dcs 520 heeelp!

[pistolpete]

Hi All,
Can u pls offer some advice to a digital newbie?
My camera is a DCS 520, computer is an ibook running Photoshop 7 on OS X 10.2. I'm having some difficulty acquiring the pix from the cam via firewire.
I have downloaded and installed, from the Kodak site, the DCS acquire module (5.9.3), twain data source and the file format module (1.2.2). Following installation a box advised me that i do not have "apple firewire support extensions" installed. I have visited the apple site and spent much time searching, but found nothing except Z-firewire 2.3.3 which won't install on this machine.
Photoshop does not recognise my camera at all. iPhoto recognises my camera but will only download the original files, it can't see processed files...which leads me on to a few more questions, but if I can resolve the firewire I'll chase the other questions later!
Any advice much appreciated.
Peter

[Ralf Jannke]

Hi Peter,

I do use exact the same equipment like you. I am shooting basketball with a Canon EOS D 60 (10 %) and a Canon EOS DCS 520 (90 %) and have to send pics online to a newspaper within the games or right after the end. My portable computer is an iBook!. Some months ago I have bought a firewire-cardreader for my IBM microdrives. My iBook ran under a clean Unix Mac OS X 10.2.4 Jaguar with NO Mac OS classic - since last week.

You need Classic if you want install Kodak Photodesk or the Mac OS (!) Plugins and I guess the firewiredriver for the DCS 520. Even if I did not really need Photodesk and the Kodak OS-drivers, I found a way to install the desired software without setting up the iBook completely new and formatting the HD. In a minute I will tell you how!

Usually I have all tagged 36 bit TIFF-RAW-files processed in the DCS 520 to ready-made JPEGs or 24 bit TIFFs. In combination with the firewire cardreader I do not need any specific Mac OS X Software. That´s the fastest way for me. But now I have decided do reactivate my old 1,3 MP Kodak/Canon EOS DCS 3. And for that Digicam I need Mac OS. Now you can read my description, to install a working Mac OS Classic under OS X - without formatting the HD! All you need is your Mac OS Boot CD and a (second or rented) USB-CF-Cardreader:

Boot the Mac from the usual Mac OS 9.2.x CD
Connect the card reader (I had to use my USB Sandisk, firewire did not work!)
Insert a big enough compactflashcard/IBM microdrive to the reader. I used a 512 MB Sandisk!
Install a Mac OS 9.2.x to the compactflash/microdrive. It needed about 240 MB Space, so a smaller 256 MB compactflash would do the job too.
Leave the cardreader connected
Stop down the Mac and reboot like usual with Mac OS X.
Make a folder called Mac OS Classic (or what ever you want)
Copy the hole Mac OS 9.2.x compactflash to that new folder
Start “Systemeinstellungen”/“Einstellungen“/“Classic“ (Sorry I don´t know the US-syntax, but I think you can easy find out the right menu-points) and a search for Classic starts automatically.

After that procedure and a reboot, I had Mac OS X Jaguar WITH Classic an could easily install and use Kodak Photodesk or boot from Mac OS and use Photoshop 7.0 with the old OS Plugins!

Good Luck

Ralf Jannke

[cardigan1979]

Hey up there.

I'm not blessed with the technical termonlogy of Ralf( I'm sure he is right)

I don't know bugger all about any fire wall etc. but when I first tried to download from my pc I couldn't and find out why.

I forgot to download a program from lexar site for my card reader as soon as I done this I was away.

This is probably know use to you but you never know.

Any way what a top camera I must say.

I have a spare with batteries/cards and charger for 900 english pounds if anyone interested.

[oeyvind]

Ralf:

Since you own a DCS 3, how will you rate a DCS 3c? Someone here is selling one...

Can it be used on Mac OS X? Say via CF on PCMCIA?

[Ralf Jannke]

I had to implement Mac OS Classic under OS X in the described procedure, to make the DCS 3 files readable under OS X. Kodaks Photodesk does not work with the first Kodak/Canon-SLR TIFF-RAW-fileformat. You need the Mac OS Photoshop Plugin or the filereader for the DCS 3. I use a 128 MB and a 64 MB Sandisk-Compactflash for the DCS 3. That brings (together) around 150 fotos. The most other brands or bigger cards (even Sandisk and the IBM microdrives!) do not work. I read the 128/64 MB Card via Firewirereader to my iBook, booted under Mac OS 9.2.x. Only two weeks ago a 1,5 MP DCS 5 (ISO 100-400, lensfactor 2,5!) was sold for 535 Euro in ebay. Much much tooooo much money. I think 350 Euros/Dollars are really enough for a 1,3 MP DCS 3 (ISO 200-1600, lensfactor 1,7). If you can hunt a perfect one! Usually the batteries are down. And I think you have to pay a lot for replacement by Kodak! So only buy, If you can test it before!

Ralf Jannke

[oeyvind]

Thanks... doesn't sound like a good idea... ^^ My next body will be at least a 1D I guess.

[pistolpete]

Hi Guys,
Thanks for your attempts, but none of that really answers my question. I have classic installed (installed by default with OS X). The issue relates to the firewire support extensions which I mentioned in the original question. Does anybody know what they are, and where I can obtain them - or at least start looking? (I've already exhausted apples knowledge base.)
Thanks,
Pete