filmscanners: Nikon 8000 ED Banding

[rafeb <rafeb@channel1.com>]

As luck/fate would have it, I'm now seeing very similar 
banding to what Lawrence Smith reported and demonstrated 
with his sample slide a day or two back.  In a nutshell:
vertical banding on a landscape-format negative (horizontal 
banding on a lansdcape-format slide) that looks a bit like 
venetian blinds.  Very regular and periodic.

I've seen it now on both slides and negatives.  The 
problem may be related to overly-dense transparencies, 
but then again maybe not.

I'm not sure if this banding has always been here on 
this scanner, or if it just appeared.  In any case it's 
pretty awful, at least on some images.

I just got off the phone with Nikon Tech support 
(800-NIKON-UX) and they did offer the following solution, 
which did eliminate the banding:  In the Tools Pallette, 
under "Scanner Extras", item "CCD Scan Mode" -- check the 
"Super Fine Scan" box.

Not entirely sure what this does -- the Nikon manual says 
it uses one CCD row rather than three -- but it did 
completely eliminate the banding.  The price is that the 
scan takes three times as long (!!!)

Must admit the Nikon tech was a bit surly this time... 
barely responding to my comments and queries, and most 
certainly not admitting to any systematic fault with 
the scanner.

OTOH, I did manage to speak to a tech at 7:30 AM, after 
just a couple of minutes' waiting, and got a working 
solution, albeit a slightly painful one.  That's not too bad.


rafe b.