[filmscanners] RE: Lazy Sensor

["Jack Jansen" <jackjansen@bwn.net>]

Art,
Thanks for the explanation of "lazy sensor."  Too bad about the half hour
Netscape owes you.
I have a follow-up question.  When you say "one or more elements are
electronically outside of the normal
response curve, usually, it seems slower or less responsive," do you mean
abnormal response in the TIME domain, or in the static INPUT-OUTPUT domain,
or does your term "lazy sensor" apply to EITHER case?
Jack Jansen

> -----Original Message-----
> From: filmscanners_owner@halftone.co.uk
> [mailto:filmscanners_owner@halftone.co.uk]On Behalf Of Arthur Entlich
> Sent: Friday, February 08, 2002 1:11 AM
> To: jackjansen@bwn.net
> Subject: [filmscanners] Re: Lazy Sensor
>
>
> I just spent a half an hour writing a reply to this, and Netscape
> crashed on my when I went to send it...  Poof! Gone!
>
>
> One more time (this is going to be much more abridged!)
>
> I think I coined this usage, so I will try to explain...
>
> CCD scanners use a chip which contains one or more lines of sensor
> elements, each which responds to light levels.  They are not
> manufactured perfectly equally, and over time there response differences.
>
> The Nikon film scanners use one line, and change the light source three
> times per scan line (four with IR).  Most others use a triline CCD which
> has three lines of CCD elements, each one covered with a filter (RG or B).
>
> To scan the film, the sensor or the film moves a certain distance (2400,
> 2700, 2820, 4000th of an inch, and the full width is "recorded" at once
> by this line of sensor elements.
>
> In order to equalize the response of the individual sensor elements, the
> CCD sensors are usually calibrated to a standard white and black point
> before each scan.
>
> Sometimes one or more elements are electronically outside of the normal
> response curve, usually, it seems slower or less responsive.  When this
> happens they respond below the rest and since the element doesn't change
> location, a streak or line occurs across the long direction of the scan
> or film image. With a Nikon, should this occur (and I haven't heard of
> this problem with them) it would be rather obvious, because the one bad
> element would be in the same place on all three color scans.
>
> However, in the case of triline CCD sensors, you could have a bad
> element at 356 in the blue channel and a bad one at 599 in the red,
> etc., so they are less visible.  Sometimes the only way to really see
> them is it look at each color channel separately in something like
> Photoshop, with the image enlarged to 400% or more.
>
> There are a number of potential causes for a "lazy sensor". The most
> obvious is a bad element or series of elements on the CCD, or other
> electronics relating to the CCD elements..  But poor calibration
> routines could also cause problems, which might be correctable in
> software or firmware.  SOme scanners have a calibration chart which the
> sensor elements are subjected to to read to determine a standard black
> or white and if this has been damaged or become dirty, the CCDS might not
> be correctly calibrated.  There could be some dust in the optical path
> or the calibration area which is obscuring light from getting to the CCD
> sensors properly during calibration or otherwise.
>
> So, that is my meaning for "lazy" sensor elements.  They are not dead,
> which is usually really obvious, they just seem to have a response curve
> that is out of the norm.
>
> Art
>
>
> Jack Jansen wrote:
>
>   >>Dave King wrote:
>   >>
>   >>>Can anything be done about the "lazy sensor" problem?  Is this
> something
>   >>>that gets more pronounced over time with CCD scanners?
>   >>>
>   >>>Dave
>   >>>
>   >
>   > Would someone describe the "lazy sensor" problem?
>   > Thanks.
>   > Jack Jansen
>   >
>   >
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