I have been testing NikonScan 4.0.2 software driving an Coolscan LS50 and have come across a problem that I would like to have confirmed by someone who is running a Mac. With all settings at default except ICE = On, ROC = 1, when GEM = 0 the scan is okay, but with GEM set to 1 or higher, the scan is sharpened considerably, approximately equivalent to a Photoshop
Unsharp Mask of Amount = 150%, Radius = 2. GEM should have the effect of a slight softening, not sharpening, and when I tested on a PC, GEM worked as it should.
If anyone has a Coolscan LS50 or 5000, and is running NikonScan I would very much appreciate confirmation of this problem. So, fire up your Coolscan and OSX with these settings:
Resolution = 4000, 8-bit
ICE = On
ROC = 1
GEM = 0
and compare with:
ICE = On
ROC = 1
GEM = 4
If the software problem is real, the second scan should be sharper.
You might like to run another test, this time at 2000 dpi. The problem disappears, possibly masked by the reduced resolution, but for my test slides there was very little difference in clarity, but a significant reduction in grain and noise.
I have uploaded (13 MB) two test scans of a Hanimount slide taken in the 1960s (
http://www.mediafire.com/?7tw7jm47797pc3g), but the effect occurs for all slides I have tested.
