Re Lawrence's scans, I also noted that the Nikon scan was much "flatter" in
color and overall tone--but did not comment, hoping that wiser, more
experienced heads would do so. Bear in mind that Lawrence said the Nikon
scan more resembled the original (at least as he saw it--he didn't mention a
Macbeth or anything, but the guy's a pro and he knows what he's doing, quite
obviously).
Since no one has done, my off-hand observation is that the SS120, showing
warmer colors and better contrast, took the software initiative, as it were,
to change the photo to a more "acceptable" and "therefore better" image.
Could the user "flatten" the SS120 scan to the level of the 8000ED scan with
the *exact* level of detail? I don't know. Shadow detail doesn't seem to be
lacking in the SS scan, but highlight detail might be something to look at
more closely in future tests. Is the digital information still there, or has
it been discarded?
Rafe's comments (in his post after this one) were very much "on the mark"
IMHO. The two scanners (or three, considering the Leaf), are comparable, and
it becomes a matter of "take your pick and flip a coin" to decide, and
longevity is certainly a factor. One photog I remember extolled the virtues
of a Rolei that he lost down a rocky embankment and recovered in perfect
working order--although the exterior was a bit scuffed! Almost nobody makes
machines like that, anymore. ;-)
Best regards--LRA
>From: Raphael Bustin <rafeb@channel1.com>
>
>On Fri, 6 Jul 2001, Lynn Allen wrote:
>
> > It's clear to me that ICE "nailed" a couple of dust motes in the bottle
> > lettering, and that the Nikon scan is marginally sharper. But if the
>theme
> > is "Italy," the warmer tones of the SprintScan come closest (even if the
> > original didn't). This, of course, is "happy accident"--if the theme
>were
> > "Yelow Knife, Canada," the roles might be reversed. :-)
> >
> > As Lawrence said on his site, the judgement is largly subjective, and so
> > it's your call.
>
>
>The only objective, meaningful comparison here
>is -- maybe -- the sharpness.
>
>Even here it's quite possible that a small
>difference in tonality, in just the right
>place, could account for the apparent difference
>in sharpness of the close-up views.
>
>In any case, since I'm still hanging in with
>the filmscanner that Lawrence just ditched,
>it's a relief to see that the 8000 is well
>matched to the LS-120, at least as far as
>this comparison goes.
>
>
>rafe b.
>
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