jpursley

I too have encountered slight softening when using the higher multisampling settings with my Minolta 5400. It's barely noticeable at 8x but more apparent with 16x, but only with a side-by-side comparison available - I'd never notice the softening otherwise.

 

Slides with dark areas usually get 2x or 4x as a compromise between noise and sharpness.

 

AFAIK the 5400 does the multisampling in one pass - the film just moves a whole lot slower.

Grats on the lens...it's a beauty. Someone here at PN (Bob Atkins?) suggested the following regarding filter protection: consider a protective filter only if you can identify the hazard - blowing sand, for example. Otherwise you're just worrying about nothing. Works for me...

<i>They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. </i>

- Ben Franklin

Vegas to San Francisco is an amazing trip if you take US 395 up the Eastern Sierra. Lots of campgrounds on the way, too - check out the USFS if you want to secure reservations.

 

Unless there's something in particular you want to do/see in Sequoia, skipping that will mean a lot less driving and more time doing enjoyable activities. There are sequoia groves in Yosemite National Park if you want to see the trees. Stuff I can recommend between Vegas and San Francisco:

 

* Death Valley - Lots of good stuff here, but it's going to be *very* hot this time of year. Consider one of the higher-elevation campgrounds like Wildrose.

 

* Cerro Gordo - It's a trek up into the Inyo mountains on a truly nasty road, but it's worth the trek if you're a ghost town buff. Bodie (below) has a lot more stuff to see and has a lot more photographic opportunities, but you have a lot more freedom at Cerro Gordo since it's private property. You can even spent the night up here (as of two years ago). Call or write before you arrive to make sure they're open.

 

* Alabama Hills - Between Lone Pine and Whitney Portal, these boulder-strewn hills are interesting photo subjects with the Sierra in the background.

 

* Manzanar - Internment camp for Japanese-Americans during World War II just south of Independence. Sobering.

 

* Ancient Bristlecone Pines - Oldest living things on earth, follow the sign to the right as you leave Big Pine. A bit over-photographed IMHO but still worth the trip up the mountain.

 

* Mountain Light Gallery - Galen Rowell's gallery, right on 395 in downtown Bishop.

 

* Hot springs - There are hot springs in several areas along the eastern Sierra; some of the most accessible are just south of Mammoth.

 

* Devil's Postpile National Monument - Private vehicles are no longer permitted past Mammoth *unless you're camping*...several campgrounds in this area. The postpile itself is a bit overrated, but it's a truly beautiful area along the river.

 

* Mono Lake - Hike to the top of Panum Crater for a great 360 view of Mono Lake and the Sierra Nevada. Interesting rocks around the crater, like small boulders of pumice you can pick up (they'll float) and obsidian.

 

* Bodie - Large ghost town that's now a state park. Filled with photographic subjects if you're into old west stuff.

 

* Yosemite - Too many destinations here to list. As of right now, there are still some spots available in the park mid-week at Crane Flat and Hodgdon Meadow, although I've never stayed at either so I can't vouch for these campgrounds. Mid-summer sites in the valley fill up the day they become available, five months in advance.

 

* Wawona - If you have the time and want to see some sequoia trees, exit Yosemite via Wawona and stop at the sequoia grove there.

 

* Central Valley - If you leave Yosemite by Wawona, consider taking small roads through areas like Oakhurst and Raymond. Beautiful rolling yellow fields punctuated by oaks. Take 152 over the Diablo Range, more yellow hills.

 

* Coast - If you still have time, take PCH (Highway 1) from Santa Cruz to San Francisco. Beautiful (photogenic) coastline.

 

Whew...not sure you'll get to do all that in 7-10 days if you're also doing Vegas and San Francisco, but hopefully certain things will sound more interesting than others and your choices will be easy. Sorry for the long post, but this is a truly incredible area of the world to travel.

I've noticed a slight softening of small details when using the higher (8x and 16x) multisampling settings, although I wouldn't describe it as denting straight lines...details just become a bit less sharp.

 

Depending on the depth/size of dark areas on a slide, I usually go with 0-4x multisampling to balance noise and sharpness.

 

None of the above criticisms are meant to imply bad performance from this unit...overall the 5400 is quite impressive, and the problems addressed above are very, very subtle.

ISO 50 file probably won't get a slow enough shutter speed if you're shooting in bright sunlight. Shooting at dawn/dusk or on a cloudy day will help quite a bit. You may also want to check out a neutral density filter, which blocks light and allows slower shutter speeds.

I'd second the 3001 recommendation if you're looking for something light. Just don't make the same newbie mistake I made and assume the "long column" version is better - the extra height ability is more than offset by the long column always getting in the way for shots close to the ground. Get the standard length column.

Like I posted in another thread:

 

Reading photo.net to judge a scanner's reliability is like watching the evening news to see if flying is safe...you're not gonna hear about the tens of thousands of perfectly safe flights (scans) done every day.

Reading photo.net to judge a scanner's reliability is like watching the evening news to see if flying is safe...you're not gonna hear about the tens of thousands of perfectly safe flights (scans) done every day.

 

<p>Just for the record, my 5400 works quite nicely...I put up a quick test result at <a href=http://www.gatorpictures.com/Minolta5400/>this page</a> if you're interested in the resolution available. Note that the velvia original is not nearly as contrasty, and I've since learned to make the scans less so, too.