To: Leafscan@yahoogroups.com From: burney@streamyx.com Date: Wed, 21 Sep 2005 09:40:02 +0800 Subject: [Leafscan] Make a leafscan LS45 work like a drum scanner... Reply-To: Leafscan@yahoogroups.com Hi All, This is a limited supply of the Glass Mount for Leafscan LS45, make in Japan by a scanner drum manufacturer for Leafscan LS45. Those interested please contact me directly. Original price USD 220 per piece. Clearance price USD 80 per piece or USD 150 for set of two. ( 20 pieces left only). Benefits 1 Make of 6mm polished scratch-resistant sapphire glass similar to high-end scanner drum. 2 Optically clear safety glass with clear silicon rubber feet at the base. All edges are beveled. 3 Mount any film formats from microfilm to 5"x7", largest scanning area support by Leafscan software is 12cm x 12cm. 4 Come with manual focus instructions for custom magnification/enlargement. Scan any portion of your trans or negative for custom optical enlargement. 5 Come with mounting templates to help mounting at the correct position for various formats support by Leaf scan software. 6 Use with drum scanner oil to hide surface scratches and eliminate fingerprints on film. 7 Mount perfectly flat on glass with 3M magic tapes. Not affected by the heat of the scanning lamp. 8 Can be use to scan any translucent object like paper textures, leafs, etc only limited to your imagination. 9 Can be clean using normal household detergent. 10 Made in Japan. Cheers. Burney To: Leafscan@yahoogroups.com From: Phil Lindsay Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2005 19:22:04 -0700 Subject: Re: [Leafscan] Make a leafscan LS45 work like a drum scanner... Reply-To: Leafscan@yahoogroups.com On Sep 20, 2005, at 6:40 PM, burney@streamyx.com wrote: > Hi All, > > This is a limited supply of the Glass Mount for Leafscan LS45, make > in Japan by a scanner drum manufacturer for Leafscan LS45. Those > interested please contact me directly. Original price USD 220 per > piece. Clearance price USD 80 per piece or USD 150 for set of two. ( > 20 pieces left only). > > > > > > Benefits > > 1 Make of 6mm polished scratch-resistant sapphire glass similar to > high-end scanner drum. > > 2 Optically clear safety glass with clear silicon rubber feet at the > base. All edges are beveled. > > 3 Mount any film formats from microfilm to 5"x7", largest scanning > area support by Leafscan software is 12cm x 12cm. > > 4 Come with manual focus instructions for custom > magnification/enlargement. Scan any portion of your trans or negative > for custom optical enlargement. > > 5 Come with mounting templates to help mounting at the correct > position for various formats support by Leaf scan software. > > 6 Use with drum scanner oil to hide surface scratches and eliminate > fingerprints on film. > > 7 Mount perfectly flat on glass with 3M magic tapes. Not affected by > the heat of the scanning lamp. > > 8 Can be use to scan any translucent object like paper textures, > leafs, etc only limited to your imagination. > > 9 Can be clean using normal household detergent. > > 10 Made in Japan. > > > Cheers. > Burney > Hi I a interested in a set of glass plates. Please describe the sizes of mounting templates. Will the Leaf Autofocus work with the glass or does it try to focus on the glass surface instead of the image? What is the estimated shipping cost to CA and what methods of payment are accepted? Thanks Phil Lindsay To: Leafscan@yahoogroups.com From: "Burney Poh, Professys asia Sdn Bhd" Date: Wed, 21 Sep 2005 11:27:59 +0800 Subject: [Leafscan] Make a leafscan LS45 work like a drum scanner... Reply-To: Leafscan@yahoogroups.com >Hi > >I a interested in a set of glass plates. Please describe the sizes of >mounting templates. Will the Leaf Autofocus work with the glass or >does it try to focus on the glass surface instead of the image? > >What is the estimated shipping cost to CA and what methods of payment >are accepted? > >Thanks > >Phil Lindsay Hi Phil, The net weight of the Glass Mount is 700 g per pieces and the size is 210mm x 246mm x 6mm. I suppose it will go into a standard Fedex box with necessary padding. The Glass mount come with a CD contains three pdf files. One of the files called focusing target that contains a custom patterns that the manufacturer develop to improve the autofocus accuracy and for custom focus for better sharpness. To use it you need to send it to a service bureau to output onto film with emulsion up. To focus with the focusing target: 1. Set your usual scanning parameter 2. Mount the focusing target and insert to focus 3. Take out the focusing target and mount your trans to prescan. You will notice an improve in Sharpness. If you apply an optical sharpening with Photoshop Unsharp masking with the setting AMOUNT :500%, RADIUS :0.3 to 0.5, you will be able to see the film grain similar to looking at the trans through a 15X lope over a light box. 4. To ease the work flow, mount the focusing target permanently on one piece of