The single pass scan exhibits extensive degradation due to noise. This is typical of output from a good scanner without multi-sampling.
Detail from Midtown Images
At 16x the LS-2000 images the shadow area with remarkably little noise. In my opinion, few other consumer desktop CCD scanners, if any, would have done as well. A Nikon representative told me that their engineers claim that using 16x multi-sampling effectively boosts the D-Max to 3.8.
To see detail more clearly you may have to increase monitor brightness to maximum.
|
The single pass scan exhibits extensive degradation due to noise. This is typical of output from a good scanner without multi-sampling. |
 |
16x multi-sampling is effective at eliminating noise and clearly imaging dark area detail. |
 |
CCD scanned, also at 16x. The histogram for this picture was shifted well to the left. Increasing the analogue gain to 125% mapped the image into the scanner's entire tonal space, which resulted in imaging more detail. In addition, I applied an inverse gamma curve. |
The same as above but scanned at 2700 dpi shows essentially the same detail.
 |
 |
The drum version shows detail more clearly. Detail in in bright sky and shadows much clearer. Darkest areas are also darker than in CCD scanned areas. Antenna and construction crane imaged clearly against bright sky area. Note absence of flare in areas adjacent to bright sky areas. |
 |
 |
By modifying the tonal scales of the samples, the shadow areas of the drum scan, left above, and the CCD scanner, right above, are more easily compared. Note how the structure of shadow detail in the drum scanner image remains intact.