Enhancing the Dynamic Range of Scanners
SilverFast’s Multi-Exposure generates 8-bit Raw scans that are then calculated using variable exposures. The function is similar to exposure rows, as they are known from the photography profession. With this feature, the supported scanner’s dynamic range is significantly increased while the noise of the CCDs is effectively minimized. Hence, more details will become visible in the shadow areas of an image.

This provides one main advantage over Multi-Sampling. Multi-Exposure reaches the same quality much faster. The slower 8x or 16x multisampling processes become obsolete, since higher quality can be achieved using the Multi-Exposure feature.

NegaFix Improvement + New NegaFix Profiles
NegaFix mode now provides a much more neutral color environment thanks to a new extended function. This is especially important for profiles that are not 100 percent accurate. With this feature, the orange masks present in color negatives can easily be removed with the new conversion. CCR activation is done by a check box within the NegaFix-dialog.

Automatic Detection of Frames
Image frames can now be detected and cropped automatically in the preview window using this new feature. The images must have a certain distance between them and the outer edge to detect the frames. A high contrast background is helpful in reflective scans. For transparencies, using the supplied film and slide holders is useful, since they offer an optimal contrast to the background.

Basic-Mode as Starting Aid
All SilverFast versions from v6.5 and up may now be switched between Standard and Basic mode. Hence, SilverFast novices will find the software easier to use.

New Installers
The new Apple installer is now used for Macintosh computers. A double click on the installer icon launches the installation process. The entire installation is completely guided and follows the current Apple Macintosh standard.

SFAi — HDR Gamma Optimization
The gamma values selected SilverFastAi are now automatically detected and applied in SilverFastHDR. All SilverFastSE and SilverFastSEPlus versions of V.6.5 or newer will contain this new feature.

The price of SilverFast 6.5 varies depending on scanner, and accessories included. See the website for specific pricing. Current users can upgrade to SilverFast 6.5 for a nominal fee.

SilverFast 6.5 has been optimized for the following operating systems:
Mac OS-X 10.2 and higher, Windows 2000, XP.

“Many people don’t realize the importance of optical density when it comes to choosing a flatbed scanner,” said Phil Amato, product manager, Consumer and Photo Imaging, Epson. “Optical density is really the true measuring stick for understanding how well a scanner can reproduce varying degrees of shadow and noise detail and a big factor in overall image quality.”

The NSTL study followed the methodology described by ISO 21550, an internationally recognized standard that specifies the method for measuring the optical density of a scanner. The methodology uses the 41-step Stouffer transparent step wedge, T4110, as the test chart to evaluate the optical density. Twelve scanners were tested, and included the Epson Perfection 4990 Photo, Epson Perfection 4490 Photo, Epson Perfection 3490 Photo, Epson Perfection V700 Photo, as well as models from other competing brands.

The NSTL independently confirmed that all tested Epson scanners were found to have OD values that were equal to or greater than the values Epson states in its specifications. The results also showed that three of Epson’s scanners consistently achieved the highest optical density scores of 4.0 or higher. Competitive scanners achieved scores of 3.1 or below. The NSTL concluded that Epson’s scanners consistently outperformed competitive models with respect to OD measurement, and additionally, provided more consistent results over repetitive testing.

Complete methodology details and results for each individual model can be reviewed by downloading the complete final report at http://www.nstl.com or http://www.epson.com.

In addition, a new fluid mount accessory (offered on the Pro model), allows photographers to perform wet scans on a flatbed scanner, which is especially valuable for enhanced scratch removal and grain reduction from black and white film.

The Epson Perfection V700 Photo and Epson Perfection V750-M Pro both incorporate the Epson Dual Lens System, which is a new double lens scanning system that enables super resolution (6400 dpi) scanning of 35mm, 2 ¼”, and 4”x 5” medium format film. High resolution (4800 dpi) scanning is also available for transparency and reflective scanning. Depending on the resolution selected, the lens carriage will switch and the appropriate lens will be set in place.