Glass Mount and use another piece for mounting trans for scanning. You will need at least two pieces for this purpose. Useful for low contrast or very light or dark trans that normally do not focus very well. The other two files resemble the shape of the Glass Mount that you can print it out using you laser printer or color printer to put your glass over it to position your trans for scanning. You can scan 6cm x 12mm and 35mm x 12mm that the software supported but hard to find the Beseller holder for these formats. Mount it anyway you like, can be vertical, horizontal or at any angles, very useful for current Leafscan 45 owners. The stock is Located in my Malaysia office Post Code 47620. I will ask my colleague Joanne Lim to contact you directly with regards to payment as I am in japan right now. I will send you an Glass mount Image to you directly as the list does not allow posting of images. Regards, Burney To: Leafscan@yahoogroups.com From: statonenterprise@netscape.net Date: Wed, 21 Sep 2005 01:53:09 -0400 Subject: RE: [Leafscan] Make a leafscan LS45 work like a drum scanner... Reply-To: Leafscan@yahoogroups.com burney@streamyx.com wrote: >Hi All, > >This is a limited supply of the Glass Mount for Leafscan LS45, make >in Japan by a scanner drum manufacturer for Leafscan LS45. Those >interested please contact me directly. Original price USD 220 per >piece. Clearance price USD 80 per piece or USD 150 for set of two. ( >20 pieces left only). > > > > > >Benefits > >1 Make of 6mm polished scratch-resistant sapphire glass similar to >high-end scanner drum. > >2 Optically clear safety glass with clear silicon rubber feet at the >base. All edges are beveled. > >3 Mount any film formats from microfilm to 5"x7", largest scanning >area support by Leafscan software is 12cm x 12cm. > >4 Come with manual focus instructions for custom >magnification/enlargement. Scan any portion of your trans or negative >for custom optical enlargement. > >5 Come with mounting templates to help mounting at the correct >position for various formats support by Leaf scan software. > >6 Use with drum scanner oil to hide surface scratches and eliminate >fingerprints on film. > >7 Mount perfectly flat on glass with 3M magic tapes. Not affected by >the heat of the scanning lamp. > >8 Can be use to scan any translucent object like paper textures, >leafs, etc only limited to your imagination. > >9 Can be clean using normal household detergent. > >10 Made in Japan. > > >Cheers. >Burney Hi Burney, I am interested in purchasing one of your Glass Mount kits for the LS45. How much to ship to the UK please. Do you accept PayPal? Regards Roger -- Roger Staton To: Leafscan@yahoogroups.com From: burney@streamyx.com Date: Fri, 23 Sep 2005 01:23:00 +0800 Subject: [Leafscan] FAQ - Make a leafscan LS45 work like a drum scanner... Reply-To: Leafscan@yahoogroups.com Hi All, Follow are some good questions posted by several Leafscan LS45 user with regard to the Glass Mount that I would like to share the answers with all of you. Regards, Burney Q1. Please explain the focus procedure when using the glass. A. To focus using the glass mount: * Launch leafscan application or photoshop plug in and select the scanning format * insert the Glass mount with the focusing target and click focus. * remove the glass mount with the focusing target and insert the glass mount with your mounted trans and prescan. * Select the image area and set the dynamic range after setting the crop area. * proceed with final scan. Q2. Please describe the masks for blocking out stray light Fundamentally the is no requirement to mask out the trans as the leafscan gain calibration has actually taken care of all the exposure issue. As the optically clear Sapphire glass does not scatters the lights that pass through so there is no need to mask out the trans( according to the manufacturer, the light from the lamp will not deflect and introduce stray light as the sapphire glass has a very low refraction index.That is why it has been use in high end scanner drum for years). If you wish to mask out the trans as you prefer, you can use any matt black paper to tape it to the glass with a hole cut out to expose the trans. However, use a profiling software to create a custom ICC profile is highly recommended if absolute color matching the trans is your concern. Q3. What is the cost of Shipping to US & UK? A. The freight cost using Post office speed post is USD 40 to US and USD 50 to UK for a two pieces kit and it will take 4 to 5 days to arrive your location Q4. Do you accept payment by paypal? A. We are not able to cash out fund deposit into our Paypal account in Malaysia and We trust all of you are a genuine Leafscan users so we are willing to ship it out the same day we receive your Bank Money order or your personal check if wire transfer payment is you concern to a new supplier. Q5. Do you still have the Glass Mount kits in stock? A. We still have 4 sets in stock as of today. 