Re: filmscanners: Nikon 8000 ED or Polaroid Sprintscan 120 ??

[Arthur Entlich <artistic@ampsc.com>]

I don't think anyone will argue that for now, drum scanners have the 
edge in the digital scanning arena.  I also don't think many would argue 
that CCD scanners are being successfully used to scan 35mm frames used 
in the coffee table glossy book market, with considerable success.

For those who wish more control over their images and also economy, the 
newer CCD based scanners are opening up a new market for photographers 
who wish to provide either manipulated images (do it yourself fixes, 
etc) or electronic digital images which can then be used on web pages, 
or sent via electronic means to stock houses or clients.

I do, however, see a day when a major breakthough will likely occur and 
the whole high end marketplace will be knocked on its ears.  A perfect 
example was the video/CG marketplace.  Video switchers, and workstations 
to produce 3d CG were held by companies like Panasonic, Sony and others 
with their multi hundred thousand dollar units.

Then a small marriage took place between a product called the Amiga 
computer and a company called Newtek, which came out with the "Video 
Toaster" and bundled it with Lightwave 3d, and that world was changed 
forever.  For under $5000 one had a digital switcher and CG system that 
rivaled units worth over $100,000.  WIthin months I saw trade magazines 
like "Video Systems" go from 120 pages down to 40 as advertising 
revenues disappeared, as the biggies ran out of that market, and soon 
only Newtek ads, and a few other non-linear editing system upstarts were 
left placing ads.

The rest, as they say, is history.  Almost all professional video 
editing and CG development is now done via computers.  Hardware 
switchers are pretty much history, and it took only a few years to 
happen.  Today, major television effects and full CG animations are 
produced in a room with Macs or average PCs.

It only takes one genius company willing to work "outside the box", to 
come up with a new blackbox, and all bets are off.

Whether this will happen in the scanning field and when, I can't say. 
But I do not believe anyone can with any certainty say drum scanners are 
here to stay, or that most pro photographers will not be doing their own 
scanning 5 years from now.

Predicting the future is full of sand traps.

Art