“By offering the combination of 6400 dpi on a photo studio flatbed scanner and an innovative optical system, the Epson Perfection V700 Photo and Epson Perfection V750-M Pro models are ideal for photographers, graphic designers and other professionals who rely on the images they produce to be exceptional,” said Philip Amato, product manager, image capture products, Epson. “These scanner models deliver the kind of quality that typically could only be found on commercial lab scanners for a much higher cost. We’ve included these advanced features so that photographers have both maximum control and the ability to get the best results in-house, at a very affordable price.”

In addition to the fluid mount accessory, the Epson Perfection V-750M Pro also features new High Pass Optics that further optimize image quality by using anti-reflective coatings on the CCD lens and a new high reflection mirror. Another valuable time- and cost-saving feature offered with both scanners is Digital ICE™ Technologies, a powerful tool for automatic removal of scratches and dust from film, and many surface defects from reflective prints.

Both scanner models can achieve an optical density (Dmax) of 4.0, allowing for high dynamic range imaging and the ability to capture fine shadow details. They also feature Hi-Speed USB 2.0 and FireWire connectivity for fast data transmission.

More about the Epson Perfection V750-M Pro
The Epson Perfection V750-M Pro is the flagship scanner at the top of the Epson Perfection line with up to 6400 dpi optical resolution and its unique fluid mount accessory. For many years, wet mount film scanning has been a professionally recognized method for reducing scratches, grain and optical artifacts such as Newton Rings. Wet mount scanning is especially valuable for black and white film, since other scratch removal technologies, including Digital ICE, are not effective on monochrome film. By offering this unique accessory with the Epson Perfection V750-M Pro, customers can now achieve wet scan results with a flatbed scanner.

The Epson Perfection V750-M Pro includes an advanced software bundle that includes:

LaserSoft Imaging® SilverFast® Ai 6 (full version)
· Adobe® Photoshop® Elements
· ABBYY® FineReader® Sprint Plus OCR
MonacoEZcolor™
EPSON Scan with Easy Photo Fix® technology
Epson Copy Utility

The Epson Perfection 750-M Pro will be available in May and can be purchased for an estimated street price of $799 from Epson authorized dealers, mail order, distribution, and on the Epson Store Web site (http://www.epsonstore.com).

More about the Epson Perfection V700 Photo
The Epson Perfection V700 Photo has many of the same impressive features as the Epson Perfection V750-M Pro including super resolution 6400 dpi film scanning, the Epson Dual Lens System, and 4.0 Dmax. This scanner is ideal for anyone who has relied on a dedicated 35mm film scanner, but wants greater flexibility for scanning larger film formats. With the Epson Perfection V700 Photo, customers can scan 35mm, 2 ¼” and 4”x 5” medium format film with a built-in 8” x 10” transparency unit, as well as prints and documents. Customers also get a wide variety of high quality film scanning capabilities for well below the cost of a dedicated film scanner.
This scanner model includes a robust software package that includes the following titles:

· LaserSoft Imaging SilverFast SE6
· Adobe Photoshop Elements
· ABBYY FineReader Sprint Plus OCR
· EPSON Scan with Easy Photo Fix technology
· Epson Copy Utility

The Epson Perfection V700 Photo will be available in March and can be purchased for an estimated street price $549 from Epson authorized dealers, consumer electronic stores, mail order, distribution, and on the Epson Store Web site (http://www.epsonstore.com).

