Why it's taking so long....

[Pylon1_Mark]

You may have asked yourself - why hasn't pylon1 done anything since it's opening. Well, it's been a combination of things. Bucky's abrupt departure was one and still has me a bit puzzled (I hope I didn't piss him off... I made sure he was happy with the new web presentation, getting a ton of input on how to improve the site looks & stuff and did my best to make sure he was 100% happy with it). He was instrumental in me starting it back up and was gun-ho about helping to bring it back to her former glory... and then all of a sudden about 2 months before the site went public - he went silent and has ignored all emails/correspondence since then. Was very much looking forward to working with Bucky again, and it would have been awesome to start where we left off... but I do hear he's doing well (less time on internet, more time on other stuff... like his dogs, otter project, etc. ) so... it is what it is. Gotta move on - but still, that my friends was a huge blow. Anyway, enough about that... sure do miss him, just like everyone else does.

BUT the main reason nothings been going on was/is this.... malfunctioning scanner (I guess it didn't like the trip from California to Oklahoma - in hind site, I should have brought it in the RV with us when we came down here.). The two links below tell it all and really well. (be advised - big images 1920x1080)

This link shows in detail the nature of the problem (lower 1/2 of image out of focus)
Critical Mass Reno 1999 (old)

New scan
Critical Mass Reno 1999 (new)

I didn't discover this until after I opened the site (started thinking something was wrong, and I was right but couldn't/didn't figure it out until doing a triple-take on this particular photo. Thank god my photos weren't that crappy after all. LOL). So instead of adding stuff that would have to be replaced I decided to wait until I had a solution. Now that I do I'll start updating the site with the rescanned images & adding more content. Over the last month I've been concentrating on just scanning images (hey, things out of warranty after the first year so I best get all my scanning done asap ) and will be doing just that for awhile longer, then I'll start updating the site.

Just thought to get out a little note to explain things.... turned out not so little. I suck at that

Oh well, back to scanning...........

[AAFO_WSagar]

We BUDS!!

Just so y'all know, P1.org and aafo.com live on the same server in cyberspace! I we've actually done a "merger" if you will... I love Mark like a brother and always did!

Visit pylon1.org!

[fastpace]

Re: Why it's taking so long....

Neat sight, kind of like pylon 1.com minus Dago but I will take Strega Very good Mark: thumbsup:

[Pylon1_Mark]

Re: Why it's taking so long....

Visit pylon1.org!

I haven't updated anything yet Mr Wayners LOL... give me another month or so to get way ahead on the scanning and then we'll start updating & adding new stuff.

And thanks for the kind words my dearest friend - and the feeling is likewise. We may not be perfect, and we may argue on occasion, but we've come to work past all of that and accept each other for who we are - faults and all.

Neat sight, kind of like pylon 1.com minus Dago but I will take Strega Very good Mark: thumbsup:

Thanks Don... I actually scanned all my Dago slides (288 alone for Reno 01) and that doesn't include any digital pics. I'm planning on doing a Dago Red '98-'02 tribute area at the pylon1.org site in honor of my old team members. Anyway, all in good time.... now back to scanning

[fastpace]

Re: Why it's taking so long....

hi Bro, I am so glad to find out you are up and running again, I missed pylon 1 .com so bad when you went down. I still have your old e mail admistrator in my contac list. I never thought in my wildest dreams I would ever hook up with you again. Now I got to book mark that new one and turn some friend's on to it.

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: Why it's taking so long....

And thanks for the kind words my dearest friend - and the feeling is likewise. We may not be perfect, and we may argue on occasion, but we've come to work past all of that and accept each other for who we are - faults and all.

Hey, brothers fight like no others, but they always come back as brothers!

[Kegger]

Re: Why it's taking so long....

.... malfunctioning scanner

Which scanner are you using? Not a lot of good options available at the consumer level, particularly for those of us with a ton of Kodachrome slides. I will likely go with the Epson V800 or 850, but if you don't mind sharing, I'd appreciate any feedback. Thanks. Looking forward to perusing Pylon 1 again.

[Pylon1_Mark]

Re: Why it's taking so long....

Which scanner are you using? Not a lot of good options available at the consumer level, particularly for those of us with a ton of Kodachrome slides. I will likely go with the Epson V800 or 850, but if you don't mind sharing, I'd appreciate any feedback. Thanks. Looking forward to perusing Pylon 1 again.

