Looks like I need to keep a crappy laptop along side my new laptop

[revaaron]

I decided to go with the HP Envy 15 since it was the biggest bang for the buck.
i7-610QM + 8GB RAM + 1920x1080 display + backlit KB.

But beware, it doesn't have firewire. that means it leaves plenty of us SOL.
I've got an old laptop running my nikon scan software for my MF scanning, but I'm sad I don't have it all in one like I wanted.

[jonathan.lipkin]

That's happening more often. Many new Macs dont' have the fw 400 needed to run my h3d. I have a friend who keeps an old PC to run a SCSI Imacon he acquired.

Photo equipment can often last much longer than the computer hardware that's needed to run them.

[PdF]

http://www.moshimonde.com/product/firewire-800-to-400-adapter.aspx

PdF

[Kumar]

Historically, Windows laptops have had 4-pin unpowered Firewire, not Firewire 400/800 capability. One way to get around this limitation is to use a PC laptop with ExpressCard 34/54 slots and a  Firewire 400 adapter.

Kumar

[sbernthal]

You can install a Firewire express card on your new laptop.
I've worked like this for a year - there are a couple of problems:
The express card can easily move in the slot and get disconnected.
Also you must run one power cable to your laptop, and another power cable to the adapter - this is extremely annoying and cumbersome to set up every time and maintain during work.
I bought a Macbook Pro only for the built in powered Firewire ports - and it's worth it, even though I understand the OS only enough to copy my files out of there.
Note that FW400 keeps the connector in much better than FW800 - so if you buy an adapter or a Mac then I would get one with a 400 - even if it is slower, keeping the cable plugged in is more important.

[ondebanks]

Historically, Windows laptops have had 4-pin unpowered Firewire, not Firewire 400/800 capability. One way to get around this limitation is to use a PC laptop with ExpressCard 34/54 slots and a  Firewire 400 adapter.

Kumar

+1. My Windows laptop has that 4-pin unpowered Firewire built in - useless for my DB - but all I needed to get was an ExpressCard-34 FW400 adapter (a typical adapter has 2x FW400 ports and 1x USB2). In my case, no additional power cable was needed to the adapter - although it has provision for it, by way of a DC socket on the side.

Ray

[Pingang]

I once tried this but it seemed the PC Express card (the one I tried on my MBP 17") does not provide enough power even though it does have the FW 800 terminal, may be it is not meant for powering up device like digital backs - the H4D/back.  May be someone has different PC Express card can do that?

Pingang
Shanghai

Historically, Windows laptops have had 4-pin unpowered Firewire, not Firewire 400/800 capability. One way to get around this limitation is to use a PC laptop with ExpressCard 34/54 slots and a  Firewire 400 adapter.

Kumar

[Kumar]

Sorry, can't help you with that. But I had a PCMCIA Firewire adapter card that I used with a Phase One H20 on a Windows laptop, and it did supply power properly. I also used an Imacon 132C with it, but it had its own power supply.

Kumar

[Kitty]

I once tried this but it seemed the PC Express card (the one I tried on my MBP 17") does not provide enough power even though it does have the FW 800 terminal, may be it is not meant for powering up device like digital backs - the H4D/back.  May be someone has different PC Express card can do that?

Pingang
Shanghai

I used to buy cheap PC Express card and got the same problem.
Now using this one and it works fine with MBP 17" + Phaseone DB.
https://www.1394store.com/eshop/product.asp?dept_id=41&pf_id=1235
https://www.1394store.com/eshop/product.asp?dept%5Fid=42&pf%5Fid=1229

[revaaron]

all of these are absolutely awesome replies. Every few months, I remember that SCSI was a thing. I used to have a 9-disc tower that provided something like 40GB of massive storage.

The HP Envy 15 doesn't come with an expresscard slot I don't believe. I get the laptop tomorrow so I will know more then.

[BernieKohl]

I'm just wondering, why buy a laptop that you don't want?
There are quite a few laptops from various PC manufacturers with Thunderbolt now and it would only take a Thunderbolt to Fireware adapter ...

[K.C.]

I decided to go with the HP Envy 15 since it was the biggest bang for the buck.
i7-610QM + 8GB RAM + 1920x1080 display + backlit KB.

But beware, it doesn't have firewire. that means it leaves plenty of us SOL.
I've got an old laptop running my nikon scan software for my MF scanning, but I'm sad I don't have it all in one like I wanted.

So the 'biggest bang for the buck' PC laptop doesn't have a non-standard port, one the was virtually never offered on PC laptops, that you need for your legacy software and MF scanner, products that haven't been on the market for years.

So you wanted to grumble about it here.

OK, got it.

[revaaron]

It was something I over looked when I bought. Now, many of the major laptop dealers are turning out fast lappies with out firewire (HP/Lenovo so far). Anyway, this laptop now processing 212 16MP JPEGs from my D4 in 1.3 minutes so I'm happy with it.

I just have a craptop now that has fw and when I have to scan, I use that.