16 sets being taken up, Some are sold and some are reserved. Q6. Will there be any stock coming in the near future? A. This is clearance sale so unlikely we will place any future order as the minimum manufacturing commitment is 1000 pcs. Q7. Would you provide us technical support if we encounter technical problem when using the Glass Mount? A. Yes. Glass Mount is a proven product being use exclusively in Japan by Leafscan LS45 user in Japan. We have keeps an inventory for 50 sets for replacement order but since the products has performed reliably for the last 10 years with less the 0.1% replacement purchase, we decided to dispose 20 sets out of the 50 sets. Q8. Why I have not heard the Glass Mount before? A. The Glass Mount was developed in Japan in 1994 by a scanner drum manufacturer in Japan and been sold exclusively in Japan only. So this piece must have Leaf LS45 accessory has not make available outside Japan. To: Leafscan@yahoogroups.com From: burney@streamyx.com Date: Fri, 23 Sep 2005 13:43:20 +0800 Subject: [Leafscan] FAQ Part 2- Make a leafscan LS45 work like a drum scanner... Reply-To: Leafscan@yahoogroups.com Hi all, These are additional interesting questions posted by some LS 45 users with regards to the Glass Mount. Have fun! Cheers! Burney Q9.I have captured some night shots of a city skyscape using my 4x5 camera some time ago. I can only get 1270 dpi scanning using a 4 X5 Beseller holder. Can I scan a portion of my 45 trans using 5080dpi or 2540 dpi using the Glass Mount? I need to enlarge the city skyscape for a wall mural. A, Yes, you can. Just mount your 4 x 5 trans over the 3x 12cm template and enclose the crop portion of the trans you want, and select 3 x 12cm format. You will be scanning using 5080dpi over the 4x5 trans. The same apply to using a 6 x 12cm format to get a nice panoramic crop over your 4 x 5 trans and you get 2540dpi resolution. Q10. How to scan microfilm using the Glass Mount? A. It depend the amount of details you want to capture from the microfilm. Most user use the 3x 12cm format to scan the microfilm. However, if you need to scan up close to the full frame of the microfilm, you can set the camera stage manually to capture the full frame of the micro film up to 5080 dpi. The Glass Mount CD contains a PDF file that teach you how to set the camera stage manually with auto focus functionality or custom enlargement. Q11. If the trans has proper contrast, do I need to use the focusing target? A. If a trans has proper contrast, you do not require to use the focusing target. You only use it if you are not satisfied with the sharpness of the scan. The focusing target was developed to improve the leafscan focusing accuracy and not to address the glass mount weakness as it actually has none. That is why the manufacturer show us a way to bench mark the sharpness or the focus by open the file in photoshop and apply USM using amount 500 and radius 0.3-0.5 and compare the film grain with a peak 15 Lope. The Japanese users are very demanding indeed. Q12. How to use the Glass Mount? A. To use he Glass Mount, you just slot the Glass Mount into the Leafscan the way you use the Beseller film Holder. Q12. How to mount the trans? To mount the trans onto the Glass Mount, you use the mounting template as a guide( use the PDF files included in the CD to print it out using a laser printer or inkjet printer) to position the trans the way you want it and tape it using 3M magic tape or equivalent the same way you mount trans onto scanner drum using high end drum scanner. To avoid newton ring and to seal scratches, you can use drum scanner oil but I usually just use Johnson baby oil( normally around ph 5.5) and it work fine for me as easily available. The Glass Mount is very tolerance so you don't really need to mess around with too much thing. You can even use matt 5" X 5 " black card board to make your own mounting frame. You can then tape the mounting frame onto the Glass Mount and then tape your trans on top of the card board mounting frame if you do not want to use oil. I have a customer purchase several Glass Mounts from me to create his version of Imacon Flextight static film carriers for his LS45. He taped the the hinged end of the Imacom film carrier onto the glass mount and use the Imacon static film carrier to mount the trans without using oil and work pretty quick. Q13. Can I use masking tape instead? A. You can use masking tape but if it left residue you will need to use Ronson lighter fluid or WD 40 to remove it. Q14. How to clean the Glass Mount? A. Just clean with soap and water or any non abrasive household detergent and them wipe dry with a lints free cloth. Q15. Is it fungus resistant? A. Yes. Apparently the glass mount is not coated so when it it get dirty, just clean it with soap and water and wipe dry. Q16. The original price of USD 220 is rather expensive. A. It is the pricing for Japanese market . A piece of 3O cm scanner drum manufactured with Sapphire Glass will cost between