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Nikon LS 2000 and Hewlett-Packard PhotoSmart Negative Scan Comparisons You must run 24 or 32 bit color on your monitor for this web page to give you an accurate comparison of these two scanners. Also, in order to properly view and evaluate the sample image scans on this page, you must have a properly adjusted computer screen. You can do a quick check and basic adjustments while viewing a grayscale test pattern. Adjust the brightness and contrast controls of your monitor until you can see the difference between each level on this grayscale test pattern. Use your browser's back button to return to this page when you've completed the adjustments on your monitor. The images on this page are from a photo that was taken in Mendocino California. There are three sets of images on this page. The first two are screen captures from full resolution scans at two different magnifications. The last two comparisons are complete images resized from full resolution scans. The first set of comparisons are at 200 percent and the second set is at 60 percent. In the 200 percent example you can see a bit more noise in the PhotoSmart scan. This noise makes the image look a bit "grainy". The sky area in this negative is fairly dense and the PhotoSmart scanner seems to miss the right color on many of the pixels in the sky area. The Nikon "sees" the film grain but the overall presentation is much smoother. Kodak Royal Gold ISO 25 original Top photo from the PhotoSmart, middle photo from the new S20 PhotoSmart, bottom photo from the Nikon LS2000.
Notice the speckle effect and side to side line pattern noise in the sky area in the PhotoSmart scan above. All three of these images are screen captures from full resolution scans at 200% magnification
Very little speckle effect in the sky area in the new S20 PhotoSmart scan above. There is a barely visible side to side line pattern noticeable in the sky area.
The Nikon LS2000 produces a smoother sky area.
Another problem I've noticed with the PhotoSmart Scanner is that there is a slight strobe like pattern in negative scans. This is most noticeable in dense midtones like sky areas. The next two comparisons are screen captures taken from full res images set at 60% of full size in Photoshop. This magnification seems to show the strobe pattern quite distinctly in the PhotoSmart scan. The Nikon LS2000 scan is free of such artifacts.
Notice the horizontal lines in the PhotoSmart scans above. The lines aren't quite so noticeable in the new S20 PhotoSmart scanner. You can sometimes see this effect in 8X10 prints. In all fairness the 60% temporary resample done in Photoshop or Photo Paint really magnifies this problem. Doing a full resample to 60% or any other size with the PhotoSmart scan will not show this pattern to this high degree. Most folks will not see this strobe effect at all in resampled PhotoSmart scans on a computer screen. Check out the bottom set of scan comparisons to confirm this.
In the Nikon LS2000 scan there is no pattern noise. The splotchy skies are due to some low clouds that were just finishing dissipating.
The last two image are sized down from full resolution scans. Both were saved as JPEG files at the same level of compression. No manipulations were done to either of the scans except for doing levels on both scans. The PhotoSmart scan levels were done in Photoshop after the scan. The Nikon LS2000 scan levels were adjusted in the preview before the final scan. Top Photo from the PhotoSmart, bottom photo from the Nikon LS2000
PhotoSmart scan You be the judge on colors. Both scans were left to the individual scanner's color management program. I've always had trouble judging colors on negative scans because you can't look at the negative and see actual colors.
Nikon LS2000 scan
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