Customer Support
Carrying a one-year limited warranty, these new scanner models are supported by the EPSON Connection, a fully-automated customer support and technical assistance line. For more information on Epson and its products, call 1-800-GO-EPSON (1-800-463-7766) or visit the Epson website at http://www.epson.com

Epson’s Environmental Commitment
The Epson Perfection V700 Photo and Epson Perfection V750-M Pro have earned the ENERGY STAR by meeting energy efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. Epson offers a range of ENERGY STAR products. Epson encourages consumers to save energy by selecting ENERGY STAR products

About Epson America, Inc.
Epson offers an extensive array of award-winning image capture and image output products for the consumer, business, photography and graphic arts markets. The company is also a leading supplier of value-added point-of-sale (POS) printers and transaction terminals for the retail market. Founded in 1975, Epson America, Inc. is the U.S. affiliate of Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, a global manufacturer and supplier of high-quality technology products that meet customer demands for increased functionality, compactness, systems integration and energy efficiency. Epson America, Inc. is headquartered in Long Beach, Calif.

Press Release: Kiel, Germany, Nov. 8th, 2005, from LaserSoft Imaging, Inc. SilverFast Ai STUDIO and SilverFast SE Plus supply the most dramatic boost in quality to scanners with SilverFast’s patent pending Multi-Sampling with Auto-Alignment.

What differentiates a very expensive high-end scanner, such as drum- or Linotype-Hell or Scitex Flatbed scanner, is the low noise of these scanners due to cooling of CCD and other constructive methods. When a scanner has very low CCD-noise so much more Unsharp Masking can be applied. That is the main reason that high-end scanners deliver very sharp and brilliant scans.

Dynamic Range Increase with SilverFast Multi-Sampling
We have measured the Dynamic Range increase according to the ISO standard ISO 21550:2004 and we have found that SilverFast’s Multi-Sampling yields dramatic improvement for scanner Dynamic Range. It is interesting to see that even for scanners that already have Multi-Sampling built into their hardware, there is a significant increase in Dynamic Range. That exemplifies the unique quality of SilverFast’s Multi-Sampling process.

What is DMAX, Dynamic Range and Density?
Image density is measured from image brightness with optical densitometers, and ranges from 0 to 4, where 0 is pure white and 4 is very black. More density is less brightness. Density is measured on a logarithmic scale. Density of 3.0 is 10 times greater intensity than a density of 2.0. An intensity range of 100:1 is a density of 2.0, and 1000:1 is a density of 3.0. Density 4.0 (which is 10.000:1) is not a theoretical maximum, the math is not limited, but it is a practical maximum of density, because almost nothing you can scan will reach 4.0.

The minimum and maximum values of density capable of being captured by a specific scanner are called DMin and DMax . If the scanner’s DMin were 0.2 and DMax were 3.1, its Dynamic Range would be 2.9. DMax implies that unique image tone values are distinguishable, and not hidden by electronic noise. Greater dynamic range can detect greater image detail in dark shadow areas of the photographic image, because the range is extended at the black end.

DMAX is a value describing how much light variations an input device can differentiate. In general manufacturers publish a value that does not relate to the true usable maximum dynamic range, instead it is a theoretical value. When a scanner can still see light variations such as in the shadows of a scan but the CCD already produces visible noise rendering the scan unusable. So briefly speaking DMAX is the maximum density a scanner can detect, while Dynamic Range is the usable range of shades a scanner can differentiate.

For more information, see the SilverFast web site.

At the end of June all EISA member magazines come together in an European city for the most important meeting in the year – the elections of the European Awards. From all products introduced during the preceding twelve months, each panel must choose the best equipment in each category.

In the Photo Panel Category the following awards were given;

CAMERA: Canon EOS 350D
PROFESSIONAL CAMERA: Nikon D2x
COMPACT CAMERA: Olympus Camedia C-7070
ZOOM CAMERA: Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ5
POCKET CAMERA: Fujifilm Finepix F10
ANALOGUE CAMERA: Nikon F6
LENS: Sigma 3.5-6.3/18-200 mm DC
PRINTER: Epson Stylus Photo R2400
MINI PRINTER: Sony DPP-FP50
SCANNER: Konica Minolta Dimage Scan Elite 5400 II
IMAGE TANK: Epson P2000 Multimedia Storage Viewer
MEMORY CARD: SanDisk Extreme III

NOTE: The EISA web site pages will expand to full screen when clicked.

