Silverfast vs Espon vs Vuescan

- Are you talking about negatives or slides though Alan?

 

A properly exposed and developed B&W negative shouldn't much exceed a density range of 2.2, which most scanners can easily cope with. OTOH an unfaded slide can exceed a density range of 3.5 and make the best of scanners struggle to dig out the deepest shadow detail. It's this latter case where multi-pass scanning comes into its own.

 

The low density range of negatives brings its own issues. A 2.2D range is only a brightness ratio of about 158:1, less than 8 bits in digital terms. So the scanner's 16 bit A/D is effectively curtailed to a meagre 7.5 bits. After reversal and tone curve adjustment, this can easily result in posterisation (visible tone stepping).

 

Ah, the joys of scanning film!

The full range is picked up with one scan. OF course, due to the limitations of the V600 scanner, the shadow areas will only allow so much light through the film so it's limited by the dmax of the V600.

 

Regarding multiscan or multipasses, the V600 doesn't do them. So you;re getting the max out of the scanner in one pass that;s possible.

I have the Epson scan (for the Perfection V500) and Vuescan (for both the Coolscan V and the Epson). Used to use the Nikon software and really liked it, but Nikon stopped supporting it and I feel like Vuescan saved me. Nikon had some pretty good sophisticated ICE software to remove scratches and dust which I miss (assuming I’m remembering right). Vuescan is somewhat basic but I’m not a sophisticated user. It works and I’m grateful I can use the scanner at all. Never tried Silverfast though I like the name.

VueScan supports ICE too, also with the Nikon scanners. Switch to the pro mode (and Vuescan stops being "somewhat basic"), and go to the filter tab - the infrared cleaning option is used to control the ICE option.

Note that it doesn't work with B&W film, regardless of the software used.

It seems that both Silverfast and Vuescan will sell software to use my Nikon LS-1000 with my Macbook Air, but no suggestion on how to connect one up.

 

It looks like Silverfast needs a separate license for each scanner, maybe for each different type of computer with each scanner.

 

I have a lot of different computers (Mac, Windows, Linux) and scanners (Nikon, Minolta, Epson, Canon) so a lot of combinations.

Glen_h - Does the LS-1000 use a Firewire 400 cable?

 

For my LS-4000 to a 2012 iMac, I'm using 1 each Thunderbolt to Firewire 800 cable, which connects to a Firewire 800 to 400 cable.

 

Vuescan seems to get the job done. So, no complaints there.

I still use NikonScan with my CS 9000ED, running under Windows 10.