Silverfast 64 Bit and Nikon 9000

[jaffa]

I have been holding off to upgrade my computer to 64 bit compatibility for a while now. Now with Photoshop CS4, and Vista 64 bit, and Widows 7 on the way, I am exicited that I can build a new computer that can utilise all the RAM and handle the massive files I get from my medium format film scans. But when can we expect support for Siverfast 64 bit? It seems like you guys are playing catch up? I don't want to have to run two machines with two operating systems.

I use a Nikon 9000 and am eagerly waiting for the 64 bit version of Silverfast 6.6.

[LSI_Morales]

Dear jaffa,

First of all thanks for your interest and expectation on our products.

We want to please and offer support to all our customers, at this time our developers team is not working on a new version and is also not planned in the near future.
As you know Nikon will not develop any other driver for its scanners, without any working driver the task of creating a compatible version of SilverFast is much more difficult.

We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your understanding

[jaffa]

Thanks for your reply.

I am sad to hear that Nikon will not be updating their drivers? I am quite shocked really, especially since the Nikon 9000LS is such a capable scanner. 64 bit is the way of the future. I am annoyed and I am going to write to Nikon about this. All you other Nikon scanner owners out their let should be letting Nikon know too!

[Fred Osterholtz]

Re - scanner driver upgrades at Nikon
Perhaps I am just a pessimist, but the lesson of the Minolta Dimage 5400 should not be forgotten.
Great scanner, discontinued.
I think we are lucky to still be able to buy a new LS-9000. Here in the USA, after I bought a Coolscan 9000 ED in September, it took three months before the glass film carrier (non-rotating) was available. Calumet Photo, an excellent supplier had only one 9000 in stock in the whole USA. These are strong clues.
Surely, the product line is such a small part of their business that they can not afford to invest much in software development?
Probably, they want you to buy one of their newest digital SLR's, hoping that the results will be almost as good as what we get from 6x7 scans. That won't be true for a long while, is my guess, but, I'd not hold my breath for new drivers. Even if the medical and scientific market sustains the hardware, I can not imagine any investment.

By the way, it is my plan to get a new (custom built) computer with 8 memory slots holding 16 GB of RAM and 64 bit VISTA OS in the near future. Absent newer drivers, I may have to keep scanning on my older computer, but at least the image editing can be faster, and files will open a lot faster. When 4GB DIMMS become cheaper, then even more RAM could be accessed.
Fred Osterholtz

[LSI_Morales]

Dear Fred

Thanks for your infos, I will quote my last entry which is the official latest state concerning this matter:

Dear jaffa,

First of all thanks for your interest and expectation on our products.

We want to please and offer support to all our customers, at this time our developers team is not working on a new version and is also not planned in the near future.
As you know Nikon will not develop any other driver for its scanners, without any working driver the task of creating a compatible version of SilverFast is much more difficult.

We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your understanding

Again, thanks for your understanding.