Hi, i just got a sinarback 23 with cables and taxi pci card/software. i am wondering if there are stil people using this back and if it stil is usuable.
Best regards, ixpressraf

The Photography school "Medieskolerene" in Denmark are still using 8 of these backs on P2

They are still usable and works actually quiet well and deliver suberb image quality.

If you're only gonna use it in the studio then its fine. the 4 shot mode is really nice for textil and other moire free photos, but I think you need the special sinar shutter (which I can't rembember the name of but has been discontinued) to use the live video

best,

Bernhard

I presently have a Sinar 23H, but as I now have a Hasselblad 528C I am selling the 23H. I have found that the 23H is in fact a bit pixel smoother (not softer) than the 528C. I think this is because the 23H is the Philips / now Dalsa chip. Most people have found the Dalsa chip to be more film like.

The 23H back is very good for studio work where a large file size is not required. However you will find un-interpolated 4 shot very much better for items with type and printing dots such as product packaging as there is no moire of printing dots or anti-aliasing of type as compared to any one shot back.

For live video you will require the Sinar LC shutter, or a Sinarcam shutter. The Sinarcam shutter also allows for the use of Nikon lens and can be used as a basic camera.

If you are interested in a Sinarcam 2 + lens and various parts please feel free to contact me as I will be selling mine soon. 9+ to 10 condition with some parts never used.

Cheers
Brent

hi ixpressraf,

the Sinarback 23 is still in use by many around the world. It existed in 2 version, the SB 23 Light (Single Shot) and the SB 23 HR (Single and Multishot = 4- & 16-shot modes).

The Sinar item mentioned by "Bernhard" would be the LC-Shutter, but the SB 23 DOES NOT need it to have Live Video and it has a wonderful live image WITHOUT shutter.

PCI Boards information:

there are different PCI boards from Sinar available:

1. for Apple Computers up to the G4 Series

the PCI 1 , the PCI 2 & PCIRAM 2and the PCIRAM 3 for use in "Master" or "Slave" modes

2. for Apple Computers of the FIRST G5 generation

The SB 23 cannot be operated with the PCI 1, 2 or 3 with these first generation of G5's (Mac having changed the PCI slot to PCI-X).

It needs the so-called PCI-X board 133 (standard configuration) or PCI-X board 333 (for remote control of the Sinar m).

The PCI-X board is supported as of Captureshop 5.0.3

I hope this answers. Do not hesiatet if you have any additional question.

Thierry

Hello All,
Thanks for sharing information.
I have been installing ( 5 minutes) and testing the back and must say it seems to bee a very nice back.I also have already a leaf cantare, ( but i am missing the link cable between the back and the controller ) but must say the captureshop software seems much more "photoshop-alike" and easy in use.
I have read that there is a hardware and a software anti-moire solution..... any information on that ?????
Thanks at advance for the extremely usefull information.

hi ixpressgraf,

the SB 23 is the most easy and fast to use, and the files quality is (still today) amazing.
I am also glad that you find the Captureshop software to be so easy in use: IMO it is very logically built-up, the way a photographer is thinking.

This being said, and to answer your questions about the "anti-Moiré" functions:

- there is one "anti-Moiré" function in Captureshop called "anti-Moiré SW (SoftWare)": It acts like a software filter when having Moiré in your files. You can use the slider and try the effect of different settings, but be aware that the maximum setting will affect the colours of your file slightly.

- there is another "anti-Moiré" function avalaible in Captureshop called "anti-Moiré HW (HardWare)": with this function, the internal piezo-plate (which is also used for moving the CDD for the multishot mode) is used to slightly "shake" the CCD during the exposure time, thus slightly bluring the image. This is an "elegant" and practical way to eliminate Moiré, instead of de-focusing slightly or using soft filter or then changing slightly the view point (angle/distance).

I hope this answers.

Best regards,
Thierry

Just asking: the back is getting a bit "warmed up", it feels like a nice warm object of about 40 celcius. There are no cooling vents in it appearently..... Isn't that a problem in a studio that uses solely halogen lights ( and gets warmed up to about 25 celcius?
Thanks.

it is normal, that you feel the casing being warm: this is the sign that the active Peltier cooling is activated and working. In fact, this electronical cooling is kind of "sucking" out the eat on and around the sensor. The CCD temperature itself is around 20°C or even less, depending on the room temperature. This Peltier cooling is efficient and cooling enough in a studio environment.

There was a second model of SB 23 built later and with an additional fan built-in: the 2 cooling systems (Peltier + fan) are needed on location, whith temperatures around 30°C or higher and sun hitting the SB.

Best regards,
Thierry

I was wondering, if I may ask, that for the active cooling by fan, with Sinar or similae on H3D, will the vent eventually allowed too much dust settled inside the back if the back was used in desert, for example? Or, if use on location such as beach or on ocean, will that become a problem that the inside of the back get damaged?

Thiery,

From what I know, that Peltier sucks up quite a bit of electrical current and hence power. How does it affect battery life? Also, how many hours' life is to be expected of the fan?

Thanks.

Henry

dear K,

no there is not such danger of dust or sand or whatsoever coming in and settle somewhere: the casing with the fan is not in the same location as the CCD. The fan is actually cooling down the electronics inside, certainly not blowing air on the CCD.

The so-called Active Cooling is something different than the fan cooling: this consists of a Peltier electronical cooling system, independent from the fan, and which acts directly on the CCD to cool it down.

Best regards,
Thierry

edited for addendum

Dear Henry,

The SB 23 Light and HR (as well as the 43 S and HR, the 44 Light and HR, the 54 S and H) do not have any battery: they are exclusively powered either by the FO and the internal 12V power supply of the Mac, or with an external 12 V power supply, or then via Firewire for the Firewire models.

I do not have any indication of the fan's life span, but I can say that I never heard of somebody having to change it.

Best regards,
Thierry

Thanks Thiery.

Henry

Hi again,
i am still amazed about what is coming out of that medieval relict made by sinar
Thanks thsinar for your info.

Hi all!

until now I still use the even older Sinarback 22+ with 4 megapixel. It's a great piece of equipment that I've been using for 5 years now. I think it's ok to use old equipment, once it's paid for it really earns money, it saves you working only to pay for the newest equipment.

However, I am in the process of buying a 22 megapixel back. The low resolution of the 22+ makes it difficult to justify high prices for the photographs. If you know that you won't need a higher resolution it delivers really clear data in the 4shot mode. The live video works really well.

I hope the Sinarback 54LV will become available in a few days. The Sinar Rep promised me to bring one to me as soon as it is released (it is delayed by a few weeks now because they still work at the live video). It is only 100km from Jena to my studio in Leipzig, so I might be the first to hold one in my hands.

Cheers
gunter

Dear Gunter,

yes, the 4 MPx back is also still much in use by many customers. If you say you are using it since 5 years, then it must have been in use by somebody else before, since this back is discontinued since much longer!

The 54 LV will be released soon: it is a question of days and last configuration tests. I shall inform here when it is the case.

All the best,
Thierry