RE: filmscanners:minolta and med format

["Wilson, Paul" <PWilson@gomez.com>]

For the Scan Multi Pro, this is misleading at best.

First of all, based on the way the film holders work, it's physically
impossible to scan a piece of medium format film in the way you're
describing.  That is, unless you cut up the film in 24mm wide sections and
use the 35mm holder.  

Also, on the subject of interpolation, it's debatable whether or not the
Scan Multi Pro is doing interpolation (as people usually think of it) to
reach 4800 dpi with medium-format film.  Why is it debatable?  Because it
actually extracts more information from the film at 4800 dpi than it does at
3200 dpi.  I've never heard of interpolation that extracts more useful
information from the film.

I have the Scan Multi Pro at home.  Simply, no stitching is needed to scan
at 3200 dpi or 4800 dpi for medium format film up to 6x9.

Paul Wilson

> -----Original Message-----
> From: LAURIE SOLOMON [mailto:LAURIE@advancenet.net]
> Sent: Tuesday, December 18, 2001 1:52 AM
> To: filmscanners@halftone.co.uk
> Subject: RE: filmscanners:minolta and med format
> 
> 
> I think some clarification is needed hear.  The Minolta 
> medium format film
> scanners which includes both the Scan Multi, Scan Multi II, 
> and Scan Multi
> Pro do not require one to scan in sections and do post scan 
> stitching for
> formats up to 6x9cm at the maximum optical resolutions for 
> those formats
> (e.g., 1120 DPI for the two Scan Multi models and 3200 DPI 
> Scan Multi Pro).
> However, in the case of the two earlier Scan Multi models and 
> possibly the
> Scan Multi Pro model, to achieve the maximum optical 
> resolution of 2280
> optical DPI in the case of the two earlier models and 4800 
> optical in the
> case of the Multi Pro model, one does need to scan the medium 
> format film
> (even up to 6x9cm formats) in sections and engage in post 
> scan stitching.
> One can scan the film in those scanners in one pass without scanning
> sections and stitch at the 2280 dpi and 4800 dpi levels of 
> resolution but
> those resolutions are interpolated resolutions and not optical.
> 
> As far as I know, the software trickery behind the scenes 
> that you refer to
> is the process of interpolation where the software upsamples 
> the scan via
> mathematical formulas and is not a means for achieving an 
> optical scan at
> that resolution from medium format film.  As an operator, I 
> am afraid that
> you do have to do something out of the ordinary to achieve 
> the 4800 dpi
> optical resolution from the medium format film 6x9cm and under.
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-filmscanners@halftone.co.uk
> [mailto:owner-filmscanners@halftone.co.uk]On Behalf Of Wilson, Paul
> Sent: Monday, December 17, 2001 10:26 PM
> To: 'filmscanners@halftone.co.uk'
> Subject: RE: filmscanners:minolta and med format
> 
> 
> No, that's not what I said.
> 
> Simply stated, the Minolta Scan Multi Pro (and the various 
> versions of the
> Scan Multi) do not require you to stitch pieces of an image 
> together in
> Photoshop when scanning medium format film.  This is true up 
> to 6x9cm film.
> If you can a bigger format such as 6x12 or 6x17, then you'll 
> have to stitch
> 2 scans together to get the whole image.
> 
> Now for a different subject.  The Scan Multi Pro has an 
> optical resolution
> for medium format film of 3200 dpi.  It will do some fancy 
> trickery behind
> the scenes that will get you 4800 dpi for medium format film. 
>  You as the
> operator do not need to do anything out of ordinary to 
> achieve 4800 dpi.
> 
> Paul Wilson
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Andy D'Angelo [mailto:dangelophoto@talon.net]
> > Sent: Monday, December 17, 2001 9:07 PM
> > To: filmscanners@halftone.co.uk
> > Subject: RE: filmscanners:minolta and med format
> >
> >
> > >My initial question was in regard to "adivse" on film scanner
> > >capable of handling medium format...That question got no reply so I
> > >began trying to sort out the sales mumbo jumbo and specs and
> > >$$$$...which led to the realization that some Minolta scanners do
> > >not actually scan an entire 120/220 area in one pass,,,that I must
> > >"stitch" the image together in Photoshop...At least that is what I
> > >think you are telling me( the Minolta info DOES NOT SAY THIS as
> > >such...they state interpolation  in regards to their max DPI ....It
> > >does seem pretty underhanded that a Mfg would not specify this
> > >clearly...never the less..I do not want to get invilved with this
> > >"Stitching" process...and now I wonder if any other Mfg's imploy
> > >similiar techniques...Totally confused.
> >
> > Andy
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > >It's the Scan Multi Pro that does medium format.
> > >
> > >Are you talking about scanning an image that's bigger than
> > what the scanner
> > >can handle (say 6x17) and then stitching in Photoshop?  Or,
> > are you talking
> > >about the way the scanner gets to 4800 dpi for medium format?
> > >
> > >Scanning a 6x17 would pretty much be the same as either the
> > Polaroid or
> > >Nikon except that you'd have to reposition the film in the
> > holder.  For 4800
> > >dpi for mf, supposedly the Minolta doesn't actually
> > interpolate but scans
> > >pieces and then stitches.  I don't know the particulars of
> > this but it does
> > >seem to actually get more usable detail from MF
> > transparencies at 4800 vs.
> > >3200.
> > >
> > >Paul Wilson
> > >
> > >>  -----Original Message-----
> > >>  From: Andy D'Angelo [mailto:dangelophoto@talon.net]
> > >>  Sent: Saturday, December 15, 2001 7:50 AM
> > >>  To: filmscanners@halftone.co.uk
> > >>  Subject: Re: filmscanners:minolta and med format
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>  Greetings,
> > >>    does anyone have any experience or advise re. using 
> the Minolta
> > >>  medium format scanner(dimage Scan II) and their 
> stiching software.
> > >>  ??I understand these med format scanners scan 35mm 
> portions of the
> > >>  120 and "stitch" the scans together,Does/will this work 
> as well as
> > >  > scanning the entire image?
> > >  > Andy
> > >  > --
> > >  >
> >
> >
> > --
> >
>