epson 4990

and the drum scanner…

howtek d4000

the edges are a little sharper in the second image, and the grain is definitely sharper in the second.  there is also more detail in the shadow regions.  there seems to be a blue halo effect around the edge of the finger below the screw in the epson scan, while the howtek is clean.  the color is different as well.  I have an it8 calibration target for the howtek, but no such software for the epson.

despite epsons claims, the max resolution I have been able to get from the 4990 is 1500 dpi.  higher resolution settings create bigger file sizes, but no difference in image resolution.  above 4000 dpi, it is interpolating the image, that is, it inserts pixels it didn’t actually scan in order to get the file larger.  the howtek goes up to 4000 dpi and one can see a difference in image resolution.

I have found out that the roller on my drum mounting station is too hard.  I had replaced it with a nitrile tube, which doesn’t have enough give to it.  I need to find a roller made of a softer material.  there are some polyurethane rollers with a softness colse to a white rubber eraser.  that should work, along with stiffer springs to create more presure on the drum.  the scanner itself, though, works like a champ.

as I write this, my first test scan on the drum machine is churning away.  after 15 minutes, it is 3% through.  I do know I need to practice more on the mounting part.  I keep watching the demo video, but I can’t seem to get rid of the big air bubbles.  my roller may not be round enough.  we’ll see in the near future.

I have launched 3.1 of my site.  officially it is gregorytdavis.com 1.0.  thanks to j for the tip on simpleviewer and css.

test image for kodak portra 160nc. I shot this test to check reciprocity failure times. this exposure was for a 30 second exposure time at a 30 second meter reading, meaning no compensation was given.

the density and colors are right on in photoshop, so I will make no adjustments based on meter readings up to 30 seconds. much better than my black and white films.