Digital BW, The Print

James,

Thank you for this informative post.  I've been wasting time on 
VueScan 7.5 beta all weekend with one problem after another making 
success unattainable.  I managed one scan that proved early on that 
VueScan was superior for my b/w negs compared to Minolta software.  
Then VS went out of focus and I haven't been able to get it in focus 
again.  I will now try to download a non-beta version.

I've got this dual Firewire/SCSI set-up that allows me to go easily 
between Minolta and VS software.  I am interested in your work-around 
for Fireware because the SCSI is ridiculously slow.  Try 5 minutes for 
a preview scan.

I will try your green channel only trick for my black and white also.

I had assumed that my auto-esposure setting didn't work on my scanner.  
I never got a change in exposure even after holding the shift key 
down.  I will try it again.

Frank

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., "jlerager" <JLerager@y...> 
wrote:
> Frank and everyone,
> 
> I am scanning on a Minolta Multi-Pro also (which I bought in 
> November), and am very pleased with it overall, including for 
> color negative/ conversion to B&W. I'm using a Mac G4, OS 9.1, 
> 1.12 gigs of ram, B&W output with Cone software and inks on an 
> Epson 1160. 
> 
> I'm using Fuji Superia 200 and 400, the 4-layer Reala-based 
> "amateur" film, dip and dunk processed. I'm glad to hear the 
> Portra works also; I can't say which is better, not having used the 
> Portra. I've also heard that Kodak Supra is supposed to be 
> optimized for scanning. I have scanned some older Fuji NPH 
> film, and I agree that it doesn't seem to scan very well with the 
> Minolta software...it's sharp but grainy, and seems to come out 
> better with Vuescan software. 
> 
> For scanning silver-based B&W film, I've found the Minolta 
> software, when using the B&W settings, to also be very grainy 
> looking (when I look at it at 100%, it looks like flecks of black & 
> silver-grey, and very clumpy). However, I've found that if I scan 
> silver-based B&W films using the Color Negative setting on the 
> Minolta software, and then select only for the green channel, I get 
> excellent results. 
> 
> I've also used Vuescan, and the newly completed 7.5 version 
> does scan well (stay away from the 7.5 betas and 7.4 versions of 
> VS with the Multi-Pro) - and gives perhaps an even sharper scan 
> than Minolta's software. On another site, I recently posted 
> suggested directions for using the firewire Multi Pro (and Minolta 
> Elite II) with VS 7.5 and Mac OS9.1 - though it is complicated.
> 
> The Minolta scanner/Firewire/Vuescan 7.5 combination works 
> fine for me. 
> 
> Minolta's software is very intuitive and Vuescan is not; I've 
> needed to do a lot of experimenting to really make VS work for 
> me. However, I think Minolta's software can be very troublesome 
> in one area; selection of Black and White end-points on the scan 
> exposure; a problem than VS does not have. There is a way to at 
> least partially correct for this in Minolta's software, but it is 
not 
> obvious, and is buried in the help files.
> 
> I am posting the Minolta Auto-Exposure workarounds, and my 
> recommendations for using VS 7.5/Minolta firewire scanner/Mac 
> OS 9.1, below:
> 
>       A.  Message about controlling exposure functions with Minolta 
> software.
> 
> I too have a Minolta Multi-Pro (MMP) and I have loved it since I 
> bought it in early November. It functions beautifully with both the 
> Minolta software, and with the new Vuescan 7.5 (non-beta; the 
> beta versions should be avoided for the MMP). The Minolta 
> software is very intuitive, but there are two tricks to optimizing 
it: 
> 1. After Prescan, do a manual focus before final scan (I get 
> considerably sharper scans with manual than auto focus). 
> 2. With some scans, after the prescan, you can potentially 
> improve your scan by selecting a specific area of the image to 
> determine the final exposure. This is not so obvious, and 
