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Re: [OM] GH2 specs

Subject: Re: [OM] GH2 specs
From: Jan Steinman <Jan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sun, 19 Sep 2010 09:58:43 -0700
> From: David Irisarri <zuiko3000@xxxxxxxxx>
> 
> Nikon LS-4000 gives you drum scan quality.

Oh, well THAT explains the 10x factor in cost!

It's pretty easy to come up with some specification that would tend to indicate 
that. Most manufacturers simply use the width of their ADC to come up with a 
theoretical dynamic range.

But having used both, I have to say that the LS-4000 is a long way from a 
ColorGetter Falcon. The biggest difference is dark noise, which is very 
important for slides. (Or highlight noise if you're scanning negative film.)

When I scanned an unexposed frame on the LS-4000 and normalized, I got 
confetti. When I did it on the ColorGetter, I got black. But even when I look 
closely at the non-normalized frames, I can easily see the difference. The 
LS-4000 noise tends to be all over the place, with quarter-tone (and brighter!) 
pixels right next to 0,0,0 pixels. On the ColorGetter, the noise tends to be 
within just a few values of black.

Another important quality difference is when you want less-than-ultimate 
resolution. On a drum scanner, you actually physically change the sampling 
aperture; on a CCD scanner, you mathematically re-sample the fixed-sized 
samples pulled from the sensor, with all the hairy anti-aliasing and such that 
implies. Perhaps the software is there, but to me, the under-sampled drum scan 
looks "natural," but the interpolated CCD scan looks "harsh" or "edgy."

I'm a bit surprised to see you write that, David, since you were citing the 
influence of noise on dynamic range earlier. C'mon over and we'll play with the 
drum scanner someday!

----------------
If you succumb to the temptation of using violence in the struggle, unborn 
generations will be the recipients of a long and desolate night of bitterness, 
and your chief legacy to the future will be an endless reign of meaningless 
chaos. -- Martin Luther King, Jr.
:::: Jan Steinman, EcoReality Co-op ::::

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