LaserSoft Imaging

I've spent a lot on upgrades to SF Ai for Nikon LS-2000. If the CD version of Ai 5.5.1r03 comes with HDR, why can't I download HDR for the price I paid for the upgrade? At the very least I should be allowed to get the CD that includes HDR for the price of postage only.

Big misunderstanding about HDR bundle

Gerhard Wolff forgot to mention that HDR is part of the bundle that comes with the Nikon LS 4000 sold by Nikon Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

It is also part of the full SilverFast Ai purchased for the LS 2000 and LS 4000 purchased from the beginning of this year 2002.

Best regards

Karl-Heinz Zahorsky, CEO

So, those of us who embraced Silverfast Ai, ( i.e., purchased at full price), long ago, and have loyally upgraded at considerable expense, (not to mention purchased IT8 calibration) are rewarded for our loyalty and continued spending by not being allowed to get what every Johnny-come-lately who purchased Ai after 1/1/02 gets for free?

Come on, you're introducing 48-bit Ai this week. Please make HDR available to all loyal customers.



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: munchello on 2002-02-05 23:16 ]</font>

On 2002-02-05 23:12, munchello wrote:
So, those of us who embraced Silverfast Ai, ( i.e., purchased at full price), long ago, and have loyally upgraded at considerable expense, (not to mention purchased IT8 calibration) are rewarded for our loyalty and continued spending by not being allowed to get what every Johnny-come-lately who purchased Ai after 1/1/02 gets for free?

Come on, you're introducing 48-bit Ai this week. Please make HDR available to all loyal customers.

Please excuse my ignorance - BUT - how do you reckon folk buying SilverFast after 1/1/02 are being treated any different to you and other loyal and long standing customers????

May be it has escaped your notice, but when Silverfast is bundled with a scanner it means that the scanner package costs more - NOBODY gets this stuff for free. In the USA Poloaroid users could buy the SS120 with or without SilverFast bundle - those wanting SilverFast paid $$$$$ for the privilage. In Europe SilverFast was bundled with ALL SS120's but WE had to pay more for the privilage. Nikon in Europe at one time bundled SilverFast Ai with the LS2000 at extra cost to those who wanted it. Those who didn't pay or couldn't afford the extra cost got scanner and NikonScan. If they later wanted SilverFast they paid TOP %?$ for the privilage. Epson USA has often bundled Silverfast with certain models. In Europe we never got that option so SilverFast cost TOP ??.

You're NOT making a good case for a freebie by carping on about how much you have spent. We ALL at some time had to spend money to get this stuff, just that some of us got more lucky than others in recent times.

Unless I missed something the scanner specific versions with 48bit output should be available shortly at ZERO cost to existing 5.5 users. Assuming you have 5.5 you too will get lucky!!!

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: ilyons on 2002-02-06 01:14 ]</font>

munchello,

I see your point in wanting HDR since it's now bundled, but with 48-bit output, why would you need it? HDR is meant for editing scans that are done by other, unskilled scanner operators. Unless you have clients who make scans for you, or work at a place where someone else does the scanning, you don't need it.

I know that previously, it was a better way to incorporate 48-bit into your workflow, but when you can output 48-bit images from your scanner, why would you waste your time with HDR? It would mean scanning the image in, saving it, opening HDR, correcting it, and outputting it. This is versus prescanning, correcting, and outputting it in AI.

I for one am very excited about 48-bit output, so I can make my final and minor post-scan corrections in PhotoShop. I'm glad I saved my money and never bought HDR. That's just my 2 cents on the subject.

-Ian A. (a SilverFast User for 13 months now)

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: ianders1 on 2002-02-06 01:09 ]</font>

So far, Ai 5.5.2 has not been posted. As for another reason for wanting HDR, how about 48-bit batch scanning slides from the same roll of film (similar exposure and emulsion characteristics) with a slide feeder, and than post-processing with HDR? If recent purchasers of Silverfast get this capability bundled with Ai, than I want it, too. After all, I spent the full price for Silverfast Ai 4.x for Nikon, with IT8 calibration.

In fact, I spent the money on all upgrades since Ai 4.x, including upgrading the Ai 3.x which came bundled with my Epson Expression 636, and yes, spent extra for the IT8 calibration for the Epson as well. I now have Ai 5.5.1r08 for Nikon LS-2000 and Epson Expression 636.

I, too feel fortunate that I didn't spend extra for HDR. If it still cost money, I would not buy it. Since it does not cost money for recent purchasers of Ai, WHO HAVE NOT SPENT AS MUCH MONEY AS I HAVE ON LASERSOFT PRODUCTS, I want it, now. Luck should have nothing to do with it. Luck is not fair.

In a fair marketplace, you don't "spends yer' money and take yer' chances."

I want HDR, and feel that I deserve it , at no additional charge.

Is the above relatively unambiguous?

P.S. Another reason for needing HDR: suppose I want to tweak, or substantially change the selective color in an image I acquire from someplace other than my scanner(s)? Digital camera capture, or a hi-bit image on a disc, just for example?

Suppose I want to adaptively re-use an image I previously scanned and burned to CD? Silverfast's selective color control, with the 12 color grid, is more powerful and user friendly that Photoshop's. In my experience, I can do color transforms with SF that I couldn't achieve nearly as easily in Photoshop.

I don't want something for nothing. I just want to get what everybody else gets for the money they spend. In fact, If Silverfast charged for the new improved 48-bit functionality of Ai, and/or wanted to charge more and include HDR (an additional $45-50 for the upgrade) I would pay it, just as long as nobody else got it for nothing.





<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: munchello on 2002-02-06 21:04 ]</font>

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: munchello on 2002-02-07 20:54 ]</font>