RE: filmscanners: Mac users

["Gregory Georges" <ggeorges@mindspring.com>]

I was waiting to see how many users of the SS4000 might send e-mails like
this one. I too have suffered incredible efforts to get the SS4000 working
properly on an IBM platform. In the end and after much work with multiple
software vendors, and having to have the scanner's guts replaced at
Polaroid, I'm getting wonderful scans!

My suggestion is to use VueScan to start with. It is easy and it works when
other scanning applications don't work. The latest and greatest version of
SilverFast is a $40 upgrade and it is well worth it for the film profiles
you get. I have not been able to get good scans from too many films, but I
do get great scans from the film I use the most: Supra, Provia, T-Max and
Velvia.

If your scans are not sharpen without using the sharpen features (I don't
ever use them) consider calling Polaroid and discuss the problems with them
directly. They may ask for you to send the unit back. I did as have two
other fellow SS4000 users that I know. After some components were replaced,
the scans are better than any other scanner's scans in this price range
including the new Nikon scanner you refer to.

My last comment is that film scanners are not easy to use. They take work,
perseverance, and a bit of aggravation to get them working properly. I spent
way too long getting mine working, but am thrilled to get the results that I
now get after having owned one for almost six months!

Hope there is something in this e-mail that makes you feel better about your
purchase. If not, consider that I paid almost $1,000 more than you did! Now
do you feel better? Good-luck!

---
Gregory Georges
Really Useful Content, Inc.
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
www.reallyusefulpage.com

Author of Digital Camera Solutions &
50 Digital Photo Techniques


From: Barbara & Martin Greene
> Sent: Thursday, September 20, 2001 3:40 PM
> To: filmscanners@halftone.co.uk
> Subject: Re: filmscanners: Mac users

> With the idea of saving money and possibly getting a better scan,
> I gave up > a Nikon LS4000 that I recently bought.  I received the SS4000
from Ecost
> yesterday.  So far, I am terribly disappointed.  The documentation is
> terrible.  Polacolor I find to be very poor.  Silverfast documentation is
> awful, and I find that my scans are not sharp.  I've downloaded a trial
> version of Vuescan, which, after much, much effort and crashing of my Mac
> G4, gives the best results, if one can figure out how to configure it.  On
> the other side, the Nikon was a cinch to set up, the software a
> pleasure to
> use, the documentation preety good, and digital ICE a marvel at removing
> every conceivable spot to be found.  In doing quality
> comparisons, so far I