[Olug-list] Scanner test

[Per Inge Oestmoen]

Test of two film scanners

By Per Inge Oestmoen

I intended to find out about the relative merits of two top rated film
scanners. 

It seems well established that the Nikon LS-40 and LS-4000 are models
that have met with universal acclaim for their high performance. 

The difference between them is that the LS-40 cannot do multi-pass
scanning, it cannot use a slide magazine for automatic scanning of 50
slides, and it cannot take roll film. The LS-4000 can do all this, and
it boasts a 4000 ppi max scanning resolution as compared to the
LS-40's 2900 ppi. 

Regarding the price, the LS-4000 costs $1600, whereas the LS-40 can be
had for $800. 

Now, my question was whether the LS-4000 was in addition capable of
better sharpness than the LS-40. 

I was lucky to have the opportunity to scan with both models, and I
could at last find the answer. 

The LS-4000 scanned at 4000 ppi, the LS-40 at 2900. I downsampled all
the scans from the LS-4000, so that their resolution because equal to
that of those from the LS-40, and finally I made screen-size .jpg's
(850 pixels) from them. The same amount of color adjustment and
sharpening was applied to all images, so the only differences would be
those of the scanners. 

The films used were Fuji Sensia 100 slide film and Fuji Superia 200
negative film. All scans were done in 8 (24) bit. 

Here are the results: 


Front:

LS-40: 
http://www.coldsiberia.org/test/front_LS-40_8_bit_850.jpg

LS-4000:
http://www.coldsiberia.org/test/front_LS-4000_8_bit_3983_850.jpg



Holy Moss: 

LS-40: 
http://www.coldsiberia.org/test/holymoss_LS-40_8_bit_850.jpg

LS-4000:
http://www.coldsiberia.org/test/holymoss_LS-4000_8_bit_3971_850.jpg



Hyttekikk1: 

LS-40:
http://www.coldsiberia.org/test/hyttekikk1_LS-40_8_bit_4041_850.jpg

LS-4000:
http://www.coldsiberia.org/test/hyttekikk1_LS-4000_8_bit_4041_850.jpg


Do the LS-4000 scans in any way reveal superior sharpness as
compared to the ones made with the LS-40? If not, the resolution is
the main difference, and the LS-40 is sufficient for output that does
not exceed the A4 size, provided you do not need the aforementioned
functions which may certainly be important assets in a production
environment. 

What is your judgement? 

Per Inge Oestmoen, Norway
http://www.coldsiberia.org/