Aztek 8000 Premier, orange/yellow cast near image edge + scan lines

[Chester McCheeserton]

Scanning with a 19 microns aperture limits the optical resolution to around 1333 dpi. You can save a file at 4000 dpi but still the resolving power will be limited to 1333 dpi.

I don't think that's accurate. I understand what the aperture does. (caleb it goes from 3 being sharpest to I think 27 being the softest)

I've made thousands of scans and prints with other Aztek premier machines, working closely in collaboration with other artists and technicians testing different apertures on different film stocks for different printing processes...

The fact that you are suggesting using silverfast on this machine causes me to infer that you do not have much direct experience with this machine.

And don't get me wrong, I have absolutely zero interest in debating with you the 19/1333 number claim...I'm sure you can find people eager to debate things like that in another thread.

Even the people at Aztek do not make prints and consider them on the wall...There's a whole thing built into the software that automatically ties the aperture to the dpi setting, anyone who knows what they're doing will manually override that all the time.

I was hoping Lenny Eiger or someone who's actually used this machine would chime in here, but he's probably making scans, not reading stuff on internet forums.

[onnect17]

Trust me, I do not need to post in your thread. Actually, I don’t think you would find another idiot like me, who had such a curiosity in those scanners to purchase each model and I’m kind of familiar with all of them.

And no.
27 microns isn’t the softest. I don’t think you even opened the cover ever.

And no.
I’m not suggesting the use of Silverfast over DPL.

If you’re incapable of understand the difference between sampling and optical resolution then you’re another perfect Aztek customer. I’m sure Lenny (or wherever his name is) will share the alignment tool with you and get you back in business.

Forgive me for my input. I’ll make sure to delete my writings.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[calebarchie]

Hi guys, I think it is unfortunate what has happened here, probably got too personal. I don't think deleting stuff is the best way to go, all information and discussion is useful in future especially in such a niche market like this.

Chester, I am reading on the aztek spec page that there is only 18 aperture steps so I am not sure where the 27 is coming from. In that case you would be using it fully open @ 19 (aka softest) along with potential misalignment/lightbox problems I think that may be the root of your problems. Perhaps try scanning at 3microns and inspect difference?

Unless they took out the wheel of your machine and added more holes (with some kind of laser precision) and modified your individual software to suit but that is more unlikely conspiracy theory content

[Chester McCheeserton]

Chester, I am reading on the aztek spec page that there is only 18 aperture steps so I am not sure where the 27 is coming from. In that case you would be using it fully open @ 19 (aka softest) along with potential misalignment/lightbox problems I think that may be the root of your problems.

I don't think so. onnect17 is correct 27 microns isn't the softest, it's just the softest I ever used, and that was only for something like a pure blue sky with no detail. guy I worked with used to scan his 8x10 landscape color neg at two apertures, 16 or 19 for the ground and 22 or 25 for the sky (provided there was no detail like clouds, etc), and put the two scans together.

3 is not usable in my opinion, unless it's techpan developed in technidol, and even for that I found 6 was better if I recall correctly.

[Chester McCheeserton]

Trust me, I do not need to post in your thread. Actually, I don’t think you would find another idiot like me, who had such a curiosity in those scanners to purchase each model and I’m kind of familiar with all of them.

And no.
27 microns isn’t the softest. I don’t think you even opened the cover ever.

And no.
I’m not suggesting the use of Silverfast over DPL.

If you’re incapable of understand the difference between sampling and optical resolution then you’re another perfect Aztek customer. I’m sure Lenny (or wherever his name is) will share the alignment tool with you and get you back in business.

Forgive me for my input. I’ll make sure to delete my writings.

I wasn't digging the tone in your last few posts, it didn't sound to me like you were trying to be helpful. It's fine with me if you want to delete your previous posts.

I have no doubt that you know way more than me about the hardware of these machines. You're right I'm not sure I have opened the cover except to change a bulb or put the drum in and out.

I never really did understand sampling and optical resolution at least in terms of what those exact terms meant in practical plain language. But I do understand the difference and relationship between dpi and aperture on these machines at least.

Not an Aztek customer, never bought a single thing from them. Maybe you make prints to evaluate your scans or maybe you just buy used scanners and tinker with them and start forums over on Rangefinder.

But I did not mean for this thread to go south like this. Many people have been generous and tried to be helpful to me on this forum. I would like to keep it positive and try to maintain the spirit of goodwill that someone like Q.T. Luong had back in the day.

[Chester McCheeserton]

I certainly don't know everything about the scanner. And was merely trying to improve my results, which obviously need improvement. Maybe onnect17 is correct, and I've been doing it all wrong for years. I'd welcome any thoughts others might have. Here's a section of the same neg, scanned at 888 dpi, also aperture 19 on the same day. (not sure why the color shifted, another mystery)

Also these 5x7 negs went through the airport carry on scanner at least 3 maybe 4 or 5 times. Could that be the cause of my edge issue?

[calebarchie]

That is so strange, why are there so many numbers if there is only 18 steps? If anything Im going to download and study DPL user manual. Coming from scanmates, the numbers do not correlate to the micron size and there is only 4!

Scanning at 3 microns is not practical in 90% cases but I just wanted to see if it will make a difference with the flaring results, that could give us more of an idea I think.

So all these negatives you have scanned with flaring were from same batch, which got developed together and/or gone through airport scan? I think it is unlikely, at first I thought developing or camera issue, the issue being on the film itself. Much less likely now, you have shown different formats that have the same issue - I would stick with looking towards scanner.

PS I think attachment is not working

[Chester McCheeserton]

I don't know man. I think the scanmates are pretty different animals, I've never used one.

In my experience, studying the manual will only get you so far.

Similar to reading the manual for an enlarger or a camera vs making prints or pictures.

All my jpegs I posted are the same color negative. with the exception of that one 35mm black and white - that one did not go thru airport scanner.

[Chester McCheeserton]

For instance, when onnect17 mentioned sampling, I think what I'm doing on a regular basis is called oversampling, using a softer aperture then the true optical resolution, because in the trail and error tests that I did, that made the grain structure in the print more appealing, for me at least. I don't think the manual advises you to do this. I'm sure there are other threads somewhere that discuss this, and explain it better then I can.

[Chester McCheeserton]

You have not seen this with any other negative scanned on the same scanner at the same settings?

I have - here's one from a year ago: this also has the lines, and the problem edge. And also went thru the airport scanners. Altho on a different trip. and this was scanned at 3200 ap 19.

Here's one made on a different scanner: still an aztek premier, this was at 2666 ap 19. this one did not go thru the airport x-ray. ( it doesn't seem to show the same issue)

I don't think the dpi or the aperture is causing the edge thing...but I realize there's lots of variables I'm throwing out there.