Nikon LS-20E

B

BertS

I found this scanner at a fleamarket for a price I could not refuse, $20. That
is less than the value of the Adaptec 2940, SCSI cable and terminator that
came with it. No software.

My needs are modest. I have a B&W darkroom and there are things I could do
with this, like proofs and quick and dirty prints to a monochrome laser
printer. I would also like to scan color snapshots, nothing fancy, to share
with family and friends.

I downloaded the software for it and the LS-30 series printers. The LS-20
software is a bit primitive and so is the LS-30, they look like something to
be used for acquiring an image and not much else. Gamma manipulation seems to
be the only thing that it will do to correct things.

Can someone point me in the direction of software that will let me do a bit
more in the way of manipulating color pix? The price of Photoshop, which seems
to be the standard, is too high for what I need.

Is there something in the LS-20 I should beware of? Like it only works when
the moon is in the second day of the third quarter otherwise it chews up
negatives. ;-)

There is a warning with the LS-30 software that it should not be used on older
scanners. Before I screw something up, should I pay attention to it? I
intended to use the LS-20 software to scan then the LS-30 software to use the
more advanced functions. No scanning with the LS-30 sw but it would be nice if
I could ignore the warning.

Thanks in advance.

Bert
 
K

Kennedy McEwen

BertS said:
I found this scanner at a fleamarket for a price I could not refuse,
$20. That is less than the value of the Adaptec 2940, SCSI cable and
terminator that came with it. No software.

My needs are modest. I have a B&W darkroom and there are things I could
do with this, like proofs and quick and dirty prints to a monochrome
laser printer. I would also like to scan color snapshots, nothing
fancy, to share with family and friends.

I downloaded the software for it and the LS-30 series printers. The
LS-20 software is a bit primitive and so is the LS-30, they look like
something to be used for acquiring an image and not much else. Gamma
manipulation seems to be the only thing that it will do to correct things.

Can someone point me in the direction of software that will let me do a
bit more in the way of manipulating color pix? The price of Photoshop,
which seems to be the standard, is too high for what I need.
The last software for the LS-20 on the PC was NikonScan 1.63.
It is also supported by Vuescan, which costs more than you paid for the
scanner but will also support many other devices too.

These packages are simple image capture facilities - scanner drivers
rather than imaging applications. NikonScan has a TWAIN interface which
means that it will interact with any image processing software you care
to use, and has a very simple host application which demonstrates TWAIN
functionality. One low cost package is PaintShopPro, which has many of
the same features as Photoshop but only supports 8-bit images (not a
problem in your case since the LS-20 only produces 8-bit output). PSP
is shareware, meaning you can try before buy, and times out if you
choose not to buy it.
Is there something in the LS-20 I should beware of? Like it only works
when the moon is in the second day of the third quarter otherwise it
chews up negatives. ;-)
Whilst the facilities are limited it is important to use the interface
correctly because the scanner only outputs 8-bit data although it has
10-bit internal dynamic range. Consequently, getting the correct black,
gamma and white points in the scan is important otherwise you will lose
colour depth when subsequently processing the image.
There is a warning with the LS-30 software that it should not be used
on older scanners. Before I screw something up, should I pay attention
to it? I intended to use the LS-20 software to scan then the LS-30
software to use the more advanced functions. No scanning with the LS-30
sw but it would be nice if I could ignore the warning.
I presume that you mean using NS1.63 to scan via the LS-20 and then
NS3.1.2 to process the image. In principle there should not be a
problem doing this, although you might find that NS3.1.2 installation is
incompatible with NS1.63 on the same PC, requiring both be removed and
one reinstalled, or does not even install if it cannot find a supported
scanner. If they are compatible then you might as well try using NS4.01
instead of NS3.1.2 since this does not support the SCSI interface at all
and will therefore prevent any accidents of trying to drive the LS-20
with incompatible software.

Having said that, I think the main reason for the warning is that the
later scanner drivers expect the scanners to deliver high bit data to
the computer, which they then process for black, gamma and white point
(amongst other functions) to produce the required output. Earlier
scanners, such as the LS-20 and the unflashed LS-30 implemented these
functions internally in the scanner itself, which then passed the final
8-bit data to the computer. If the newer software could be made to
operate an older scanner at all then it would only be working on the
8-bit data with no control at all over how the data was processed
internally. Hopefully Nikon have a check in the software which prevents
it even trying to do this, but it shouldn't damage the scanner in any
case - just give weird or unpredictable results.

Finally, all of the functions that exist in NS4.01 are available in PSP
and more. So, whilst you will need to pay for PSP, once you have it you
will not need the NS4 software at all.
 
B

BertS

Kennedy said:
The last software for the LS-20 on the PC was NikonScan 1.63.
It is also supported by Vuescan, which costs more than you paid for the
scanner but will also support many other devices too.

These packages are simple image capture facilities - scanner drivers
rather than imaging applications. NikonScan has a TWAIN interface which
means that it will interact with any image processing software you care
to use, and has a very simple host application which demonstrates TWAIN
functionality. One low cost package is PaintShopPro, which has many of
the same features as Photoshop but only supports 8-bit images (not a
problem in your case since the LS-20 only produces 8-bit output). PSP
is shareware, meaning you can try before buy, and times out if you
choose not to buy it.

