS, SEPTEMBER 2004
Also, you can now order the report: Scanning 35mm Slides and Negatives: FLAAR has significant experience as consultant for scanning slide archives, such as for the Japanese National Museum. We are currently scanning several thousand 35mm slides in our own archive. This means our report on scanners is written from years of personal experience in scanners, scanner software, and the whole workflow process. That comprehensive report is now available in the Premium Reports - Series on Scanners.
What we do offer
on the pages here (www.cameras-scanners-flaar.org) Information about Leica
(cameras and S1 digital cameras), Nikon (cameras and dedicated 35mm
slide scanner), tripods (Gitzo
and Ries), tripod heads (Gitzo Big Ball, Manfrotto, Arca-Swiss,
Kirk), middle format cameras (Rollei, Rolleiflex,
Hasselblad), and large format (Wisner, Linhof, Sinar), and 70mm
film (Agfa). Lighting
is our speciality, and we review Hedler (for Europe), Videssence,
Lowel, and Dedo Weigert studio lamps, as well as Smith-Victor and
Bogen light stands.
If you want
information on digital photography, You can find plenty where you have landed
here, but we do have a separate web site on Better Light, Phase
One, Jobo, Leica SI, and other leading digital cameras photography
equipment, namely www.digital-photography.org.
If
you have landed on this page seeking information on Maya art
and archaeology of prehispanic Mesoamerica, you probably were
looking for www.maya-art-books.org
or www.maya-archaeology.org.
Those sites cover ancient art and artifacts of Belize, Mexico (Campeche,
Tabasco, Chiapas, Yucatan, and Quintana Roo), Guatemala (Peten,
Quiche), and Honduras (Maya ruins of Copan). Focus there is on Copan
and Tikal as well as the Popol Vuh Museum. We also cover Olmec art
and archaeology of Tabasco and Veracruz.
For
accessories for professional photography We cover Rosco, Macbeth
(GretagMacbeth), Teufel (Nenil background materials).
If
you wish information on what scanner is best for you just send
us ane-mail. We have additional information to send you
based on our tests, evaluations, and our general experience with
scanners in our own photo studio, digital imaging studio, and
offices. Allow a few days for us to respond because we get lots
of requests. There is no charge for the information (FLAAR is
non profit). If you inquire about certain kinds of scanners for
your particular needs we can obtain additional information for
you by forwarding your e-mail to the best company that makes the
specific scanner which is most appropriate for your needs. This
makes it easier for you to receive the information.
FLAAR
has plenty of experience with scanners of all kinds and we select
only companies that have a good reputation for service and quality
scanner output. We inspect the scanners at trade shows in the USA
and Germany. When possible we obtain the scanner hardware and software
and test them in our own office. Often the incoming e-mail contain
helpful information on end-user needs (that is, the specific kinds
of needs you have). Your needs help the scanner companies to recognize
what features they need to add to their next new models.
Thus to encourage the scanner hardware and software companies to pay
attention to your needs, we will forward your e-mail to the company
that we have found is receptive to learning what people really want
in a scanner.
In
some cases the incoming e-mail are helpful for our own program of
research on scanners, in which case we may quote portions of your
discussion or observations in our web sites or in articles or the
book we would like to publish on scanning. In return you receive the
report of our senior review editor which summarizes the best tips
plus our evaluations on which scanners are ideal for a wide variety
of specific needs. Once you have a scanner you will need to figure
out how best to store your images. Buying a Zip drive is the first
mistake most people make (we made this mistake as well). To help you
out on storage we recommend the same place where we buy our hard drives,
DVD-RAM, RAID, CD-R and CD-RW burners. We will eventually forward
your e-mail to the companies that can best help you on storage.
FLAAR
is nonprofit and we are rather slow because our no-cost consulting
services are popular internationally, and hence our staff is rather
backed up with answering requests. For this reason we need to enlist
the assistance of the various companies that make the better products
so that they also can respond to your request for assistance. We
feel that the more information a person has, the better they can
decide what is the optimal make and model to obtain to provide a
good solution at a reasonable price.
Summary: If
you do not really need a complete 360 view, there are several Linhof
cameras that will be ideal, especially with a Schneider ultra wide
angle lens. If you want to go full 360-degrees, then the absolute
best is the Better
Light panorama adaptation of the Dicomed Field Pro. If you can
only handle (or only afford) 35mm, then we recommend the Nikon 13mm
and 15mm with any Nikon body.
Nicholas
Hellmuth begins installation of reprographic copy stand digital
photography in Museo Popol Vuh in Guatemala. This large format photography
system will be used to photograph 7th century Maya ceramic funerary
plates using a BetterLight Super 6K digital cameras (more
info)When
you are outfitting your studio for a large format digital scan back
there are many new factors you have to consider. For example, how
do you control fluctuations in your electrical current? All it takes
is a copier or other motor anywhere in your building, and your digital
images may be affected
(and ruined by banding).FLAAR
is expanding its photo studios at the
Francisco Marroquin University. In addition, FLAAR is opening
another evaluation studio for digital photography at a technical
college within a state university in the Midwest. Reviews of high
quality flatbed scanners, the Fuji C-550 Lanovia compared with the
impressive Scitex EverSmart for professional prepress scanning
PMA Trade Show 2005: This year, if you want to meet with Dr Nicholas Hellmuth, he is
available at PMA trade show to anyone who signs up for the 
Nicholas was pleasantly surprised to see that 
