filmscanners: OT: Whose dis-sin' who?

[Arthur Entlich <artistic@ampsc.com>]

rafeb wrote:
> 

> 
> >My comment, based upon fact, was that Nikon's scanner software has had a
> >history of many problems, and that these same problems extended to
> >several Nikon peripherals their scanners work with.
> 
> Oh, poop, Art.  Go to the PhotographyReview web site and
> look at how people complain about scanner software -- both
> Nikon and Polaroid owners.  I'd be hard pressed to tell
> which ones are more upset with their scanner software.

One more time... I was not discussing any other scanner software because
that wasn't the nature of the thread.  If you choose to ignore the
context, then what can I do about it?

> 
> In their defense, Polaroid has had the good sense to bundle
> a decent 3rd-party package with their latest scanners.  And
> in their defense, Nikon seems to have finally done a good
> thing with NS 3.1, which by most accounts is a solid step
> forward.
> 

>From what I'm seeing, nearly every scanner company should be using a 3rd
party product with their film scanners.  I got my Minolta Dual Scan II
last week, and I will shortly be writing a review for the edification of
all whom are interested.  As you know, I previously owned an HP
Photosmart and an HP S-20, and I had a lot to say about both, and most
wasn't very complementary.  

> >I am continually amazed how defensive some Nikon owners have been and
> >continue to be about criticism of Nikon products.  I think this is
> >called "compensation" in my text books.  Sort of like people who buy hot
> >sports cars and think women will assume certain of their body parts are
> >bigger than they really are, as a result. ;-)
> 
> Spare us the pop-psychology, please Art.  The point was
> that you don't even *own* a Nikon scanner, by your own
> admission, 

Maybe its because I'm fairly content with my body parts? ;-)

> I wasn't defending Nikon software.  I was criticizing
> you for offering an opinion on a controversial topic,
> where your opinion has no basis in direct experience.

Yeah, and I got the same argument when I commented on the poor DOF in
Nikon scanners.  I have eyes and ears, and I speak and correspond with a
lot of people about film scanners.  When I see a trend, and people then
ask, I have no problem suggesting these problems have been reported or
that I've seen them myself (even if I don't own the device). I don't own
a Pinto, but I can tell you they have problems with gas tank
positioning. Some owners have a very hard time admitting that they may
have made an error in a buying decision (it gets too close to their ego)
and so they tend to diminish defects in the products they buy, and I do
not think THAT is a service to others at all.  Call it 'Pop-psychology'
if you like, I happen to have a degree in and practiced
"pop"-psychology, so if we are speaking about "experience" I can tell
you that I have a lot in that area, OK?

Here's a little bit of pop-psych for you.  Did you know that a good
portion of advertising revenues go into producing ads that are not
directed at getting people to buy the product or service?  These ads are
directed at people who already own the product.  You might say, well,
what's the point of that?  These ads are "feel good" ads.  They stroke
the egos of people who already made a buying decision.  They say, "you 
are unique, or special, or smarter or richer than the average Joe.  You
know how to make good purchasing decisions."  

Interestingly, these ads are most commonly run when a product or company 
has received bad publicity, or come under fire for some reason.  They 
are done to convince people, "don't worry, your reputation is protected, 
we'll make sure people don't think you were a dummy for our product."

Similar ads were being run during the high tech stock boom last year. 
They often told us nothing about the company, but boy, they made you
feel good for owning that stock.  After all, I'm cool if I own a cool
company, that makes cool ads, even if I have no idea what the company
manufacturers, and the ads don't tell me either, and if the ads use
Beatles music, well, obviously, the company is at the peak of success! 
The only reason you don't see those ads now, during the stock market
crisis, is because the companies have no advertising budget left for
this
kind of display (even peacocks lose their feathers after mating season),
and no one is buying stock now anyway.

OK, I'm really off topic, but hey, its summer...

> >What any of this has to do with Polaroid is beyond me.
> 
> By singling out Nikon as a company writing lousy scanner
> software, others might presume that Canon, Minolta,
> Polaroid, Acer, HP, Leaf, Kodak or Brand Z must be doing
> a better job in that department.

I have commented on other brands many times, and the need for improved
software and better communications between clients and manufacturers in
this area.  Once again, my statements about Nikon in this instance dealt
with a specific thread discussing the perceived value of Nikonscan.

Art