RE: filmscanners: Nikon Scan & VS Negative dynamic range

[Julian Robinson <jrobinso@pcug.org.au>]

I have NS 3.1, and on my system there is a tool palette called Scanner 
Extras.  If you open this, there is a setting called Prescan Mode which you 
can set to Low cont neutral (or hi key or lo key).  But note that this 
setting only appears if you have "Negative" selected rather than "Positive" 
for your film type - IOW it is not available for slides.  Maybe you were 
set to slides the day you looked in there.  I was mystified for quite some 
time because I thought I saw it... then I didn't... then...

It reduces the contrast of the scan, so that the whole histogram will fit 
into the available range which is how I like it - then into PS in 16 bits 
and reshape from there.

Julian

At 22:36 06/09/01, you wrote:
>I've never seen these options in Nikon Scan 3.0/3.1.  Where should I be
>looking (I can be blind like this sometimes)?
>
>Jawed
>
> >===== Original Message From Julian Robinson <jrobinso@pcug.org.au> =====
> >Have you tried Scanner Extras / Prescan mode / low cont neutral?
> >
> >Julian
> >
> >At 09:44 06/09/01, you wrote:
> >>It is very simple: NS decides to clip a neg scan if the dynamic range
> >>encoded in the neg is more than a certain amount.  I don't know what this
> >>amount is, but I can demonstrate a very strong difference between NS and
> >>Vuescan in this respect with shots on Supra 400.
> >>
> >>No amount of adjustment to NS's master or R, G, B light output levels 
> solves
> >>this problem - you can tweak the output levels to choose which you'd rather
> >>lose (shadows or highlights) but you cannot get the full range of such 
> a neg
> >>with NS.
> >>
> >>Maybe older versions are different.  I write this with respect to NS3.0 and
> >>3.1 working with my LS40.
> >>
> >>(Hoping I haven't grabbed the wrong end of the stick.)
> >>
> >>Jawed