Digital BW, The Print

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "nick90290" <NickBrandt@...>
To: <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, September 11, 2003 11:15 PM
Subject: Re: [Digital BW] Nikon Coolscan 800 120 film holder


> Hi Ernst
>
> Thanks for the quick reply. Based on what you said, I should
get the Silverfast
> software rather than use the Nikon software. Is that something
I can download
> - I used Silverfast on my Epson 2450, always saving up
important scans for
> Bowhaus' Crossfield Drum Scanner. But I liked the layout of the
SIlverfast.
>
> I shoot 6x7, so anyone (ie Tom who also replied - thanks) using
6x6 wouldn't
> get the same cropping problem, I'm guessing.
>
> Oh, also, my first test scans were done in 8 bit and flew
through. Now I'm
> doing the for-real 16 bit scans (14-bit??), and after the scan
is done, the
> image seems to be taking forever (I'm still waiting after 30
minutes) for it to
> gradually appear onscreen in a series of blocks. Is this normal
in 14/16 bit?
>
>
> Thanks again
>
> Nick

Nick,

I have used Vuescan, Nikonscan and Silverfast and my taste is
Vuescan followed by Nikonscan. If Nikon solved that shadow
clipping problem and allowed custom profiling then I would
certainly use Nikonscan the most. It has a very nice GUI and the
rest of the software is superb.
Vuescan has some problems with frame selection as well so now I
have separate options I can load for scanning the first frame and
the second frame. Part of that problem are the mediocre
filmtransports of some cameras that I use.
Vuescan uses one sensor only (=Nikonscans Fine Mode) and that
decreases the scan speed a lot. I have never measured a 6x9 scan
in 48 bits but it takes an awful lot of time. It's done on
another system so I don't mind that much. If it has to be fast
then Nikonscan is used with ICE but nothing else.
Two times sampling for slides is used but never for colour
negatives.
Banding is sometimes seen with Nikonscan but most of the time not
or it isn't seen in the print. In my opinion that could be taken
out with new software too as it is related to the resolution at
how many pixels it repeats. Of course it would have been better
if Nikon calibrated the three sensors from the start. I find it
strange that the Epson scanners don't show it while they have
multiple sensors as well.

There's a Coolscan8000 list at yahoo.

Ernst