I have just tried to see  if I could buy a Kodak ISQmart 1. Kodak/Creo scanners are really high end, about the best one can get. Well, it is almost impossible to buy one in large parts of Western Europe.

I live in Luxembourg. The nearest dealer that Kodak put me in contact with is located in England! Really easy to arrange for a demo!

According to the dealer, Kodak does not make the scanners anymore. The Creo factory in Israel is stopped and only the IQSmart3 is still presented as a current model. Some stock remains. I was offered an ex-demo IQSmart1 at a decent price, it would have been tempting.

But the problems just pile up. After you get over the extremely scarce distribution network and the idea to spend so much on an outdated line of scanners, there is the system requirements. The software requires a MacPro. The Mac OS X version has to be the one provided on DVD with the machine, with no update whatsoever. This means I'd have to dedicate a MacPro as a scanning station! The only other Mac models supported are ancient G3 and G4 machines. A Windows version exists, but with reduced functionalities.

When you add the shipping and installation costs (900€), the deal gets more and more crazy.

So I declined the offer.

The only remaining alternative is the Nikon CoolScan LS 9000. Much less expensive, but not exactly the deal of the year either. The model will be discontinued starting this month. The software is already not updated anymore for quite a time and support can not be expected to last long. Kodak, at least, promises support and repairs for at least 6 years.

So, ok, my Epson V750 and Plustek 7500i will have to do. But seeing all the really good scanners disappearing from the market makes one wonder what will happen when the Epson stops working.

Stephane :: Feb.18.2010 :: Gear, Scanning, Software :: 3 Comments »