USD 1500 to 3500. The unique characteristic of Sapphire Glass is it can be polished after year of wears and tears. However the job can only be done by the Pro with the precision polishing equipment. I personally feel that making the Leafscan LS45 a flatbed Drum Scanner capable machine with USD 220 is very reasonably prized. I still remember I bought a Rado watch many years ago that came with Polished Sapphire Glass that cost me USD 1000. and now you can get it for USD 80. What should I say? Q17. How to care for the Glass Mount? A. Do not drop it onto a hard floor. All glass will shatters. We tried before and it does chipped when landed at the edge. We also has drop onto carpeted and wood floor and it didn't break. Do not use abrasive cleaner or cloth to clean the Glass Mount. Do not use pointed metal object to work on the Glass Mount. Q18. I am a botanic researcher. Can I use it to scan sections of leaf, flower and plant stem? A. Certainly. You can even magnify them up close using manual focus with depth of field while working with the lens apertures. Q19. What is the deferenct between the one piece kit and two pieces kit. A. Both the kit come with instructional CD. The one piece kit essentially is the spare kit and the two pieces is the full kit. Most user need at least two pieces to ease workflow. You insert one for scanning and start mounting trans on the second one. You also can mount the focusing target permanently just to use it for focusing. If you are using ICC workflow, you can do mass scanning by prefocus and scan the IT8 target to make ICC profile for this batch and the just click reload and final scan to scan all the trans. The color will be more consistent without prescan every trans using ICC profile. You also save a lot of time not require to perform prescan as you determine the position and format of trans using the mounting templates. To: Leafscan@yahoogroups.com From: "Burney Poh, Professys asia Sdn Bhd" Date: Thu, 29 Sep 2005 10:19:07 +0800 Subject: [Leafscan] Glass Mount Universal film carrier Reply-To: Leafscan@yahoogroups.com Hi All. Last two set for anyone still interested, 18 sets out of 20 sets was taken up. Thank you to all of you who express interested. Price Original price is USD 220 per piece. USD 420 for two pieces kit. Clearance price is USD 80 per piece for spare kit and USD 150 for set of two. Freight to US is USD 40 by Post office Speed Post and will take 4 - 5 days. Features and Benefits 1 Make of 6mm polished scratch-resistant sapphire glass similar to high-end scanner drum. 2 Optically clear safety glass with clear silicon rubber feet at the base. All edges are beveled. 3 Mount any film formats from microfilm to 5"x7", largest scanning area support by Leafscan software is 12cm x 12cm. 4 Come with manual focus instructions for custom magnification/enlargement. Scan any portion of your trans or negative for custom optical enlargement. 5 Come with mounting templates to help mounting at the correct position for various formats support by Leaf scan software. 6 Use with drum scanner oil to overcome surface scratches and eliminate fingerprints on film. 7 Mount perfectly flat on glass with 3M magic tapes. Not affected by the heat generated from the scanning lamp. 8 Can be use to scan any translucent object like paper textures, leafs, etc only limited to your imagination. 9 Can be clean using normal household detergent. 10 Made in Japan by a reputable Scanner drum manufacturer for Leaf LS45. Glass Mount FAQ Following is a list of questions posted by Yahoo Leafscan LS45 Forum users. Q1. Please explain the focus procedure when using the glass. A. To focus using the glass mount: * Launch leafscan application or photoshop plug in and select the scanning format * Insert the Glass mount with the focusing target and click focus. * Remove the glass mount with the focusing target and insert the glass mount with your mounted trans and prescan. * Select the image area and set the dynamic range after setting the crop area. * Proceed with final scan. Q2. Please describe the masks for blocking out stray lights. A. Fundamentally there is no requirement to mask out the trans as the leafscan gain calibration has actually taken care of all the exposure issue. As the optically clear Sapphire glass does not scatter lights that pass through the glass so there is no need to mask out the trans (according to the manufacturer, the light from the lamp will not deflect and introduce stray light as the sapphire glass has a very low refraction index. That is why it has been use in high-end scanner drum for years). If you wish to mask out the trans as your normal practice, you can use any matt black paper to tape it to the glass with a hole cut out to expose the trans. Use a profiling software to create a custom ICC profile is highly recommended if absolute color matching the trans is your concern. Q3. What is the cost of Shipping to US & UK? A. The freight cost using Post office speed post is USD 40 to US and USD 50 to UK for a two pieces kit and it will take 4 to 5 days to arrive your location. Q4. Do you accept payment by paypal? A. We are not able to cash out fund deposit into our Paypal account in Malaysia. We trusted all of you are a genuine Leafscan users so we are willing to ship it out the same day we receive your Bank Money order or your personal check if wire transfer payment is your concern to a new supplier. Q5. Do you still have the Glass Mount kits in stock? A. We still have 4 sets in stock as of today. 