> I was "fortunate" in that the scanner died two weeks before its
> warranty expired. I could have saved the $250 and had it repaired under
> warranty, but then I would have forgone 4 weeks of use _and_ been out
> of luck if it fails again within a year. My sense is that these
> scanners are not very robust and have a short (measured in months, not
> years) mean time between failures.
I think (hope) you have just been very unlucky. Until recently I had heard very little
of failures apart from the initial cable detachment problem. Perhaps there has been a
deterioration in QC or changed production method which has resulted in a bad batch.
> When I bought the scanner I had
> foolishly thought that the capital cost would be the total cost of
> ownership, but that does not appear to be the case. A friend owns a
> Kodak RFS 2035+ and has recently had to send it in for repair. He was
> quoted "eight forty-five" for replacing the lamp which sounded just
> fine until he learned there was no decimal point in there (i.e., the
> price was $845,
I have had mail from several sources who have paid this amount only to find that tube
replacement on RFS scanners did not rectify the colour defects which had caused them
to
seek service.
> So, a word of caution: if you are thinking about buying a high-end
> scanner be sure to realise that the initial price is not the total
> expense. You are either going to have to pay for expensive repairs that
> occur with disturbing frequency or you are going to have to get a
> service contract.
Touch wood, my 4000 has been completely trouble-free. It's a concern with any bit of
kit which is mission-critical.
Service contracts generally seem bad value to me, as price must be based on
statistical
probabilities + a healthy profit element. My attitude is generally to believe that the
company knows what it is doing, therefore I'd be more likely to come out ahead if I
don't buy the contract <g>. If the scanner goes pop, I would have to buy another one
immediately while the original was repaired - but since prices fall during product
lifetime (the 4000 is now on sale in UK for approx half of it's initial price) this
isn't such a bad idea. Especially as I could resell the spare once no longer needed. I
think I'd have to be pretty unlucky to lose more by this route than a service deal
would cost, and of course there's a possibility of it costing nothing.
Regards
Tony Sleep
http://www.halftone.co.uk - Online portfolio & exhibit; + film scanner info &
comparisons
