Imacon's FlexFrame 4040

Is the Imacon FlexFrame 4040 a good choice? Nowadays virtually all medium format digital scan back cameras offer 1-shot, 3-shot, and micro-scanning modes.

So how can you figure out which is best? Well first look at who actually makes the cameras, and which other companies just buys someone else's products and rebrands them.

Here is one advantage of Imacon's FlexFrame 4040.

Imacon bought neighboring digital imaging company ColorCrisp. ColorCrisp had made the Carnival 2000. So Imacon has its own technology (other than the CCD sensors which, like everyone else, it has to buy from either Kodak, Sony, or Philips).

My impression was that ColorCrisp used to make the scan backs for Rollei and possibly Jobo. It's hard to keep track. Heidelberg also rebrands someone else's back under the Heidelberg name.

Color Crisp, ScanView, and PhaseOne were all founded (sequentially) by Samir Lehaff. Presently all these companies have different corporate affiliations. ScanView has languished. Imacon bought Color Crisp and in turn found a new partner.

Back to the Imacon FlexFrame 4040. Kodak (who makes it's own CCD sensors) has a camera with the same basic specs as the Imacon FlexFrame 4040, namely 48 MB at 8 bits per RGB color. However Kodak does not seem to offer 3-shot (multi-shot) mode, nor micro-stepping. That you get only with Imacon

first posted August 12, 2001
Design updated 9/4/2001