Scanners and Kodachrome

[shreds]

Just come away from a discussion where I was told "Digital ICE does not work with Kodachrome slides" which surprised me, although I don't tend to scan old slides any more as I am too critical of some of my older lenses.

So is this true, and if so, why?

[loosecanon]

Digital ICE utilises a films transparancy to IR light in order to identify dust, so presumably some of the Kodachrome pigments also adsorb IR, if this is the case.

[shreds]

Thanks loosecanon.

I was quite tired after a very long day yesterday at The Photography Show in the UK, so didn't consult the great oracle.....Wiki. This is what it has to say, which is roughly similar to your reply.

"Digital ICE is used to detect scratches and dust during transparent film scan and is not applicable for opaque document scanning. While chromogenic black-and-white films are supported by Digital ICE, other black-and-white films containing metallic silver, which form from silver halides during the development process of the film, are not. This is because the long wave infrared light passes through the slide but not through dust particles. The silver particles reflect the infrared light in a similar manner to dust particles, thus respond equally in visible light and infrared. A similar phenomenon also prevents Kodak Kodachrome slides from being scanned with Digital ICE. Kodachrome's cyan layer absorbs infrared".

So B/W is similar in most cases.



You learn something everyday.