“With its imposing name and military-tight security, you might think that the Iron Mountain National Underground Storage Facility is one of those forbidding places where presidents and generals huddled during the Cold War.

But these days there is a much different sort of planning going on.

Here, in an old limestone mine some 200 feet beneath the rolling hills of western Pennsylvania, is the Corbis/Bettmann Film Preservation Facility. The goal here is not to destroy but to preserve, not to end time, but to stop it altogether.

What is being preserved is the famed Bettmann Archive, some 11 million-plus images that represent the visual history of the 20th century, the century of photography. Pictures of everyone and everything are stored in this vast repository: Presidents and kings. Sultans and queens. Starlets and stargazers. From the ridiculous to the hallowed. Victory and calamity.

All these moments live on in Otto Bettmann’s archive. Bettmann, who began his career as a curator of rare books, fled Nazi Germany in 1935 with steamer trunks brimming with photos, drawings, and engravings. And until his death in 1998, his namesake archive continued to amass images of every type.

He virtually invented an industry himself, creating one of the most important and widely used visual libraries in the world. The archive was stored in New York, where its clientele included publishers, researchers, and historians.”

Editor’s note: Below is just a tiny example of the type of historical images included in the Corbis/Bettmann Archives. While the original airing of this story was in June of last year, PSN thought it would be useful to direct readers to this story who may have missed it. Many of the more famous images have already been scanned are made available through Corbis. However, only a tiny fraction of the 11 milion images in the archive have been scanned. At a rate of 20-30 minutes of scan and Photoshop processing per image, the progect will take man hours and many years to complete. In the meantime, the long terms storage vaults have had their temperature reduced to -4 degrees Fahrenheit, effectively halting any further deterioration to the photographic collection. The Iron Moutanis mine is over 1,000 acres but the storage facility has only developed 130 acres at this time, so there is a lot of room to grow.

Please see the additional links at the bottom of the page for more information.

Additional Links:
The Bettmann Archive
Corbis, the current owner of the archive
Wilhelm Imaging Research archival consultant for the archive.
A Century’s Photo History Destined for Life in a Mine By SARAH BOXER
Quotes, Notes & Anecdotes…of Dr. Bettmann from the Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Open the archives!
How the open source movement is changing historic archives By Joyce Slaton
Archives, Photographers, Researchers and The Cave Editorial by Dirck Halstead

Good Old Days–They Were Terrible
by Otto L Bettmann
Available from Amazon

The EPSON Perfection(TM) 4990 PHOTO and EPSON Perfection 4990 PRO scanners both have a versatile built-in 8″ x 10″ transparency unit (TPU) with a moving carriage and lamp optimized for film scans for quality rarely seen in a consumer-level scanner. The TPU is almost 50% larger than the predecessor models. It includes film holders that support eight 35mm mounted slides, four 35mm film strips up to 24 frames, three to six medium format frames or two 4″ x 5″ frames. It also has an 8″ x 10″ guide for transparencies and proof sheets without film holders, allowing for a larger volume of negative scanning.

Both models deliver high resolution and excellent image quality. They offer a maximum hardware resolution of 4800 x 9600 dpi, 48-bit color and up to 4.0 DMax for true-to-life color accuracy and the ability to capture minute image detail. The Perfection 4990 scanner uses Epson’s unique ColorTrue(R) II Imaging System, providing customers with a technology that integrates superior hardware, optics and image processing to achieve accurate color reproduction and reduced noise.

The Perfection 4990 PHOTO and PRO scanners include valuable and time-saving image-editing tools, such as hardware DIGITAL ICE(TM) advanced image restoration technology from Kodak/ASF. This technology automatically repairs physical defects like scratches, tears, and bends as well as dust from a scanned image from both film and prints for a clean, sharp image. It also includes Epson’s exclusive Easy Photo Fix technology for color restoration and dust removal to automatically restore faded and damaged color photographs, slides or negatives with the simple touch of a button. The combination of these technologies allows graphic artists and photographers to recover photos and film in almost any condition.

