PHOTOGRAPHIC THREADS: camera queries, any photo tech stuff!

[mark smyth]

Nikon Super Coolscan 5000 ED £850 from Amazon

[Gene Mirro]

It's an expensive piece of professional equipment.  That's why I didn't buy one.  Hopefully, you can find a rental in your area.  But it's not that difficult to use, unless you try to wring every last ounce of performance out of it.

[Carlo]

Gene,

What sort of file are you scanning your slides into? I'm shooting my digital camera in raw and, in the event I get busy scanning the thousands of slides in my stock file, I'd like to get as close to it as possible in my scans. I want the biggest, most information packed files I can get so that I preserve the many ways I can use the finished product...

[Gene Mirro]

My goals were much more modest than yours.  I used standard jpg files.  I set the scanner to make 8 meg files, but for some reason they ended up being 4-6 meg.  But believe me, this scanner will let you achieve whatever level of perfection you want.  File size per photo can be as high as 64 meg.  And it will do automatic dust and scratch removal.  Here is a link to a site with the details:  http://www.nikonimaging.com/global/products/scanner/scoolscan_5000_ed/

I have the manuals for this unit in pdf form, but they are too large for this forum (5 meg and 19 meg).  If you send me an email, I will either email them to you or send them to you on a CD, your choice.

[tonyg]

Thanks for the feedback on scanners ... I wont be buying one but I will investigate renting.  The .doc file failed to open for me - I have office 2007 .... GRRR!  I will post questions if I do rent a scanner and need help!

[Gene Mirro]

Tony, that is a very strange problem with the attachment.  Try modifying the security settings in your web browser.  I doubt that it is a Word compatibility problem.

Anyway, here is the text of the Word file:

Nikon 5000 Questions

1.   Can ICE and analog gain be used on the computer AFTER the scan?  No
2.   Can I set the resolution to a certain number of megapixels per picture or pixels per inch?  Yes


Notes:
1.   When installing SW, select  sRGB as color scheme. 
2.   Turn on computer first, then scanner.  Wait for green light to stay on continuously, then start scanner SW.
3.   When you start the SW, you will see a main screen that says "Nikon Scan 4.0", and a gray screen that says "Nikon Super CoolScan 5000ED".  In the gray screen, you will see 3 horizontal bars that are pull-down menus.  Select the middle one and choose which type of slide you will be scanning (positive or Kodachrome).  Select the bottom one and choose color or black and white.
4.   Click on the Tools button and click on "Tool Palette 1".  A new window will open.
5.   In the Tool Palette window, click on Crop.  Here you can specify the file size of your scan files.  When you scan your first slide, click the Preview button on the gray screen.  A preview of the slide will appear, with a white dashed box around it.  Using the mouse, resize the box to enclose the area that you wish to scan.
6.   Click on curves.  The black and white circle to the right of the graph is an automatic contrast control.  The gray triangle at the bottom of the graph is very useful for adjusting the appearance of the scanned image.  After you have scanned a slide, grab this triangle with the mouse and move it around and see what effect it has.
7.   If you want to eliminate dust and scratches, open the Digital Ice 4 menu, and enable Digital ICE.
8.   I also enabled Scan Image Enhancer.
9.   I used a bit depth of 8 bits.  This determines how many colors can be resolved.
10.   To scan a slide:  wait until the green light on the scanner is on continuously, then insert the slide.  Click on the Scan button.  It will take a couple of minutes.  A window will appear which shows you what the scanned image looks like.  You can rotate the image using the CW and CCW arrows in the "Nikon Scan 4.0" toolbar.  You can resize the image by typing Ctrl + or Ctrl - .  You can change the appearance by adjusting the arrows in the Curves menu.  You can also open the Color Balance menu and make adjustments there.
11.   When you are satisfied with the image, click the floppy disk symbol to save it.  I saved mine as jpeg, excellent quality.
12.   To eject the slide, push the button under and to the right of the slide slot.
13.   You can use the SW when the scanner is not connected, to edit image files.  Select File, Open.

[mark smyth]

I have Office 2007 also but I can read it

[mark smyth]

Here's the results of an online poll

Question: Since going digital, do you still use a film camera?

No. 64% 
Very rarely. 15% 
Yes. 10% 
I don't own a film camera anymore. 8% 
I haven't gone digital yet. 3% 
I use them both equally. 1% 

[Maggi Young]

This thread was started on 16th December 2007, to collate the photographic pages from elsewhere on the Forum.

The thirteen forgoing pages are the merged pages of all the pre-existing photographic subject threads, brought together in one place.  Please use this area for techy talk on photographice questions/discussions.
 Cheers,
 Maggi

[mark smyth]

great idea Maggi

[Maggi Young]

Thanks, Mark, can't claim the credit, it was Len Rhind's idea!

[Andrew]

Question: Since going digital, do you still use a film camera?

No. 64% 
Very rarely. 15% 
Yes. 10% 
I don't own a film camera anymore. 8% 
I haven't gone digital yet. 3% 
I use them both equally. 1% 

Someones maths is out, 101% !

[Joakim B]

Not neccecary wrong  with 101%
It is not so strange with rounding it to full % this happens and are correct.
That is why it is easier with only 2 options to only get 100%. An even easier old Soviet version is to have only one choice.  to be certain to get 100%.

Regarding camera batteries that also have been up earlier I have heard that the rechargeable batteries loose a bit of energy when stored so if one is using the camera seldom and also little when using it it might be better to have "normal" non rechargeable spare batteries.
Kind regards
Joakim

[Len Rhind]

Maggi,
Thank you, that is really great to get them all together in one source of reference. Merry Christmas to you and Ian.
Len

[Gene Mirro]

I have a Canon S3 IS that has one of those rotating displays, so you can take a photo with the camera at ground level and still see the screen.  It's also got macro and super macro modes without changing lenses, and 12x zoom.  I almost always use it in Auto mode, but it has good manual capability also.  It also takes nice videos.  It has a shutter delay feature that opens the shutter a couple of seconds after you push the button.  This helps to eliminate camera motion.  I like it.  I think it's called an S4 IS now.

Caution, the LCD displays on digital cameras don't like to get wet.  It's easy to ruin them.

Rechargeable Nickel Metal Hydride batteries usually have a 3-4 week shelf life, and lose their storage capacity after a few years.  Sanyo has developed a battery called the Eneloop which has the high energy of NiMH combined with a one-year shelf life.  I highly recommend them.  I never see them at retail stores; I bought them on Amazon.com.