4990 horizontal bands

[Jan Becket]

I'm scanning 4X5 b&w negs on a 4990 and seeing 2-3 pronounced horizontal bands on most scans, which of course makes the entire scan useless. The scans are at full optical resolution - 4800 dpi, 16 bits.

I'm hoping this is a matter of one or two simple adjustments to the settings. Any suggestions much appreciated ...

[RAG]

Jan,

Make sure you have removed dust from both the negative and the scanner glass as a simple first effort. One of the best ways of doing this is with an anti-static puff brush. Inspect the scanner glass to make sure there are no particles on the inner side of the glass. If there are and your scanner is still in warranty have it serviced by an authorized dealer. If it is still new you might be able to exchange it for a new one.

[Jan Becket]

Thanks for the suggesion! I do use canned air to clean the glass, but have noticed a haze pattern on the underside of the glass which may be the culprit. The scanner is about 6 months old, still in warranty, so I'll take it in.

Jan

[mountaineer]

Am scanning 35mm slides on Epson 4990. Had returned 3200 model with problems of blue horizontal across each scanned slide.
New scanner does the same thing whether using Lasersoft of Epson software.
Have contacted Epson tech support. Still waiting.
Any ideas?

[RAG]

Well,

Either you got two bad scanners, or there is something on your slides. What happens if you turn the slides over and scan?

[mountaineer]

Sorry, it happens on every slide and is horizontal (almost across the middle)
If you rotate the side to a vertical format the blue line is still across the horizontal axis.
Haven't actually tried turning the slides wrong side out, but as they are transparencies it shouldn't matter.
The strange thing is that reflective material (prints, magazines etc.) have no problem at all, regardless of image quality 600 dpi and up.

[mountaineer]

Thin blue horizontal line on each slide. (NO! it is not the camera or the slide that the problem.
Would love to post a sample picture. Can this be done?

[RAG]

The light source comes from the lid when you scan transparencies and from the base when you scan reflective media. The slides have an emulsion on one side, so turning them over can made a difference in the way light is reflected.

Just to be clear, you are seeing the flaws in the same areas regardless of the slides you are scanning, correct?

[mountaineer]

These are 1981 Kodachrome slides some in landscape format and others in portrait format.
The thin blue line appears slightly above centre on each scan.
I normally put all slides in the holder in landscape position regardless of the original vertical format as in some modes the scan decided that vertical slides were really horizontal and chopped top and bottom off them. After viewing the completed scans I rotate them to the proper viewing position in Photo Elements and touch up dust and scratches.

[mountaineer]

Much to may chagrin, It appears all my concerns were for naught. ALL of the slides in this batch were flawed but the flaws could not be seen with even a magnifying glass.

Scans of other slides OK as are film strips etc.

[RAG]

Glad to hear it was only that batch of slides! That would have been scary if you purchased two different scanners with the same problems, right?