Silverfast Support for the 5400 II

[TheAudioDoc]

As I am receiving LaserSoft's RSS feeds, I continue to read about cool new tools and improvements to SilverFast! Unfortunately non seem to apply to our Minolta Scanners! Like iSRD and HDR 64 bit -- even new negafix profiles like Ektar 100 -- mostly what I shoot nowadays! There are thousands of us out here, abandoned by Minolta and Sony with no where to turn, but to SilverFast for Support. At the moment there is no way to use our scanners in Windows 7, other than dual booting. Most everyone I know in the Minolta/Sony Alpha mount community are using 5400 scanners or 5400 IIs Even David Brooks seems to have abandoned us and is pushing the Plustek scanners. When can we expect new negafix profiles like Ektar 100? And how about iSRD and HDR 64 bit? What about this new auto sharpening feature?

Thanks,

Kelly

[LSI_Rossee]

Dear Kelly,

we certainly don't intend to leave anybody feeling abandoned. We plan to include a new Ektar 100 Negafix profile with these scanners and also the new auto-sharpening feature anytime soon but I wouldn't hold my hopes too high on the Win7even support with the Minoltas. I'm really sorry but Minolta abandoned photography I think even before Vista came out. Sony took over and has shown no real signs of planning to provide updated drivers for these scanners - yes we have asked them if they would be willing to provide documentation so that we could make our own updated drivers, but no answer yet.
We will send out a note via our RSS-newsfeed once the new NEgafix profiles are available for the Minoltas - for some Epsons they are already.

Best,

JAN

[TheAudioDoc]

Hi Jan,

Thank you very much for your reply to my inquiry! The technical documentation that you referred to would also allow access to the IR channel and implementation of HDRi 64 bit?

Perhaps a petition to Sony from Minolta scanner users would be order? We have done this successfully recently in regards to the SSM/ADI upgrade parts for the Minolta 9 camera via the Minolta.de and Dyxum.com forums, but they had a more direct sales interest in that case.

Thanks again,

Kelly

[LSI_Rossee]

Dear Kelly,

yes, perhaps that would help. With the appropriate technical documentation we would be able to realize access to IR channel as well as implemtation of HDRi 64bit.

Best,

JAN

[ionian]

I'm just popping in to show my support for the profiles for the Minolta 5400! I'm still a full-time film shooter and I still beat my 5400 into the ground and it works great. I'm eagerly awaiting the new profiles as well - Ektar 100 as well as Fuji Neopan 1600! Just wanted to let you know there are more of us!

[pictblue]

Does someone know about the compatibility of Silverfast AI and Minolta 5400II with Windows XP Mode in Windows 7 Pro?

Is that mode supported by Lasersoft imaging?

[Tani]

I also wish to push for continued support for The Scan Elite 5400 and 5400 II. That Minolta no longer supports with driver is the main reason for looking at this web-site. I was considering to purchase SilverFast for the 5400 II (I have it for an Epson Scanner) in the hope of using the same software for both. However, at the moment there seem to be reason to do so if Windows 7 will not be supported. I am really sorry to hear this and I hope this will be reconsidered. I think these Minolta Scanners were the most sold ones for a number of years and I am guessing that most of them are still in use under older operating systems and quite a few would see continued or renewed use if they could be used under Windows 7. I guess Minolta users may have to look elsewhere for scanning sofware. It would be good to know where.

[LSI_Morales]

Dear Tani,

You can clearly read from my colleague's statement. It is not our intention to leave any person alone. If you read further, you will see that the conditions for development of new drivers have not been favorable. As soon as we have any possibility and good conditions to push development for new drivers we will surely do so.

We appreciate your understanding.

Kind regards

[TheAudioDoc]

Tani,

There is one other software option( won't mention the name here), but they reverse engineer the driver for Win 7. Which is not really the correct way to go about it. My understanding is (correct me if I'm wrong), LaserSoft does not/ won't reverse engineer drivers. That's why the technical data from the manufacture is necessary. I posted a thread on the Dyxum forums to try to drum up support for a petition to Sony to get the tech data to Silverfast, but there was virtually no interest. Minolta users here have also not made much of a response to this issue.

However, you can still use the Lasersoft software in XP even if you have Win 7. I understand there is a virtual XP machine built in to Windows 7, but there are other Virtual Machines. Also you can create a new partition and dual boot to Windows 7.

Kelly

[LSI_Morales]

Dear Kelly,

thanks for your contribution,

My understanding is (correct me if I'm wrong), LaserSoft does not/ won't reverse engineer drivers.

Absolutely right, to obtain optimal results from the scanner we use the scanner manufacturer driver.

That's why the technical data from the manufacture is necessary.

Again right! To modify the manufacturer driver it is necessary to have the technical documentation of what, when and how things can be controlled in the scanner.

Cheers