Technology love/hate
I believe in technology. I believe that technology is there to help us. You might think this is a bit of hypocrisy coming from somebody who is using analogue cameras. Yes, but wait ‘till I tell you why I hate technology.
There’s no secret, I’ve said it here many times before: I don’t have the space to create a darkroom; as a result, I drop my films to a local lab, they develop the films for me and I scan them after that. It is not ideal but it’s working for me and I am happy. This is giving me the opportunity to have a bit of control over the outcome.
For scanning I’m using an Epson Perfection 4490 Photo which I bought brand new around 2007-2008 and it came with a software provided on a CD. When I got my iMac in 2010 I was able to install the software using the CD. The software allowed me to adjust the scan: format, orientation, resolution, contrast, dust removal and other settings, all at the touch of a button - so to speak. It was all good until last year when I bought a Mac mini.
The new Mac doesn’t recognise the scanner which is not unsual. I’ve tried to find a software to download but with no success. And this is where I hate technology. Why do I have to buy a new scanner to suit the new computer? There’s nothing wrong with my old 4490, it’s still working and it does exactly what I want, what I need, I don’t need anything more than that. But “computer says NO!”
The technology is more interested in my location (Which Epson do you want to search: Europe, America, Asia? Be careful what you choose, the software might not work in your region! ????!!! )than it is in sorting out a problem. (By the way, I’ve tried them all, none of them are working as the scanner and support were discontinued).
So what options I have now? Let the lab do the scanning? No, I did it twice before, and I wasn’t happy with the results. Tthe guys in the lab did their job but they don’t know what I want every single time and that’s why I want to do it myself. Buy a new scanner? No way! Out of the question! Use a digital camera with a macro lens to scan? It might be an option but that means building another set-up with a stand, light, etc and I’m not ready for this.
For the moment I have a solution as I didn’t throw out my old iMac yet. But that is only for the moment as I have to do it at some stage. While technology is getting better, faster, full of more coockies that collect every single bit of data possible, I’m still using film and analogue cameras. The TV’s are smart, the watches are smarter and the phones are geniuses, is not the time that photography …? NO!
Probably the next post about technology will be about Affinity and how I’m getting on with it since I’m not using Adobe anymore.
VueScan all the way for me....it takes some getting to know and who has time, right? But once you have a set up, it works well. I have saved my scan settings for B&W 35mm, B&W 120 and color equivalents and would be happy to export and send if you went that route... oh, and talk to me all day about tech! I've been in the business for my whole adult career, so I too, believe in technology :).
Many of us keep an old computer purely for use with the one or two software or peripheral items which are no longer supported. It's sad, but for something like that I don't worry about software vulnerabilities and the like - they aren't connected to anything. But you then need a separate storage device which can first connect to the old machine, and the connect to the working machine. It's a pain in the ass, no question.