LaserSoft Imaging

Hi, I'm using an epson 4990 Photo, and I've just updated to 6.4.1r9c, after having problems with r9b, cause silvefast to crash out whilst scanning (I think it was related to IE/firefox being open, not sure though).
r9c seems more stable, however I've now got a red cast on my scanned images and the dust/scratches are still there (Digital Ice is enabled), the preview image in silverfast is fine, it's just the final scan thats not.

Any Ideas ?

Dave

Hi, I have the same problem after the update to 6.4.1r9c
Y have not a red cast, but simply a total red scan using ICE
Prescan looks fine and also scanning without Digital Ice.
I've tried almost everything but no changes, complete red scans.

Vidox

OK, this looks like a bug with r9c and Digital Ice, is your scanner the 4990 ?
Were you having problems with r9b crashing ?

Thanks

Dave

Yes I have a 4990 and previous versions all crashed during scanning large scans (6x6)
It seems to me that this version performs an IR scan on both passes.

Lets hope they sort it out then !
I'm only scanning 35mm Negs and I'm having problems with SE. I'm only using silverfast when the epson software can't batch process the negs properly. I can't justify the upgrade cost to AI/studio when SE's buggy, I'd like the job manager functionality - but whats the point if you can't get it to scan properly ?
To be honest, the only reason I don't use the epson software for everything is that, even though in film(area guide) mode you can select multiple marquees and batch process, you can't enable digital Ice, which is why I purchased the 4990 over the canoscan 9950F in the first place.
Oh well, glad it's not just me, lets see if we get a response from lasersoft in the morning.

Thanks

Dave

Dave,

Did you visit the i-photo forum in the UK?
It seems there are a lot of 4990 owners with all kind of problems.
F.y.i. v**s**n will also not work with Digital Ice and the 4990
Y don't understand your remark not being able to use Digital Ice with Epson Scan. Do you use the 35 mm holder?
Y think upgrading to AI for the jobmanager is a waste of money!
JM is not capable of generating decent filenames to your host application!
Y only use SF AI for the case y want a high quality scan of a single frame.
AI produces excellent scans in special cases.
Like they say in the i-photo forum, think twice before using a special scanning app instead of the Epson Scan if you don't really need it.

Vidox

Thats a shame about v**s**n, I was gonna give it a try. I probably will anyway - does it have the annoying 'proof' marks on the free version ?
The problem I've got with epson scan is that, my negs are really bad quality, if i use the film holder option, the software can't work out the spacing properly, so I have to select film area guide, which is fine i can position the marquees wherever I like, but no digital Ice.
I'll check out i-photo
Thanks for your help,

Dave

you were right about v**s**n - not particularly intuitive either
I've got epson scan to do what I want as well now (after many emails to EPSON tech support, finally found out what i was doing wrong !)
Think you right about 3rd party stuff as well, best stick with the OEM Software.

Dave

I'll have to respectfully disagree with you guys; the Silverfast software is far superior to Epson and v**s**n in every way. Once you learn to master it, you will not be satisfied with anything else. I'll be the first to admit that learning the program can be a challenge and you're sure to run across a few bugs, but at least the bugs are fixed quickly and there are several forums online to get tips and ask questions.

Btw, dpensox, the forum Vidox was talking about is here:

http://photo-i.co.uk/

Happy scanning.

The results from Silverfast can be superior to epson, I'm not disagreeing with that, it's fairly intuitive and very powerful. Problem is it's also quite buggy.
Previous to 6.4.1r9c I was experiencing random crashes, normally just before writing to file, when I upgraded to 6.4.1r9c, I had the problem I've already explained. Do you have a 4990 and are you experiencing this problem with 6.4.1r9c ?
My opinion is that Silverfast isn't superior enough to warrant the extra hassle using it. Plus in my case I won't upgrade to AI just to get jobmanager functionality - something which Epson Scan has as standard. I can set up batch scan on EpsonScan, come back an hour later (or even have an online game) and be safe in the knowledge that the batchscan will complete, with Silverfast I simply can't
So I think we'll have to agree to differ

Thanks for the URL - I'd already visited (this was the review that convinced me to buy a 4990) - but thanks anyway

Dave

I understand completely, Dave. Once a program causes you to lose productivity, it makes perfect sense for you to re-evaluate it's ultimate usefulness in your workflow. My reason for sticking with Silverfast -- besides the fact that it's the best consumer scanning software currently available -- is that the company is very committed to delivering a quality product; yes, I've suffered through my share of bugs, but overall my experience has been excellent. This software is constantly updated and improved-- free of charge-- even years after the initial purchase was made. Dedication like that is practically unheard of these days. This is the kind of company I prefer to do business with over the long term. I'm getting the maximum value out of my equipment by using Silverfast and this makes me more tolerant toward the occasional bug. I'm not trying to change your mind or argue, just giving you my two cents.

To answer your questions, yes, I do have the Epson 4990; I bought the Pro version simply because it came bundled with Silverfast AI. I've used Silverfast AI for a couple of years now on my Epson 3200 Pro and have learned through bitter experience not to upgrade the drivers unless absolutely necessary, so I feel your pain. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?

Currently I'm running version 6.4.1 r4b and everything is working fine so far. The version I had installed before that gave me a few problems with Digital Ice (Digital Ice was enabled, but dust and scratches were not removed during the scan), but I haven't had any issues with color casts or random crashing like you seem to be experiencing. Since you and Vidox are both having the same problem, it's quite possible that there was a bug introduced in the update. Have you submitted your log file to Silverfast?

I too downloaded the most recent upgrade and spent this past weekend trying to deal with the red cast after using DI with my 4870. Hope they fix it soon. In the mean time I will revert to the previous version.

We are sorry for all the annoyance and trouble you had with red scans using DICE and the latest version of SilverFast.
Expect a fixed version very soon.

Best regards
Ralf

A fixed version is now available
PC: 642r1g, Mac: 642r1e

Best regards
Ralf