Time

Someday - I keep telling myself - I want to write about time.

Someday - I say I want to describe the refracted paths that time takes through the mind, soul and body.

And to sing about the ratio of each individual day lived to total days lived. This is my explanation for why the time sense of a child is so much slower and longer than for an adult.

The child who has only seen one summer. The adult who has seen 50. One-to-one. One-to-fifty.

It speeds by now like a - like a what? Like speeding simile. Like a smile. Like a mile.

And someday - to draw a picture of the relationship between time and intensity of purpose.

The watched pot that never boils. The watched day that never ends. The wait for the weekend. The vacation. The trip. The retirement. You can slow time down and counteract the speeding life ratio if you make sure to remove all meaning from your daily life.

The weekend - you say - goes so fast. The rest of the week is just a long bore.

Combine your own fascination with life - combine that with your time ratio here - and you can't get any grip on the flow. Faster than a speeding bullet and just as deadly.

Someday - when I get the time - I'd like to write about such things. But not now. Too much to do.

Epson 4990

Just a couple of quick notes:

I have it hooked up. Had problems with my USB sh*t and hooked it up to firewire. No problems after that - though I may have to chain something or get another firewire card.

The differences in the scans between the 4990 (at least on the one test print I've been doing: Crossing Brooklyn Bridge) - are minor.

- VueScan has a setting for the 4990 FILM HOLDER: NONE (i.e. you are going to stick it on the glass). The 1600 didn't have that setting or I didn't see it. The initial scans I did seem - oh - just a bit sharper - but I can't quantify yet.

- It's a bit faster - though I'm not sure how much since I didn't time the 1600 while it was attached.

- You can get a larger file without interpolation.

In general - the 4990 seems better suited for film scanning. The negative lies closer to the glass. The cover shuts better (I had to put a book and some weight on the 1600 to keep the cover flat). I doubt that the dynamic range difference is something you'll pick up on between the two scanners.

I'm looking at unsharped images at this point so - you know how that goes. It's crazy what you'll go through for just that extra little bit of whatever. One other nice thing - it's smaller and lighter than the 1600 - and that by itself may be worth something. Give the poor thing a little breathing room on the kitchen counter.

- Now I need to see if my Dimage is still working - probably not since I hooked it up with USB. I haven't chained firewire before - but looks like the Dimage and either of the two Maxtor one touch drives can be chained. The 4990 only has the one firewire port.

Oh what the hell

After doing more scanning with the 1600 and not happy with the focus - and reading an article where a guy said that VueScan was able to focus with the 4980 - I ran out of the house at the last minute and headed for B&H. The place was a madhouse. Made my way to the counter. They only had the Pro model in stock.

Grabbed a cab and got over to Adorama. They had it in stock. Waited a while and finally they brought out a box that looked like a spear had gone through it. The salesman told me that it was only the box - the scanner was fine.

I said: I want another one.

Waited. And got it and left with some other sundries. Not sure if I'll even have time to set it up tonight - there's a bunch of things I have to get prepared for tomorrow. But as I say - what the hell - it's only money.

New Filing Project

After spending most of the morning searching for another negative - I've decided that I'll give up shooting and spend the next five years organizing the ten-thousand plus negatives I have so I can just put my fingers on them when I need them.


I think this will be more productive than spending money on cameras and lenses and scanners. Yes, it will be tedious but my plan is to meditate for 2 hours a day - and in between - as my Zen project - will be the filing.

I'm also going to attach an elastic string to my loupe and hang it from the ceiling so that it doesn't disappear.

Then I'm going to spend the next year filing vendor bills, and getting my taxes done on time.

All kidding aside - I did spend a lot of time again looking for a neg. and what is scary is how many other shots that were never printed pop up. I mean, I never even did contact sheets of them. I probably have 1000 medium format and 1000 35mm negatives from Paris alone (three trips there). And I look at some of them and say - yikes. I remember that shot. How come I never even did a proof of it? Reason - at that time I was working full-time and after developing film I'd put it away somewhere and forget about it. A lot of the shots that are appearing recently in the blog are a result of looking for some other negative (that's how the tree with light and 3+3 made their appearance).

Matt - that is great title: 3+3.

2 Inches of Snow

2 inches of snow this morning and I think that's enough for me. I don't find myself looking forward to the New York winter the way I used to. In fact, yesterday I got a color brochure for a retirement village called Sunny Senior in Florida and it looks inviting. The only thing is that I'm not old enough yet to qualify, though they said they would fly me down there to have a look if I was 62 or over.

My friend Murray told me that there are three women for every man and that he's treated like an Adonis down there even though he's 40 pounds overweight and walks with a cane.

He also reminded me that I was the shuffleboard champion at camp Wanna-Howie when I was 12. I haven't played since then but friend Murray tells me that shuffleboard is a skill you never lose and they have new lightweight pucks that you can push with just a touch called Whisper Pucks.

Cedar Hill Blizzard

Cedar Hill, Central Park - Blizzard

Don't Worry, Be Happy + Flatbeds

From "How VueScan Works"

"If single-pass multi-scanning is enabled, each line of data from the CCD is read multiple times and combined (averaged) while being stored in the memory buffer. If multi-pass multi-scanning is enabled, the whole scan area is read multiple times and combined (averaged) in the memory buffer."

Unlike the Dimage 5400 film scanner - the Epson 1600 is not capable of "multi-pass scanning" - so what VueScan is set to do is "Single-pass multi-scanning."'

