Ls-600 Scanner Focus

[mcpix]

Has anyone fine tuned the focus on their LS-600 or S1-II scanner?

 

I recently picked up a used LS-600 and have been using it to scan long rolls of 35mm film for printing. It works great, and I've been very happy with the results.

 

I have a customer who likes to make 16"x24" prints from his film. I decided to try the LS-600 at 4000 dpi and also use my Nikon 9000 at 4000 dpi. The color was great on the LS-600 scan, but the Nikon 9000 was much sharper.

 

Is there a way to check the focus? Does anyone have a service manual or tips on doing this. Thanks!

 

 

[Minilab service]

S1-II go service mode, extension, maintenance, various adjustment, scanner unit adjustment, focus adjustment and make focus there. You need adjustment chart to do it. Before carrying focus adjustment, light source REGISTRATION is required. After carrying out focus adjustment, light source UPDATE is required.

[mcpix]

Hi,

 

Thanks for the reply. Since I have my LS-600 hooked up as a stand alone unit, how do I access the service mode? Could I just use my own negative for focus adjustment or do I need to buy an adjustment chart from Noritsu?

[Minilab service]

All depends what software you have. To access service mode usually have go menu, press F and -1 on small keyboard ( or F1 F9 on big ) . Then enter password 2260 . 

Adjustment charts are thin metal ( not film ) . They depend on carrier ( 135, 240 and others ) . I and many other engineers have full adjustment charts set. Do not know where are you from, but have to find someone in your area who has them It is too expensive buy for one time adjustment.

[mcpix]

Well, I can't figure out how to get into service mode on a stand alone computer. Looking at the files, it's not like they're not sharp, as much as they don't have the "stated resolution". For instance, I scanned a negative at 4000 dpi on the Nikon 9000 and you can read the license plate on a car in the background. On the the Noritsu you can't make out the numbers. 

 

Do you have a link for the service manual? Maybe I can figure out something from that.

[Minilab service]

You didn't tell which software you have on external computer. On previous message I wrote how to get to service mode if you have installed Ez controller. 

If you do not see car registration plate numbers your focus really bad.

Have LS-600 service manual, diagrams and all other documents, but you have ask them from your scanner seller. I can provide them who use my electronic repair service.

[mcpix]

I don't have the EZ controller software. I'm just using the LS-600 as a plug in through Photoshop. I just did an order of 4x6, 5x7 and 8x10 prints from color negatives and they all looked good. I'm thinking it's just that the resolution is not as high as my Nikon 9000. I think I'll shoot some film to test this out. Thanks!

[mcpix]

I always hate it when you find a problem you're having on the internet, but the poster never comes back and says if they figured out a solution. So two years later....I finally figured out how to adjust the focus on the LS-600 without the "focus adjustment tool". I have to give credit to the members at the LS-600 Facebook page for pointing me in the right direction.

First you get into the service menu as outlined above. In the LS-600 software go to the menu. Then type f1 & f9. It will ask for a password which is 2260. Voila! You now have two extra selections in the menu. Select scanner unit adjustment, then focus adjustment. It will bring up a screen that asks you to attach the 135 and 240 focus charts to the film carrier. Just select "Next". The scanner will do a quick light calibration and then take you to the focus adjustment screen where it would normally show you a wave form that you  use to adjust the focus. Instead, in the center of the screen you'll see a box that says "focus value". This is what we'll adjust to find the best focus. Initially my scanner had a value of 75. I changed the value in large increments: 90, 110, 120, 130. After changing the number I would exit the service menu and go back and make a scan of a well focussed negative. Since I was scanning through Photoshop I did all my changes and scanning before I quit the LS-600 program. Then I went into Photoshop and compared the different scans. Wow, there was a huge difference. My scanner was way out of focus. After I determined the best focus was between 120 and 130 I then went back and readjusted the focus value in smaller increments: 120, 123, 125, 127. The final verdict was that 125 was the sharpest.This is not an absolute number and your values may differ. The only important thing is that you find the number that gives you the best focus.

For my own comparison I scanned the same negative on my Nikon 9000. This time the LS-600 was every bit as sharp as the Nikon and it had much better color and contrast. Finally I'm able to offer high quality scans to my customers. In fact, another lab was so impressed with my new scans that they are having me scan all their high resolution 35mm and APS film.

[toni999]

sadly I have the same problem but don't get to a screen to type in a focus value.

[Dave S]

You can only alter the focus value manually if it has been focused at some point with the special laser cut focus chart.

The only solution I can think of for you is to get hold of somebody else's backup data, load this in, do the light source registration, then perform the focus manually the way mcpix did it in the above post.

[Eugene Gekhter]

Can somebody please upload and share their stand-alone LZH file so those who have bought a LS-600 with a "connecting unit" before can use the focus adjust tool?

[mcpix]

You should join the Noritsu LS-600 Facebook group. Lots of good help from other members.

[Minilab service]

Connecting unit can disable on EZ controller, or disconnect this unit on scanner. All scanners are different, so do not recommend to load other scanner backup. If decide to do it - save original backup before it ( scanner backup from system software ) .

Connecting unit is not related with focus. Connecting unit is to connect film processor ( QSF-T15 ) . If during scan you see message that focus not adjusted you have make focus using adjustment chart. Have do it for all zoom rates. If no error and just focus is bad you can correct changing focus values and testing.