> requires using the AE AREA LOCK and AE LOCK buttons, which 
> are on the prescan tab. The instructions are under the Minolta 
> help menu (under Auto Exposure). I've clipped & pasted the 
> instructions:
> 
> AE AREA LOCK
> The AE area in auto exposure adjusting mode can be changed 
> and the exposure of that area is adjusted automatically with this 
> function.
>   <How To>
>      1.	Press the Shift key. The AE area is indicated in line 
instead 
> of the cropping area indicated in dashed line.
>      2.	While pressing down the Shift key, change the AE area. The 
> operation is the same as that of changing the cropping area 
> except that the Shift key should be used.
> 
>    AE LOCK
>    AE settings for the current prescan are saved and applied to 
> subsequent prescan.
>   <How To>
>      1.	When a prescan scan is made, the AEL button becomes 
> available.
>      2.	Click on the AEL button.
> 
> 
> 
>      B.  Message about Vuescan 7.5/Minolta Firewire Scanner/Mac 
> OS 9.1:
> 
> For everyone with a Multi Pro wishing to use Vuescan (VS)on a 
> Mac with OS 9.1. The real VS 7.5 (non-beta) now works and it 
> works fine (though with occasional crashes; Hamrick may refine 
> it a little more in future) with the Multi-Pro (and also for the 
Scan 
> Elite II). (But don't even try to use any of the beta versions of 
7.5, 
> or 7.4 for that matter; you'll only frustrate yourself and waste a 
lot 
> of time.)
> 
> However, there are some tricks to using VS with the Minolta 
> firewire scanners....
> 
> 1. All the Minolta files must be removed from the 
> Systems/Extensions folder. I've made a folder to hold them. 
> These are:
> DS Elite Library
> MCM Library
> MFSBaseLib2887
> MFSFWDriver
> MFSFWExpLoader
> MFSFWFamily
> MFSLib2887
> 
> 2. If you use Photoshop, the Minolta Plug-In must be removed 
> from Photoshop's plug-in folder.
> 
> 3. Then reboot your computer (because you have removed 
> extensions). 
> 
> Note: You will not be able to use Minolta's proprietary scanning 
> software once the extensions and plug-in it requires are 
> removed, until you have re-installed them and re-booted again.
>  
> 4. When scanning with Vuescan, I highly recommend that you 
> close all other programs and devices, including modem, 
> photoshop, word processor(especially the word processor!), etc.
> 
> 5. I often find that I have to open and close Vuescan several 
> times until it recognizes the scanner.
> 
> 6. Assign lots of ram/memory to VS - I give it 250 megs.
> 
> Vuescan does work great with the Multi-Pro, once you get it up 
> and running, and once you learn to use VS effectively (it is not 
> intuitively easy to use like Minolta's software is). VS does seem 
> to still have a bug in the cropping function that can make it hard 
> to select crop areas; I found I had to experiment for awhile before 
> I could get it to work for me.
> 
> Good luck, and best wishes,
> James Lerager
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., "culturalvisions" 
> <frank@c...> wrote:
> > Photolunch crashed while I was uploading my test scans.  My 
> > server changed the proceedure and did not tell me.  I wiped out 
> > most of the site and have to rebuild it.  I will send you my scan 
> > tests if you email me directly.
> > 
> > I have discovered a lot of info on line.  Unfortunately, my 
> > bookmarks are spread out amongst 3 computers so I can't 
> give 
> > you easy links to the multitude of sites I have found.  One off 
> the 
> > top of my head is
> > 
> > http://www.robgalbraith.com
> > 
> > Go to forums>scanners
> > 
> > I have seen comparison tests done with slides that show the 
> > Minolta to be superior to Nikon or Polaroid.  The Minolta looks 
> > sharper and very clean in the shadows.  
> > 
> > Unfortunately for Minolta, on this list, we are interested in B+W.  
> > My tests with C-41 negative film shows the Nikon to come out 
> > much cleaner in the shadows and less blown out in the 
> > highlights.  But, the Minolt