EPSON unveils revolutionary image restoration system in new scanner - Perfection 4870 PhotoPioneering image technology within the Perfection 4870
Photo keeps EPSON in sharp focus. This high performance flatbed scanner
for the photography or graphics professional offers the power and quality
of a film scanner with the flexibility of a flatbed, all without
sacrificing the scan quality.
12 th November 2003 - Due to be launched on 1 st February 2004, EPSON's Perfection 4870 Photo scanner brings groundbreaking DIGITAL ICE Technology to the graphics or photography professional. The Perfection 4870 Photo has an optical resolution of 4800 x 9600dpi – the highest in its class – which allows a 35mm piece of film to be enlarged to 60cm x80cm [A1]. By coupling this vast resolution with a moving TPU (transparency unit) lamp, EPSON's newest flatbed scanner not only challenges the traditional film scanner manufacturers on quality, but also on price. EPSON makes technological advancements with the inclusion of the DIGITAL ICE Technology allowing film and prints to be scanned for reprinting, archiving, enlargement and picture restoration, without compromising on quality. The scanners' high resolution produces unrivalled results from both photo and transparent media. The Perfection 4870 Photo is so powerful that the grain of the film can be detected when scanning at high resolutions. Available in the Professional Mode, Grain Reduction acts as a multi-level diffuser that blends the grain allowing you to scan small areas for enlargement. Sometimes the grain is desired, so the user is left with the final artistic decision to use it or not.
The award-winning DIGITAL ICE Technology automatically removes surface defects such as dust and scratches from a scanned image. DIGITAL ICE Technology differentiates itself from software only solutions because it does not soften, blur or otherwise alter any underlying details or composition of the original image. Instead, the patented DIGITAL ICE Technology works from within the scanner during the scanning process to provide the user with a clear, authentic base image that improves the original image. The user does not need to learn or install any additional software to make the DIGITAL ICE Technology work. The DIGITAL ICE Photo Print Technology within the Perfection 4870 Photo works by utilising two light sources (see editors notes), reflecting on the image from different directions. DIGITAL ICE Photo Print Technology uses a defect map to identify the precise locations of physical defects, or visual "noise" on a print being scanned. Differential shadowing technology and proprietary software algorithms quickly and automatically eliminate the unwanted defects, producing a scanned image file that improves upon the original print. DIGITAL ICE Photo Print Technology is designed to remove dust and lint, while also correcting scratches, cracks, rips, and creases found on the surface of most prints. “Before the Perfection 4870 Photo, users wanting professional quality photo restoration really had only one option – expensive film scanners. The Perfection 4870 Photo breaks the mould with its innovative blending of film scanner features and flatbed flexibility,” says Richard Baylis, Sales and Marketing Manager for Consumer Products, EPSON UK. To cater for every professionals need, the Perfection 4870 Photo has remarkable optical density of 3.8DMax, which is unrivalled in this class. The 3.8DMax optical density enables the scanner to detect the data lost by most other scanners in extreme highlight and shadow areas. The 3.8DMax figure is actual , not a mathematical theory, and will allow the professional photographer to get the most from their images. The scanner's powerful USB 2.0 Hi-Speed and IEEE 1394 FireWire interfaces produce fast and accurate scans. The professional-level SilverFast SE6 scanning and imaging software add a whole host of graphical benefits such as selective colour correction and NegaFix® negative film optimiser; and EPSON's very own Colour Restoration system and Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0 complete the comprehensive Perfection 4870 Photo package. EPSON Perfection 4870 Photo features summary
© Vincent Oliver 2003 http://www.photo-i.co.uk/ |