[filmscanners] Re: SS 4000 Questions

["Arthur Entlich" <artistic-1@shaw.ca>]

david.gordon wrote:
 > Les Berkley wrote on Tue 2 Dec 2003 at 18:51 -0500
 >
 >
 >>Lastly, is there a way to shut the "front door" to keep out dust?
 >
 > Lots of replies to this about using a shoe box etc. However I seem to
 > remember Polaroid being Very Pleased with their anti-dust design work
 > in the SS4000. I've never protected my SS4000 and I assume plenty of
 > dust gets in. But as far as I can see its only dust or dirt on my film
 > that is a problem. I don't think you will ever see dust on the sensor
 > - if that is what people are worried about.
 > --
 > david.gordon
 >


You may be correct, but there are two issues to consider.  One is that
the carrier position sensor works on light transmission, and this can
and does sometimes get covered in dust and then the scanner cannot
locate the carrier correctly.  Polaroid offers a small brush that fits
on the carriers to use periodically to remedy this, but perhaps using a
dust cover will lessen the need, although I suspect most of this dust
hitchhikes on the carriers themselves.

Secondly, I have heard from people who have found it necessary to open
their SS4000 scanners for one reason or another, and they claim that
some of the optical components do get grimy or dusty, and that upon
having them cleaned, the scan quality improved. It strikes me, although
I have never opened my unit up, that since the carrier and film need to
intercept the optical path, that dust can also.  The film has to somehow
go between the light source and the lens, either directly or via some
mirrors, and if those components get dusty, they would degrade the image
quality.

For the time and cost considerations in protecting the scanner when not
in use, (what's a shoebox sell for these days ;-)) it seems like a
worthwhile investment.

Art



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