Scanning speed on Imacon 848 Flextight

[10 Rolls Of Film]

Good time of the day everybody!

So there is a photo lab within an hour of travel from where I live, they have Imacon 848 Flextight and charge €40 per hour of using it. I have never used a scanner like that and was wondering if anyone could give an estimate as to how quickly/slowly this scanner works and how much I could realistically hope to get done in an hour. I am using medium format film, 6x4.5, mostly black and white but occasional colour roll also happens. Any help/advice would be much appreciated!

Cheers,

Leo

 

[Richard Man]

Once you are proficient, it's very fast. Probably around 2-4 mins per scan? Since you are renting time, scan in RAW 3F format, then you can process the files at your leisure later.

 

[10 Rolls Of Film]

Once you are proficient, it's very fast. Probably around 2-4 mins per scan? Since you are renting time, scan in RAW 3F format, then you can process the files at your leisure later.

Oh that sounds great! Any particular obstacles or quirks I should know about going in?

 

[Richard Man]

Read about the software they are using, which is almost certainly FlexColor (not aware of any other software for the Flextight) so you know how the dialog and buttons work. It's pretty simple machine. I love mine. People go on and on about how great drum scans are (which they are), but for convenience and speed, I think they are great.

Also someone I trust greatly told me that he did some tests with Flextight and drum scan FOR MEDIUM FORMAT (must be emphasized otherwise people will mention how great 4x5 scans are on drums), and that he did not notice much difference. This is a well known Photrio/APUG guy that does 3x4 Platinum/Gum prints as a job. So he knows something...

 

[kevin70]

I have a 949 and do maybe just over 25 medium format black and white 3F scans an hour - you will have to download the latest version flexcolor for your operating system to edit the 3F files - the software is great, i love it - you will need to register here then go to my hasselblad > firmware software and manuals https://www.hasselblad.com/support/
The Nikon 9000 pictured i sold a couple of years after getting the Imacon - it was so slow in comparison - awkward to use to get the film flat

 

[10 Rolls Of Film]

Ok, preparing myself: reading up on FlexColor, watching 'tube tutorials on how to load the film and operate the program, installed FlexColor on my computer, seemingly ready

 

[kevin70]

Plenty of tutorials on youtube - 3F is easy, the 848 may have auto frame recognition - you can set the max file size mine is set at 1000 Mb you'll never get anywhere near that i think from memory 3F medium format negatives are around the 260 Mb mark so you'll need a good portable hard drive then back that up i have 2 of every scan the beauty of the 3F system is you can take your time and you never change the original 3F file you just make different versions of it as .tiffs https://www.youtube.com/user/scovell001/videos
this guy has uploaded all the Hasselblad tutorials > lesson 6 is for 3F - good luck - don't forget emulsion side down

 

[Frank53]

Good time of the day everybody!

So there is a photo lab within an hour of travel from where I live, they have Imacon 848 Flextight and charge €40 per hour of using it. I have never used a scanner like that and was wondering if anyone could give an estimate as to how quickly/slowly this scanner works and how much I could realistically hope to get done in an hour. I am using medium format film, 6x4.5, mostly black and white but occasional colour roll also happens. Any help/advice would be much appreciated!

Cheers,

Leo

I remember Calumet used to have a service like that, but I don’t think they still have. My Flextight Precicion II needs about 20 minutes for a full resolution scan, so that’s no option.
Maybe this place: http://www.localdarkroom.com/facilities/view.php
Regards,
Frank

 

[Frank53]

I remember Calumet used to have a service like that, but I don’t think they still have. My Flextight Precicion II needs about 20 minutes for a full resolution scan, so that’s no option.
Maybe this place: http://www.localdarkroom.com/facilities/view.php
Regards,
Frank

Sorry, misread your post, thought you were looking for a place to scan.
Regards,
Frank

 

[Bob Carnie]

The time will be relevant to the size of the file you want to make... for its highest resolution 15 min per scan is more in order.