Is anyone out there familiar with the new CanoScan FS4000US scanner? It is the only under $1000 scanner ($829.99 was the lowest price I found on www.pricewatch.com), so far as I am aware, that scans at 4000 dpi. However, I'm having trouble figuring out the information about color depth given on Canon's website (http://www.powershot.com/powershot2/fs4000/main_f.html) for this scanner. There is no dynamic range value given. The specs say "14 bit scanning for each color (RGB)/16 bit (16 bit output will be available in case of connecting with its supported software, such as Adobe Photoshop LE to be bundled), 8 bit output". I've also been looking at the specs for the Nikon Coolscan IV and Minolta Dimage Scan Elite II. For both these scanners, the dynamic range is calculated based on the A/D conversion, which is 12 bits for the Nikon and 16 bits for the Minolta. log10(2^12)=3.6, which is the stated dynamic range for the Nikon, and log10(2^16)=4.8, which is the stated dynamic range for the Minolta. Unfortunately, the A/D conversion value isn't given for the Canon scanner. If the 14 bit value is the actual output then the dynamic range would be log10(2^14)=4.2, which is better than the Nikon. On the other hand if the "8 bit output" is actually the A/D conversion value, then the scanner's dynamic range would only be log10(2^8)=2.4, which would explain why they didn't list it with the specs. Does anybody know which is the right value? The Canon FS4000US and the Minolta machine both have a cold cathode flourescent lamp as their light source whereas the Nikon Coolscan IV uses an LED light source, which the Nikon literature claims yeilds accurate color consistency without having to recalibrate/replace the light source. Could anyone please comment on the relative merits of these two kinds of light sources? Canon has its own dust and scrach removing infrared scanning system called FARE, which is similar to ICE, which is used by both the Nikon and Minolta machines. Can anyone comment on the relative merits of these two systems? Thanks __________________________________________________________________ Dr. Paul Patton Post-Doctoral Research Associate Beckman Institute Rm 3027 405 N. Mathews St. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Urbana, Illinois 61801 work phone: (217)-265-0795 fax: (217)-244-5180 home phone: (217)-328-4064 homepage: http://www.staff.uiuc.edu/~ppatton/index.html
"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science." -Albert Einstein __________________________________________________________________