Pacific Image PowerSlide 5000
Not any good options consumer or otherwise when it comes to scanning Kodachrome slides. Basically, anyone who has Kodachrome slides must remove the dust manually when they scan their images (I'm not aware of any hardware/software that works effectively and yield great results).

The PS5000 does have a software-driven feature to remove dust & scratches, however it adds artifacts to the image in areas where you have bright white against very dark black (like on Critical Mass - the lettering on the side of the plane was obviously blurred when using the "Magic Touch" option. So although this scanner (in my opinion) rivals the results given by my old scanner (Sony Super Coolscan ED4000)... the hardware driven dust remover on the Sony was far superior and added no detectable artifacts to the scanned images. Problem is Sony's dust remover (Digital ICE - same thing as the Epson) uses infrared light to detect the specs, and sadly it won't work on Kodachrome slides. BTW: I had ViewScan software installed and used it briefly with the Sony ED4000 - not overly impressed with it. Might try in with the new scanner in the future - but it's working more then fine without it. And if it ain't broke....

So you really can't look at dust & scratch removal as being an option for you (I don't use it and simply manually process in Photoshop... I do clean the slides very well before scanning, this is a BIG help). All you really can do is offset the time spent doing the post-processing by purchasing a scanner that has auto-feed capabilities. The PS5000 (when using an optional Braun Round Tray 100 slide carousel - highly recommended) kinda takes automated scanning to the next level - and you should buy 2 so that you can load one while the other is in the scanner.

Now although the results (scanning at 5000 dpi and 16 bit) rivals the results given by the ED4000 - that is WITHOUT the 8x oversampling feature enabled on the Sony ED4000 (awesome results damn near as good as a drum scanner.... but takes forever as it scans the image 8 separate times! The PS5000 can't touch results like that - but that's kinda why the Sony is over twice the cost of the PS5000.

So for me when comparing available options, image quality, batch scanning ability, and cost - the PS5000 stood out as the clear winner. BTW: If you go to the link above, click on the reviews and read the "Most Liked Positive Review"... Again my opinion, but I feel that review is 100% spot-on. Looking at the Epson V800/850 - that's a great machine. However, it's going to involve more baby sitting just by design - the option of setting the batch scanner to run while you go out & do the yard work, head off to work, go to sleep at night, run an errand, etc is a HUGE plus. I really like waking up to another 100 brand new pics - then loading that sucker up with another 100 and heading off to work.

Besides, I plan on mounting my negatives on slide holders and scanning those next. Digital camera = 1st generation image... scanning slides/negatives = 2nd generation image... scanning photos = 3rd generation image - and you loose a lot of detail in that process. So in that light, in my case the Epson looses the advantage of being able to scan photos. (I guess you figured it out, I evaluate the Epson V850 pro as well as about 4 other scanners before I got this one - Having had the Sony previously, I had some good experience on what I needed going in this time around).

Hope this helps

[Kegger]

Re: Why it's taking so long....

Thanks for the detailed reply Mark! I'm familiar with joy of scanning Kodachrome. Dust and scratch removal are just something I've learned to turn off as I've seen it remove real detail all too often. I will spend a lot of time in Photoshop to clean up a good shot anyway. I will look into the PowerSlide 5000 for sure. Thanks again!

[fastpace]

Re: Why it's taking so long....

I have done a little scanning, nothing like P 1 is doing and it is VERY time consuming, so when he says it take's time ,that is the real deal

[GeeBeeZ1931]

Re: Why it's taking so long....

I haven't updated anything yet Mr Wayners LOL... give me another month or so to get way ahead on the scanning and then we'll start updating & adding new stuff.

And thanks for the kind words my dearest friend - and the feeling is likewise. We may not be perfect, and we may argue on occasion, but we've come to work past all of that and accept each other for who we are - faults and all.


Thanks Don... I actually scanned all my Dago slides (288 alone for Reno 01) and that doesn't include any digital pics. I'm planning on doing a Dago Red '98-'02 tribute area at the pylon1.org site in honor of my old team members. Anyway, all in good time.... now back to scanning

Mark; It's good to see you back. I thought you were gone for good. Very glad you and Wayne will both be working on this deal together.