Digital BW, The Print

>----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Victor Landweber" <victor@...>
To: <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, February 19, 2004 8:46 AM
Subject: Re: [Digital BW] Scanners?


Randy, Colin, et. al. --

I also looked at the Minolta when deciding about a scanner
purchase. I read
that the Scan Multi Pro always sharpens a scan, even when it
seems you've
disabled sharpening in software. It may be that  a sharpening
routine is
built into its hardware or into its driver, but it this is the
case it is
so serious a limitation as to eliminate the Minolta from further
consideration. Sharpening should always be applied as the last
step after
image sizing and before printing. Otherwise you will find
yourself
manipulating, and likely exaggerating, the inevitable artifacts
produced by
sharpening -- doubtlessly detrimental to your images.

-- Victor Landweber<

AFAIK, the Imacons have sharpening on as a default. One has to
apply a negative sharpening number (-120) in the software to get
a true scan. That's not known by many Imacon users. That the
Minolta has it too is a surprise.

As a happy Nikon 8000 user with a custom wet mount carrier and
Vuescan as the driver I know that what is scanned isn't sharpened
if I don't want it. And usually no sharpening is used afterwards
either. Grain in negatives becomes too distinctive and there's
enough detail already.

Ernst