16 sets being taken up, some are sold and others are reserved. Q6. Will there be any stock coming in the near future? A. These are clearance sale items so unlikely we will place any future order as the minimum manufacturing commitment is 1000 pieces. Q7. Would you provide us technical support if we encounter technical problem when using the Glass Mount? A. Yes. Glass Mount is a proven product being use exclusively in Japan by Leafscan LS45 users in Japan. We have keeps an inventory of 50 sets for replacement order but since the products has performed reliably for the last 10 years with less the 0.1% replacement purchase, we decided to dispose 20 sets out of the 50 sets. Q8. Why I have not heard the Glass Mount before? A. The Glass Mount was developed in Japan in 1994 by a scanner drum manufacturer in Japan and been sold exclusively in Japan only. So this piece must-have Leaf LS45 accessory has not been made available outside Japan. Q9. I have captured some night shots of a city skyscape using my 4x5 camera some time ago. I can only get 1270 dpi scanning using a 4 X5 Beseller holder. Can I scan a portion of my 45 trans using 5080dpi or 2540 dpi using the Glass Mount? I need to enlarge the city skyscape for a wall mural. A. Yes, you can. Just mount your 4 x 5 trans over the 3x 12cm template and enclose the crop portion of the trans you want, and select 3 x 12cm format. You will be scanning using 5080dpi over the 4x5 trans. The same apply to using a 6 x 12cm format to get a nice panoramic crop over your 4 x 5 trans and you get 2540dpi resolution. Q10. How to scan microfilm using the Glass Mount? A. It depend the amount of details you want to capture from the microfilm. Most user use the 3x 12cm format to scan the microfilm. However, if you need to scan up close to the full frame of the microfilm, you can set the camera stage manually to capture the full frame of the microfilm up to 5080 dpi. The Glass Mount CD contains a PDF file that teach you how to set the camera stage manually with auto focus functionality or custom enlargement. Q11. If the trans has proper contrast, do I need to use the focusing target? A. If a trans has proper contrast, you do not require to use the focusing target. You only use it if you are not satisfied with the sharpness of the scan. The focusing target was developed to improve the leafscan focusing accuracy and not to address weakness of the glass mount as it actually has none. That is why the manufacturer show us a way to bench mark the sharpness or the focus by open the file in Adobe Photoshop and apply USM using amount 500 and radius 0.3-0.5 and compare the film grain with a peak 15 Lope. The Japanese users are very demanding indeed. Q12. How to use the Glass Mount? A. To use he Glass Mount, you just slot the Glass Mount into the Leafscan the way you use the Beseller film holder. Q13. How to mount the trans? A. To mount the trans onto the Glass Mount, you use the mounting template as a guide (use the PDF files included in the CD to print it out using a laser printer or inkjet printer) to position the trans the way you want it and tape it using 3M magic tape or equivalent the same way you mount trans onto scanner drum using high end drum scanner. To avoid Newton ring and to seal scratches, you can use drum scanner oil but I usually just use Johnson baby oil (normally around ph 5.5) and it work fine for me and easily available. The Glass Mount is very tolerance so you don't really need to mess around with too many things. You can even use matt 5" X 5 " black card board to make your own mounting frame. You can then tape the mounting frame onto the Glass Mount and then tape your trans on top of the cardboard mounting frame if you do not want to use oil. I have a customer purchase several Glass Mounts from me to create his version of Imacon Flextight static film carriers for his LS45. He taped the hinged end of the Imacom film carrier onto the glass mount and use the Imacon static film carrier to mount the trans without using oil and work very well. Q14. Can I use masking tape instead? A. You can use masking tape but if it left residue you will need to use Ronson lighter fluid or WD 40 to remove it. Q15. How to clean the Glass Mount? A. Just clean with soap and water or any non-abrasive household detergent and them wipe dry with a lint-free cloth. Q16. Is it fungus resistant? A. Yes. Apparently the glass mount is not coated so when it get dirty, just