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Author Topic: Polaroid Sprintscan vs Nikon 4000ED  (Read 2804 times)

AWeil

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Polaroid Sprintscan vs Nikon 4000ED
« on: October 21, 2002, 06:37:19 pm »

[font color=\'#000000\']From what I hear, the nikon 4000 is the best 35mm scanner around these days. I use the prevoius model (LS 2000) and I never noticed the limited range you are talking about - but it might be just me.
A.Weil[/font]
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englishm

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Polaroid Sprintscan vs Nikon 4000ED
« Reply #1 on: October 22, 2002, 04:28:07 pm »

[font color=\'#000000\']>>What scanning software do you use?<<

Silverfast 5.5

>>Do you scan in 16bit/ch mode?<<

Yes, always.

>>How advanced is your Photoshop knowledge<<

Quite high, actually.

Thanks for the links.[/font]
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Mark English
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englishm

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Polaroid Sprintscan vs Nikon 4000ED
« Reply #2 on: October 21, 2002, 02:22:08 pm »

[font color=\'#000000\']I have used a Polaroid Sprintscan 4000 for a couple of years now.  I am generally quite pleased with it but it does have a limited dynamic range compared to what I believe is possible today.  I am considering a Nikon 4000ED... for no other reason than the supposed increase in dynamic range: 4.2 vs 3.4 (or 3.6?) for the Sprintscan.

My question is:  does the Nikon 4000ED live up to its advertised claims, and will the increased dynamic range translate into noticeably improved shadow detail in a finished print?  The Sprintscan just can't see very far into the darker shadows in Provia... and Velvia or older Kodachromes are a complete non-starter.[/font]
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Mark English
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Petru Lauric

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Polaroid Sprintscan vs Nikon 4000ED
« Reply #3 on: October 22, 2002, 12:30:26 pm »

[font color=\'#000000\']
Quote
The Sprintscan just can't see very far into the darker shadows in Provia... and Velvia or older Kodachromes are a complete non-starter.

What scanning software do you use? Do you scan in 16bit/ch mode? How advanced is your Photoshop knowledge (e.g. do you feel very comfortable with the levels, curves, masking techniques etc)?

I'm asking because I own a SS4000 too and it took me several months (starting from zero) to understand how to get the most of it. I had to learn quite a bit about Photoshop (I got an excellent book, "Photoshop Artistry"), to experiment with three scanning packages - Polacolor Insight, Silverfast, VueScan - and most of all to go through a lot of pain by getting piles of mediocre scans.

I've seen several tests for both scanners (Nikon's LS4000, and Polaroid's SS4000) and frankly I'm not convinced that the LS4000 is the best in its class. See the links on my web page:
http://www.geocities.com/petru2/scanner/index.html

If possible go to a local retailer which sells the LS4000 and ask them to give you a demo. Or, even better, try to convince them to give you a copy of a raw scan of one of your slides so you can compare it at home with your SS4000 scans.

Regards,
Petru.[/font]
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Petru Lauric

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Polaroid Sprintscan vs Nikon 4000ED
« Reply #4 on: October 22, 2002, 05:18:01 pm »

[font color=\'#000000\']
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>>What scanning software do you use?<<

Silverfast 5.5
Give Vuescan a try. I'm not sure about slides (I didn't have the patience to test it yet) but on negatives VS gives me better control - I believe that SF is adjusting automatically the black and white points (luminance levels). The result: sometimes the SF scans can display saturated highlights. I can have plenty of detail in the highlights however if I adjust the white point in VS. Perhaps you have a similar problem with the black point.[/font]
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