Re: "Pepper grain" (was Minolta Multi Pro)

[Arthur Entlich <artistic-1@xxxxxxx>]

rafe.bustin@verizon.net wrote:


> This particular theory (to explain the banding on the LS-8000) is one that 
> was originally put forth by Ed Hamrick, on Tony Sleep's filmscanners list, 
> and which you have been repeating ad infinitum, ever since, as if it were fact.


Ed Hamrick wasn't my source for this, but I'm pleased he is a second 
one, since he is probably one of the better sources for this type of 
information, as he dissects the firmware and software interfacing for 
his programming.

However, I'd be happy to update this information as soon as someone with 
more authority provides some other information.  Hey, I have an idea, 
how about a statement from Nikon, something other than what is on their 
website, which basically says, if you get banding, use Super-fine scan 
mode.  I assume several people encountering this problem on a product of 
the cost of the LS 8000 would have requested some explanation from Nikon 
by now.  If anyone has heard from Nikon, I'd be interested in their 
response.

> 
> In a nutshell, I don't buy Ed's theory, but that's not really the issue here.  
> Nikon screwed up.  The penalty is that scans take longer.  Big deal.  
> I got over it, Art.  Can you?
> 


You're an engineer, and obviously very scanner savvy... do you have a 
more credible explanation?


>>From where I sit, Nikon's dICE is amazing stuff.  I didn't buy the scanner for 
> ths feature, and in fact I figured it was 90% gimmickry and advertising hype 
> before I started using the machine.  I was pleasantly surprised to learn that 
> dICE was in fact a powerful and eminently useful feature.
> 


I certainly have been impressed with dICE from the samples I have seen 
of more recent scanners with it (for whatever reason, the older ones did 
soften the image noticeably).  It is certainly much more meaningful for 
the Nikon, and apparently the Minolta than for something like the newer 
Polaroids.


> 
> The difference between us, Art, when it comes to the subject of 
> Nikon scanners (and particulary the LS-8000) is that I am speaking 
> from first-hand experience and you are not.  To but it bluntly, your 
> shtick is to parrot what you hear (in a selective manner) on the listservs 
> and to play it back as fact, born of your genius mind and/or your stable 
> of "private sources."


I've stated it before, I don't need to buy every defective or 
misdesigned, or poorly engineered product on the market to have an 
opinion on it, or better still, to disseminate information about it.  I 
suppose everyone who reads Consumer Reports and tells someone what they 
read is parroting also.  So are most educators, for that matter.  In 
fact, so are most of us... we rely upon the credibility of a source to 
determine the likelihood of the information being of value.

You tried to discredit me when I first reported that the new Nikon LS40 
and 40000 ED suffered from shallow depth of field, because I was 
parroting what I had been told by others.  Well, as time went on, more 
and more people posted this finding, and now it is an accepted fact. 
Yes, some people choose to work around it for the benefits the scanner 
offers otherwise,  but I wanted people to be aware of the problem BEFORE
they made the purchase, so they could decide if they wanted to deal with 
the hassles of remounting slides or using glass carriers with negative 
strips.

When the banding problem became evident with the LS8000 when used in the 
standard scan mode, I believe it was Lawrence Smith who brought it to 
the the attention of people on the lists, as a user of the product. 
Soon after that, you reported you were finding the same problem, (and it 
looked "pretty ugly") but only after it had been brought to your 
attention.  In fact, you were not sure if the problem was there since 
you got the unit, or had only recently occurred.

This is just one reason to bring these matters up in a public forum. 
Often people have no frame of reference as to what to expect from their 
scanner, and it is only after they are made aware of known problems that 
they start to look for whether their scanner is suffering.  It is 
irrelevant if the person who informs them owns and uses the scanner or 
not if the information is accurate.

As to repeating these problems on the lists, there are continually new 
people signing up here, and they too deserve to have information to work 
from in making purchasing decisions.  In the end, everyone needs to 
decide what features, and which shortcomings or defects one is willing 
to put up with.

 >
 > I feel no need to justify its performance for your benefit.  Recent
 > history shows that you will simply deny and distort the data presented,
 > as it is clearly not supportive of the prejudices and preconceptions
 > that you present as "fact."
 >

Well, feel free to justify it for someone else then ;-)

As to prejudice, I will once again make it clear what my "problem" is 
with Nikon.  Nikon has a name for quality, placing it is a position that 
they need to protect to maintain.  Besides the problems reported for 
several years concerning Nikon scanners, and their software, reports of 
Nikon's service, overall, and their lack of being forthright about the 
problems with their products, have appeared regularly on these lists.  I 
refuse to believe there is a anti-Nikon conspiracy.

Every manufacturer can make an error.  When they either deny the 
existence of it, or they service their clients poorly, that diminishes 
the value of the product.  Minolta and HP have also not been spared my 
criticism, and I have owned their films scanners.  On the other hand, my 
experience with the Polaroid SS4000+ has been very positive, and it 
appears they have treated their clients pretty well, especially since 
the 4000 series came out, from reports on the lists. Even in terms of 
the Polaroid, I have not been silent about the few problems they have 
encountered.

Clearly, my main interest in providing information here is to help 
people choose the best scanner for their needs, or if they have already 
bought their scanner, to get the best use from it.  When Nikon was the 
only scanner on the market with dICE, I often suggested people who have 
DDSG problems consider it.  Even now, I have suggested it in a 
production environment, where spotting is not practical.

Am I still learning as I go along?  Absolutely.  Have I made errors in 
some of my posts? Yeap.  Have I made retractions and error corrections 
when others have shown me errors? I have.  Do I have opinions on 
subjective matters?  Without a doubt.  Most of the people I have had 
personal contact with as a result of these lists have been pleased with 
the advice I have given them.  They have bought a product they are 
pleased with based upon my suggestions, or they have improved their 
scanning results.

At the end of the day, that is the reward for me.  If others on this 
list want to criticize my posts, fine, in fact, perhaps some of you 
could relieve me of some of the load I deal with in private mail daily 
in advising people about scanning and scanning problems...

Hmmm, that's an idea... ;-)

Art




-
Turn off HTML mail features. Keep quoted material short. Use accurate
subject lines. http://www.leben.com/lists for list instructions.