clean it with soap and water and wipe dry. Q17. The original price of USD 220 is rather expensive. A. It was the pricing for Japanese market in 1994. A piece of 30 cm scanner drum manufactured with Sapphire Glass will cost between USD 1500 to 3500. The unique characteristic of Sapphire Glass is it can be polished after year of wears and tears. However the job can only be done by the Pro with the precision polishing equipment. I personally feel that making the Leafscan LS45 a flatbed Drum Scanner capable machine with USD 220 is very reasonably prized. I still remember I bought a RADO watch many years ago that came with Polished Sapphire Glass that cost me USD 1000, now you can get it for USD 80. What should I say? Q18. How to care for the Glass Mount? A. Do not drop it onto a hard floor. All glass will shatters. We tried before and it does chipped when landed at the edge. We also has drop onto carpeted and wood floor and it didn't break. Do not use abrasive cleaner or cloth to clean the Glass Mount. Do not use pointed metal object to work on the Glass Mount. Q19. I am a Botanic researcher. Can I use it to scan sections of leaf, flower and plant stem? A. Certainly. You can even magnify them up close using manual focus with depth of field while working with the lens apertures. Q20. What are the differences between the one-piece kit and two-pieces kit. A. Both the kits come with instructional CD. The one-piece kit essentially is the spare kit and the two-pieces kit is the full kit. Most users need at least two pieces to ease the scanning workflow. You insert one for scanning and start mounting another trans on the second one. You can also mount the focusing target permanently just to use it for focusing. If you are using ICC workflow, you can do mass scanning by prefocus and scan the IT8 target to make ICC profile for this batch and the just click reload and final scan to scan all the trans. The color will be more consistent without prescan every trans using ICC workflow. You do save a lot of time not require to perform prescan every time as you determine the position and format of trans using the mounting templates. Tips and tricks 1.0 The use of Glass Mount is able to prolong the life of the scanning lamp and speed up scanning time. Trans normally tend to curve during extended scanning time due to the heat generate by the scanning lamp. This causes the scan to appear lack of sharpness. To compensate for this, Scitex recommended the use of a smaller lens aperture to increase the depth of field to compensate for that. The Glass Mount keep the trans cool by reflecting the heat away from the trans and the mounting keep the trans flat, so you can use a larger lens aperture to speed up scanning process. 2.0 By using 12 x12cm, you can scan three strip of 35mm trans, or 2 strips of 6cm trans. 3.0 By manually setting the film stage, you can scan any part of an image at higher resolution. To: Leafscan@yahoogroups.com From: "Burney Poh, Professys asia Sdn Bhd" Date: Mon, 03 Oct 2005 21:29:27 +0800 Subject: [Leafscan] An Interview with Glass Mount Inventor... Reply-To: Leafscan@yahoogroups.com An English translation of the original text - an interview with Mr. K Hiroshi, the lead engineer who invented the Glass Mount for Leafscan 45 in April 1994. 1. What inspired you to invent the glass mount for LS45? My job is in the R & D of Scanner Drum Technology. A friend bought a Leaf LS45 in last year and asked me to create a Glass Film holder for him similar to the functionality of the scanner drum. I worked on it in the weekend, as my company is not keen to develop this product initially. It take me about three months to make the first Glass Mount Universal Film Carrier. 2. What make you use Sapphire Glass instead of ordinary glass? I developed twenty prototypes made of different shapes and materials before settled for Sapphire Glass. My design criteria are: User level Safety Ease of use Maintenance Durability Cost Technical level Optical quality Thermal quality Esthetics I started with different types of plastic materials, as they are lighter and shatterproof. The plastic versions did not pass the technical tests, as they are easily scratched. They started to get foggy after extended use with drum scanner oil and yellowing losing the optical quality. I then tried various types of glass, started with ordinary to laminated safety glass. The laminated safety Glass is heavier but is more scratch resistant than the plastic materials and normal glass. The safety Glass did not passed the technical tests either, as the refractive index is too high. When the refractive index is too high, light passes through the glass will dispersed causing stray lights in the camera chamber causes the scanned image loses the contrast. The spring catches holding the film carrier also easily scratch the safety glass. Sapphire Glass is my eventual choice although grounding the sapphire glass to optically flatness is very costly as the