[Leica] Nikon LS-2000 scanner software question

[Jim Brick <jimbrick@photoaccess.com>]

Messages from both Tina and Joe suggest that the Silvefast software is less
than useful with the LS-2000. Tina states that she uses the Nikon software
"more often" than the Silverfast software.

Tina, why do you "ever" use the Silverfast software? What is it doing for
you that the Nikon software cannot do?

thanks,

Jim


At 06:04 PM 3/16/99 -0500, Tina & Joe both wrote:
>>
>I have the LS-2000 with Silverfast which I purchased separately for over
>$500.  If I had it to do over again, I would not buy the Silverfast.  It
>has a few more pre-scan controls than the Nikon software but certainly not
>$500 worth and probably not $350 worth.  The Nikon software is perfectly
>adequate.  I had thought the Silverfast would help me scan black and white;
>but as the Silverfast developers told me after I bought it, it is not at
>its best with black and white.  In spite of "Silver" in the name, the
>silver in the film conflicts with the clean-scan feature of Silverfast and
>you have to turn that off to scan B&W.  You can also not use the batch
>scanning feature that comes with the SF-200 bulk slide loader.  I end up
>using the Nikon software more often than the Silverfast for these reasons.
>Hope this helps.
>
>Leically,
>
>Tina

>I've had an LS2000 for three months. Before that I had no scanning
>knowledge, so please consider my comments with that in mind! It is the most
>amazing machine. I was initially pleased to find that my scanner had
>Silverfast bundled with it, and that software looks good on the screen- it
>looks like you're getting something. In practice I found that I couldn't
>use it to do what I wanted- if I wanted to take advantage of the greater
>bit depth of this scanner to make 12-bit bit depth scans, which is what
>makes it so good, and why it costs so much, then I needed to scan at the
>greatest bit depth, choosing the 12-bit option before scanning. Silverfast
>won't let you do this and also adjust the curve of the image at the same
>time. For difficult black and white images I have found this ajustment at
>the scanning stage essential. You can try to manipulate the image curve
>afterwards in Photoshop, but it isn't the same. By that time you have
>already lost data that cannot be put back by fiddling around afterwards,
>and you cannot get the ajustment "after the fact"- it sometimes really does
>need to be done at the scanning stage, or you just don't get a useable
>result. I find this particularly with high contrast and night shots. I find
>that the Nikonscan software that comes with the LS2000 does allow both
>image curve ajustment and scanning at the highest bit depth simultaneously,
>so that is what I use. To get a version of Silverfast that allows this, you
>have to spend thousands. Unless I'm missing something fundemental I must
>conclude that there is no reason for me to use Silverfast as available for
>the LS2000- unless I want to do 8-bit scans, and then I might as well be
>using a cheaper 8-bit scanner. 
>
>Joe Berenbaum