“The EPSON Perfection 4990 scanner is the ideal scanner for demanding professionals. It has a resolution and DMax that are comparable to many dedicated film scanners at affordable prices,” said Philip Amato, product manager, image capture products, Epson. “Users will find that these scanners also deliver the image quality of a film scanner with the versatility of a flatbed scanner.”

Both scanner models include a new scan progress indicator, as well as Hi-Speed USB 2.0 and IEEE 1394 (FireWire) connectivity. All bundled software is compatible with Macintosh OS X 10.2.x to OS X 10.3.x.

More About DIGITAL ICE Technology
DIGITAL ICE Technology differentiates itself from software-only solutions because it does not soften, blur or otherwise alter any underlying details or composition of the original image. Instead, the patented DIGITAL ICE Technology works from within the scanner, during the scanning process, to provide users with a clear, authentic base image that improves the original image, which saves the customer time and alleviates frustration.

More about EPSON Easy Photo Fix Technology
The Epson Easy Photo Fix technology provides customers with an easy one-touch solution for restoring color to old photographs, negatives and slides, and removing dust from old slides and negatives. Customers simply scan an image and click on a check box for instant color restoration or dust removal. Epson Easy Photo Fix makes this process effortless since it is incorporated into the Epson Scan driver. The software has three different user modes: Full Auto mode, which automatically scans at pre-determined settings for entry-level users; Home mode, which offers some pre-set recommended settings for the advanced amateur; and Professional mode, which is completely manual to give the advanced user more control.

Software Bundle with the Perfection 4990 PHOTO
The Perfection 4990 PHOTO scanner includes an advanced software bundle with Automatic, Home and Professional modes for all user skill levels. The software bundle includes:

– LaserSoft Imaging(R) SilverFast(R) SE 6

– Adobe(R) Photoshop(R) Elements 2.0

– ABBYY FineReader Sprint OCR

– EPSON Scan with Easy Photo Fix

Software Bundle with the Perfection 4990 PRO
The Perfection 4990 PRO includes a robust software package that makes this scanner the complete digital imaging solution. Included with this model are the following titles:

– LaserSoft Imaging SilverFast Ai 6

– MonacoEZcolor 2.5

– ArcSoft PhotoStudio, ArcSoft PhotoBase and ArcSoft Panorama Maker

– Adobe(R) Photoshop(R) Elements 2.0

– ABBYY FineReader Sprint OCR

– EPSON Scan with Easy Photo Fix

Availability and Support
The Perfection 4990 PHOTO and 4990 PRO will be available in early March for estimated street prices of $449 and $599, respectively. Both scanners can be purchased through Epson authorized dealers, consumer electronic stores, mail order, distribution and on the Epson Store Web site (www.epsonstore.com). Carrying a one-year limited warranty, the EPSON Perfection 4990 scanners are supported by the EPSON Connection, a fully-automated customer support and technical assistance line. For more information on Epson and its products, call 1-800-GO-EPSON (1-800-463-7766) or visit the Epson website at www.epson.com.

About Epson America Inc.
Epson offers an extensive array of award-winning image capture and image output products for the consumer, business, photography and graphic arts markets. The company is also a leading supplier of value-added point-of-sale (POS) printers and transaction terminals for the retail market. Founded in 1975, Epson America Inc. is the U.S. affiliate of Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, a global manufacturer and supplier of high-quality technology products that meet customer demands for increased functionality, compactness, systems integration and energy efficiency. Epson America Inc. is headquartered in Long Beach, Calif.

Note: Epson is a registered trademark of Seiko Epson Corporation. EPSON Perfection is a trademark and Epson Connection is a service mark of Epson America, Inc. Third party and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

This is a test. . .it’s only a test. . .
If, this were a real emergancy, you would be out of luck!

Actually, this is just a placeholder to make sure all the content categories show.

You can quit reading now. . .

Seriously, YOU CAN QUIT READING NOW!