materials hardness lay between safety glass and crystal glass. During our technical tests, the Sapphire Glass passes with flying colors. I then hold a meeting with the LS45 customer and they decided to absorb the higher cost if it can perform the way we want it. So we raised our budget from USD 50 to USD 250. After removing the cost constrain, we finally accomplished our goal. My company later decided to undertake the manufacturing and lower the retail cost too USD 220.00 3. You mentioned the Glass Mount could improve the performance of the Leafscan LS45. Can you explain in more details? Yes. It does. After I worked with the Leafscan LS45 for several weeks, I discover follow problems. They are: a. Radiated heat affects the CCD sensor - all image sensors perform better with cool light source. Bleeding will occur if the sensor is subject to excessive radiated heat. As a result, the image recorded will become less defined. The high frequency fluorescent lamp does emit excessive radiated heat that causes the CCD sensor to lose it definitions under extended exposure. My advice is to avoid long scanning time and cap the lens if you are not scanning. Why capping the lens? The reason is the CCD sensor does not require any warm up time but the lamp does in order to reach the optimum brightness. Capping the lens will reduce 'cooking' the CCD sensor by the radiated heat emitted by the lamp in between scanning. The Sapphire Glass Mount is able to block more than 70% of the radiated heat reaching the CCD sensor eliminating the 'cooking' effects. b. UV & Infrared Spectrum emitted by the Lamp - all image sensors can record certain amount of ultra-violet and infrared spectrum. The Leafscan does have a UV Glass filter above the scanning lamp to filter off the UV light. That is why color fringing occurs when certain amount of UV and infrared light is recorded on the scan image. The ultraviolet exposure will show up as blue fringes and infrared exposure will show up as red fringes, both occur at the opposite edges of high contrast images. Due to the design of the Leafscan, this problem cannot be eliminate by using cool light as the intensity of the cool light is insufficient to reach the sensor when the camera stage is distant away from the image plane. A standard solution is to replace the sensor with one less sensitive to the ultra-violet and infrared spectrum as the use of a lamp that does not emit lights at the ultra-violet and infrared spectrum is not available for this unique design at this time. The Sapphire Glass Mount is able to block more than 40% of the ultra violet and infrared spectrum thus helping minimized the color fringing problem although color fringing still visible on very high contrast images. c. Focusing problem - unlike the Beseller 4" X 5" Negaflat holder, the 35 and 6cm holder do not grip the trans strong enough to counter the warping of the trans. When expose to the radiated heat from the lamp during long scanning time, the trans will loss original focus after uneven expansion between the emulsion side and the under side of the trans. The standard solution is to refocus and rescan if the image is not sharp after importing without removing the trans from the holder. The trans mounted on the Glass Mount does not suffer the above phenomenon. The Glass Mount is bad conductor and transmitter of heat and is able to block and reflect more then 70% of the heat from the lamp keeping the trans cool for the whole scanning process. 4. Have you reveal your findings to them? No, I believe their engineers are fully aware of the inherited problem. I supposed they must have in the course of engineering an improved design that addresses the above problems. As an OEM parts manufacturer, our principle is not to jeopardize original design and only provide enhancement base on our specialized knowledge. 5. Do you feel that using the Glass Mount will have significant advantages over the regular holder? It depends on your application. If you do a low-resolution scan and the scan last less then 5 minutes. The Beseller film carrier is handier. If you do high resolution scan and your trans need to endure the heat, the Glass mount is more appropriate. The Glass Mount also simultaneously helps to seal scratches and remove fingerprint marks. I believe you can work with both depend on your need. 6. Can we avoid using oil working with the Glass Mount? Yes, You can. Be creative. Just cut any dust free paperboard and make any mount that you like. Sandwich the trans in between them and tape them onto the Glass Mount and you have the benefits of Beseller film holder and using the Glass Mount as a heat barrier. 7. My last question. How long can the Sapphire Glass Mount lasts? How lost can a crystal glass or a diamond last? As long as you don't drop onto a hard floor and break it, do not use a hard metal tip to scratch it, you treat it like the way you care for your camera and lenses. It should last forever. End of Interview