Nor, from what I've read is the 4990 capable of multi-pass scanning. There is an interesting line in the manual for the 4990 where it says: Hardware Resolution: 4800 x 9600 with Microstep Drive Technology

I'm not sure what that means either. I don't even know what the scale of 4.0 means. I see that the Dimage 5400 has a higher optical d-max. I see some very large numbers for high-end drum scanners. Is it a straight linear scale where each decimal point is just a little bit better, or is it like the earthquake scale where you are talking about magnitudes of improvement? I have no idea.

At any rate - I looked through the 4990 manuals and screen shots and don't see anything about multi-pass (or focusing for that matter).

So here's the hub of the question: I have setup VueScan with the 1600 to do single-pass "multi-scanning."

And the results are that more detail in the shadow areas (by far) are picked up using say 4 samples than 1 sample. The results are by far the best I've ever gotten for the MF and large negatives out of the 1600.

So - what does this mean? Does it mean that VueScan has effectively increased the Maximum Tonal Range the 1600 can pull from a negative? The empirical answer to that is - yes.

So if you began with a scanner capable on its' own of picking up higher d-max (the 4990 is listed as 4.0, the 1600 is listed as 3.3) - you would need less sampling to achieve the same results.

And to further confuse you (as well as myself) in several tech. sheets for the 4990, the d-max of 4.0 has next to it the phrase "computed."

This is one of those posts where you just want to say to yourself - oh get the damned thing and see how it works. But I have to admit - I have learned a little bit in the process so maybe that's not such a bad thing - though you know what they say about that, a little knowledge being a dangerous thing. But that's a dumb phrase since you always start with a little knowledge at some point and like the aforementioned scanner - you apply micro-stepping to improve on it.

* * *

BILL EMORY EMAILED ME THIS EXCELLENT LINK EXPLAINING DMAX which answers a good deal of my somewhat fuzzy post:

Dynamic Range

By Bob Atkins

"Since the dynamic range of solid state detectors is limited to something like 3.4-3.6, that's all you get. The better the sensor and the better the electronics, the better the dynamic range, so it could be anywhere from 2.8 to 3.6. You just don't know because the manufacturers don't publish measured numbers, just "theoretical maximum" numbers based on a perfect noise free sensor and perfect D/A converter - which of course don't exist!" - Bob Atkins

A lot of fascinating - clarifying info in this article. Explains why, for example the Epson 1600 lists dynamic range at 3.6

Also - explains that without either reading a hands-on-review - or testing it yourself - you can't really know how good (low noise) the sensor is.

Portrait of Eric

Portrait of Eric

International Shipping

I'm getting more and more international orders and the thing is - there's only two possible postal custom forms to fill out. One is big and white. The other small and green. So everytime I go to drop off the package at the post office (usually after waiting on a long line) the clerk tells me I've filled out the wrong form.

I mean - it's a fifty/fifty chance. I should be right once in a while.

And I always get the same clerk who seems to have all the time in the world. So I had asked him last time which form was for which. He told me the white form was for larger packages. Also, to make it more complex - I do try to save the customer at the other end the VAT tax or whatever and I'll mark the thing gift or sample sometmes with a low price, unless they've been a pain and then I just let it fly and let 'em pay.

So just back from P.O. and of course - wrong form again. I used the green small form but marked it sample. Oh, he says - sample means you need the big white form.

Well, what are the exact dimensions that make it want the big white form?

He's not sure, but since it's maked sample and looks like a sample package - it gets the big white one. I'm going to fool them next time and fill out both forms ahead of time and when he tells me I've got the wrong one - I'm going to produce the other one - with a flourish - and give him that since I'm convinced that he's doing this to mess with my head.

OR - I should go and check out their online site which will probably guide me to using the right forms and print the postage and all that.

Compared to the P.O. experience - FEDEX is a dream. Okay, back to packaging. Just had to get that off my cluttered chest.

Lava Fields

National Crater Park

I guess I'll become a nature photographer for a while. Too busy to do any new shooting. Somewhere near Flagstaff, sometime in the last century. I justed wanted to try something with the VueScan software and this jumped up and said, "Scan me."

Tree, Prospect Park

Tree, Prospect Park

About 15 years ago, I was with a friend who introduced me to an artist who lived in Brooklyn. We went out to Prospect Park. The two of them sat down and lit up the usual illegal substance that I was discovering all Brooklyn artists carry around. I had a few puffs and we went for a walk in the woods. I was carrying a heavy tripod and the Mamiya 6.

There was a small stream with a log across it. The two of them had been reading the don Juan sagas and wanted to find the warrior in themselves - or something like that. I hadn't read those books and was nervous about crossing the stream because I had been suffering from vertigo - which still comes and goes (some inner ear thing that was diagnosed as Labyrinthitis). I took a few steps onto the log and thought I'd fall in with the camera stuff. They were both on the other side already and laughing and shouting that I should concentrate on my naval and I'd find the courage to make the crossing. The illegal substance was making my vertigo worse.

When I concentrated on my naval I only found a great big coward lurking there. So I told them to go on ahead and I'd meet them later. I'm a great believer in finding the coward in yourself.

So off I went into these dark overcast woods. I wandered around - more paranoid than relaxed until finally I just sat down across from this tree. As I stared at it, I realized it was the only thing with even a dash of light around. There was a storm coming. Still somewhat dizzy - I setup the tripod and took this shot.

Later they came back and found me sitting peacefully against the same tree - the light now gone - sound of thunder in the distance. The artist was soaking wet and had fallen in on the way back. He blamed it on the divorce he was going through which had defeated his inner warrior.

I always liked the print - but I don't know if it communicates the mystery I felt about it or just looks like light on a tree.

Newton Ring

Hey, that was exciting. Got my first Newton Ring. Cool. I taped a 4 x 5 neg. to the glass.

One other thing: the d-max with the 1600 is 3.3, and with the 4990 it's 4.0. It is supported by VueScan. Still doing my research.