[filmscanners] Nikon LS8000

["" <deedee@cix.compulink.co.uk>]

I am now the proud keeper of a Nikon 8000 complete with NikonScan 3.1 ...
And why did I choose this particular bag of spanners, over any other
rattler?

The Minolta Multi Pro - I faced another six weeks wait as 'allegedly' the
Pro's are being trickle fed once a month into the UK from Germany.

The Polaroid SS120 (according to some Polaroid dude) will be obsolete as
soon as the last remaining units are sold. Get one while you can. They
don't seem to have any plans for a replacement model either... can this be
true?

So I felt obliged to stump up the extra loot and go for the Nikon.

So far with the Nikon ...
The Nikon software needs windows 98 Second edition or later. Seems to be
to do with the firewire card and drivers. Lucky for me I had an XP disc
lying around. Don't laugh, I like w98 (first time round).

I have seen the banding coming from transparent areas of b&w negatives if
you turn up the brightness a long way in whatever image manipulation
package is used.
It can be 'got round' by using the fine scan switch in the extras section.
Mr Hamrick's Vuescan seems to do a 'fine scan' anyway, but that makes the
previews <seem> to take an age. I suppose it would be nice if it were
switchable.

I have not seen any misalignment of rgb layers, but then Art said I
wouldn't.

I have seen the dust and scratches. But... I've seen the stuff before on
my previous film scanners, a Canon FS2700 and a Microtec Artixscan 4000T.
I have become quite a good little spotter. Maybe the 4000T isn't a proper
Polaroid machine. Or maybe I haven't developed the knack of removing the
dust problem at source, like having clean negs. The infra red cleaning is
an eye opener for me. Mind you, for the money, it ought to be. Instead of
spotting, now I can twiddle my thumbs and wonder if I should have waited 6
weeks or just got an SS120.

Nikon Scan 3.1 niggles - I can't quite see how to save/recover all the
settings in one go : some one mentioned the variable offsets on 120 roll
film (camera to camera variations) and how they had to keep setting the
offsets. This lives in the Extras area. I'm not sure how to save/recover
all the options for all frames - all at once. Anyone any ideas?

Quite easy to scan 6x17 images (did one for a friend, yer 'oner) - have to
use the offsets to scan two frames of 6x9, don't do any automatic exposure
on the second frame - use the automatic exposure for the first frame. Use
an image editing program with layers and they match very easily, a bit too
easily, must have done something wrong.

Much harder to get a 24mmx65mm image for various reasons -
Using the standard roll film holder I couldn't fathom how to get Nikon
Scan to auto expose for just the cropped area. I need to understand how to
manually set the 'exposure'. The 35mm film is only clipped into one side
of the holder, but would yield one image file.
If I use the 35mm holder with Nikon Scan then I get different exposures
for each half image, because I don't know how to save all my settings
between successive insertions of the film carriers. Got to move the film.
Using Vuescan and the roll film holder allows me to expose for the cropped
area but working out the offsets (for the first time) takes ages as the
previews are slower coming to the screen (fine mode).
I know I could always get one of those carriers that handles anything, but
that would spoil the fun.

On the whole - it does what is says on the lid. Which is useful.

Apologies for that slightly rambly account of my first week of married
bliss, me and my scanner.

Mental note - must get W98SE, there's a lot less going on in the
background as compared to XP.
P.S. Any one know how to completely turn off the auto insert business on
the cd in XP?

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