Re: filmscanners: I love/hate SilverFast

[RogerMillerPhoto@aol.com]

In a message dated 8/5/2001 4:32:12 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
steve@gccl.fsbusiness.co.uk writes:


> I can also appreciate your problems with the level of (SilverFast) support. 
> It took me
> several weeks just to get the password for the download out of them. When it
> came to fixing a showstopper problem they claimed I was the only person with
> the problem.

> Yes, you do get IT-8 calibration and it seems to be much more accurate than
> Microtek's Scan Wizard Pro but Vuescan generally produces good colour
> anyway.


That reminds me, when I bought my SS4000 with SilverFast it came with an IT-8 
slide but the associated calibration table was not included.  It was like 
pulling teeth from a hen to get them to give me a download for that table.  
My new SS120 also came with the same vintage of slide (a 1999-10) .  So I 
should have the table for it even if they didn't include one on the CD for 
the SS120 SilverFast.  Which brings up another point:  Why is SilverFast 
shipping a three year old IT-8 slide?  Aren't they supposed to be replaced 
every year to insure their accuracy?

Concerning Microtek's ScanWizard Pro, I have it with my flatbed ScanMaker 5 
scanner (also IT-8 calibrated) and find it does a very good job of scanning 
(keep in mind that I'm colorblind, so I might miss some of the subtleties).  
I had a case where I was scanning a slide with my SS4000 of a model wearing a 
bikini.   It was obvious that I was having more than a normal amount of 
trouble getting the color balance right, so I got the bikini bottom that 
model had worn and placed it in my Microtek flatbed scanner.  I used the 
eyedropper to compare the color of the flatbed scan to that of the SS4000 and 
was able to get the color correct.  In that case, I guess you could say that 
the bikini bottom was the ultimate IT-8 calibration tool!