Whilst the facilities are limited it is important to use the interface
correctly because the scanner only outputs 8-bit data although it has
10-bit internal dynamic range. Consequently, getting the correct black,
gamma and white points in the scan is important otherwise you will lose
colour depth when subsequently processing the image.

I presume that you mean using NS1.63 to scan via the LS-20 and then
NS3.1.2 to process the image. In principle there should not be a
problem doing this, although you might find that NS3.1.2 installation is
incompatible with NS1.63 on the same PC, requiring both be removed and
one reinstalled, or does not even install if it cannot find a supported
scanner. If they are compatible then you might as well try using NS4.01
instead of NS3.1.2 since this does not support the SCSI interface at all
and will therefore prevent any accidents of trying to drive the LS-20
with incompatible software.

Having said that, I think the main reason for the warning is that the
later scanner drivers expect the scanners to deliver high bit data to
the computer, which they then process for black, gamma and white point
(amongst other functions) to produce the required output. Earlier
scanners, such as the LS-20 and the unflashed LS-30 implemented these
functions internally in the scanner itself, which then passed the final
8-bit data to the computer. If the newer software could be made to
operate an older scanner at all then it would only be working on the
8-bit data with no control at all over how the data was processed
internally. Hopefully Nikon have a check in the software which prevents
it even trying to do this, but it shouldn't damage the scanner in any
case - just give weird or unpredictable results.

Finally, all of the functions that exist in NS4.01 are available in PSP
and more. So, whilst you will need to pay for PSP, once you have it you
will not need the NS4 software at all.

Thanks a million. That is the kind of avice I needed. I will download a trial
copy of PSP as you suggest. I already downloaded a copy of Vuescan which seems
to have an unusual characteristic of not modifying the registry of the machine
it is installed on. I wish more software developers would do that. Cleaning up
a registry after an uninstall is a pain in the neck.

You seem to know these scanners well. I appreciate your taking the time to
help and the clear explanation.

Best regards

Bert
 
K

Kennedy McEwen

BertS said:
You seem to know these scanners well. I appreciate your taking the time
to help and the clear explanation.
LS-20 was my first dedicated film scanner and, though I have upgraded
twice since then, I remember it well - and my exasperation with its
limitations. ;-)

Good luck!
 
M

Mac McDougald

Thanks a million. That is the kind of avice I needed. I will download a trial
copy of PSP as you suggest. I already downloaded a copy of Vuescan which seems
to have an unusual characteristic of not modifying the registry of the machine
it is installed on. I wish more software developers would do that. Cleaning up
a registry after an uninstall is a pain in the neck.

You seem to know these scanners well. I appreciate your taking the time to
help and the clear explanation.

Best regards

Bert

You should also check out Adobe Elements. With rebates, usually about $50
or less. Most folks will never outgrow it, but it has added advantage of
already giving you most of the leg up should you ever decide to go to
full PhotoShop. It has downloadable trial also from adobe.com.

Mac
 
B

BertS

Kennedy said:
LS-20 was my first dedicated film scanner and, though I have upgraded
twice since then, I remember it well - and my exasperation with its
limitations. ;-)

Good luck!

With the scanner came two strip holders, an LH1 and an LH2. What are the
differences or perhaps I should ask what are each of them used for. The LH2 is
described in the manual but I didn't see the LH1 mentioned.

Bert
 
K

Kennedy McEwen

BertS said:
With the scanner came two strip holders, an LH1 and an LH2. What are
the differences or perhaps I should ask what are each of them used for.
The LH2 is described in the manual but I didn't see the LH1 mentioned.
LH-1/2? That is strange - all my 35mm film strip holders for Nikon have
been FH-x.

The correct strip holder for the LS-20 is the FH-2 unit. The FH-1 was
the holder for its predecessor, the LS-10 scanner, which I never used. I
don't know if they are compatible, but I doubt it - and certainly
wouldn't force it.

Check them very carefully against each other for dimensional
differences.
 
B

BertS

Kennedy said:
LH-1/2? That is strange - all my 35mm film strip holders for Nikon have
been FH-x.

The correct strip holder for the LS-20 is the FH-2 unit. The FH-1 was
the holder for its predecessor, the LS-10 scanner, which I never used. I
don't know if they are compatible, but I doubt it - and certainly
wouldn't force it.

Check them very carefully against each other for dimensional differences.

You are right, they are FH1 and FH2. I am now in the process of installing the
thing. I probably will have to buy a SCSI cable since I have to cascade it
from my tape unit and the plug does not match. The one with the scanner is a
Centronics-50 male and a DB25M at the free end. I have several scsi cables in
my junk pile but I have to do some searching. Perhaps there is a adapter but I
have to figure out what kind. Probably easier to find the right cable.

Bert


I will put the FH-1 away.
 
B

BertS

Mac said:
On eBay, unless you have a computer junk store around.

Mac

I found it. An adapter to connect to the internal connector on the card to a
DB25F header. It had no bidders and only 37 minutes to go. I also found a
cable with male Centronics 50 pins at both ends.

Bert
 

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