Re: Sprintscan 120 issues/findings (comments welcomed)

[Simon Lamb <simon@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Here is where I have got to.  I downloaded the 5.5.2 version of Silverfast
and compared results using that and Insight.  I have now managed to get some
great scans, mostly using SF.  I have got some great Delta 100, Scala,
Provia and E100VS scanned images and I am very pleased with the results.  I
also upgraded to the latest firmware version, since the carrier got stuck in
the scanner using the preview all frames option in SF.

However, whatever I use (other than Vuescan), Portra 160VC 6X6 is not good
at all.  I have scanned this on my LS30 and it looks great.  I tried it with
SF and Insight and had to work at it but eventually got the image looking
reasonable.  However, the SF and Insight images are covered in white specks.
It is not dust, there is too much over the entire image area.  It is not
noise either, just white specks all over the place.  Anyone else
successfully scanned Portra 160VC using the SS 120?

As a direct comparison to the Flextight Photo, I scanned one E100VS image on
the Flextight and it did not need any correction for colour etc, just a bit
of sharpening.  It took me about ten minutes to get the SS 120 scan using
Silverfast to the same degree of colour, contrast etc. accuracy.  So what I
gain in scan speed I am losing on the manipulation.

However, I guess either scanner takes the same net time to accomplish the
task, I just have to think less with the Flextight.  So I think I may keep
the SS 120.  OK, so I may have to do some spotting etc. as it does not have
ICE, but I genuinely think it needs less than the same image scanned on my
LS30.  I scanned one image with a great big fingerprint on it and it did not
show on the scanned image, which was sharp as a tack.  I know my LS30 would
have picked it up in the scan.

I do have one big issue with the medium format carrier.  I use 6X6 and have
many strips with four frames on a strip.  In that configuration, it is
impossible to scan slide 2 or 3 without cutting the strip as the second
frame in from the end never lines up correctly in the green marks.  This
will be a pain and I do not want to cut the strips.

On many of the images that I scanned the histogram in SF and Insight showed
that there were no pixels below 18-23, i.e. there was no true black in some
images.  Considering that one image was of a jet black belt, I found this
odd.  As I said before, at about 18-25 there is a big straight line, as if
the scanner just didn't want to record anything below that threshold or
didn't find anything below it.  I did notice when I scanned a Delta 100
image at the dealer that the Flextight histogram went from 0-255 on the
black belt image, with pixels at every step, whereas the SS 120 histogram
stopped at 23.

That said, the images looked fine after some curves and levels adjustment,
but I am concerned that I may be losing some information in the scans.

UPDATE:  There is no information in the Insight scans below about 23, it is
just blocked up.  The Silverfast scans have all the detail through to the
black.

Is it just that the SS 120 is not finding any pixels below that level, i.e.
the belt does not have a real true black as far as it is concerned?  If so,
how come the Flextight and my LS30 think there are, and the SS 120 thinks so
when scanning the same neg using Vuescan?  Has anyone else seen this
histogram behaviour with the SS 120?

Simon

On 14/4/02 9:37 pm, "gary" <gsellani@accesscom.com> wrote:

> If you look at the number of copies of Vuescan sold, Ed could very well
> decide to pack it in. ;-) More power to him for keeping the price
> reasonable.
> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: owner-scan@leben.com [mailto:owner-scan@leben.com]On Behalf Of
>> Simon Lamb
>> Sent: Sunday, April 14, 2002 1:17 AM
>> To: scan@leben.com
>> Subject: Sprintscan 120 issues/findings (comments welcomed)
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> So where am I now.  Well, the SS 120  can obviously produce
>> detailed scans,
>> but I will have to rely on Ed Hamrick's Vuescan to get them,
>> especially for
>> black and white which is a big proportion of my work.  I am not
>> really happy
>> about relying on third party software because should Ed decide to
>> pack it in
>> then I will have a scanner from which it will be difficult to get the
>> results I need.

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