Tamron Fotovix next to computer: Micro lens attached.

Tamron FotovixJack and Sue Drafahl

ONE OF THE most important chal-lenges of running a photo lab is matchingthe correct equipment to the job. Manytimes equipment overkill results in small-er profits. When a customer comes in andwants a 20x30 print from a color slide, youwould most likely use 4x5 internegativefilm to capture the maximum sharpnessand detail. When the next customer tellsyou he wants 4x6 prints from slides, youcould change to 35mm internegative filmto cut the customer's costs, thus makingyour lab more competitively priced.

This ongoing campaign for efficiency isalso needed in the digital photo lab, andthe key word here is resolution. In the dig-ital lab, resolution can be controlled inthree areas: input, edit, and output. Sinceprocessing time for a job can make the dif-ference between profit and loss, the mostlogical spot to control resolution is in the

beginning—with the input of the image.Image input is performed via a film

scanner, digital camera or video capturedevice, such as Tamron's digital FotovixinS-D. Each of these pieces of equipmenthas a specific purpose, so let's reviewwhich would be your choice in a given sit-uation.

If we look at film scanners, we find thatthey cover a wide variety of scanning sit-uations, but it takes considerable time toset up each image and scan it into the sys-tem. High resolution scans are most cost-effective for a scanner because the setuptime is only a small percentage of theactual scan time. Low resolution scans ona film scanner usually take longer to setup than the actual scan itself. This makesthe film scanner the perfect candidate forhigh resolution scans, but not necessarilyfor low res scans.

The second type of digital input device,the digital camera, takes a very shorttime to bring an image into the system.The problem is that the cameras onlyshoot at one resolution, which then mustbe converted for low resolution applica-tions. The digital cameras are still expen-sive and may not be cost justifiable foruse as low resolution input devices.Digital cameras only bring in positiveimages, thus eliminating direct access tocolor negatives—the cornerstone of manylabs today.

Solution?

The ideal input device for bringing inlow resolution images is a video capturesystem. With this modified system, blackand white negatives, color negatives andslides can be imported into a computer

PHOTO LAB MANAGEMENT • JANUARY 1996

Hie Ldit View Held Window

rArnnon Digital Fotovix for Windows Ver.1.1 SCSI»«

r Color Info. ~~

| Load | | Save As | [ Default j | Undo |

O Slide (•> N

Joy-Stick:»- Neutral

Capture of color negative

IIIS-DImages captured from Fotovix.

system as low resolution images in lessthan 10 seconds. With this fairly inex-pensive system, a lab can bring in dozensof images in minutes and apply them to avariety of digital applications.

Just what kind of applications areappropriate in a digital lab for low resolu-tion images? If you have digital servicesas part of your lab now, you are probablyalready doing some low res jobs. You arealso probably charging more for them be-cause of the setup time and the cost ofequipment required to do the job. In ourlab we have requests for low res imagesfor brochure placement, company news-letters, lecture slides, image database sys-tems and color negative previews.

So that you can better understand howa video capture device works and inter-faces with other systems, we will take youthrough setup and use of one of the best

video capture systems on the market:Tamron's Fotovix HIS-D.

The Fotovix looks very much like aminiature slide duplicator and in effect isa digital slide/negative capture device.The unit consists of an upper stage thatcontains the camera, lens and controls forfocus and image size. The base of the unithouses the light source and device forholding slide/negative carriers. The sideof the unit has controls for film type, colorbalance, and output jacks. The back of theunit has electrical connections for com-puter communication.

The compact size of the unit allows it tobe placed close to your computer systemwithout occupying a lot of space. Unlikeother video capture systems on the mar-ket that use a video capture board, theFotovix is directly linked to the computervia SCSI interface. If you have a Mac, you

simply attach the SCSI cable from theback of the unit to the back of your com-puter.

PC users will have to have a SCSIboard installed in their computer in orderto communicate with the Fotovix. This isusually not a problem, as most PC usersalready have a SCSI board for scanners,film recorders, hard disks, or digital cam-era systems. The Fotovix comes with sev-eral cables and SCSI terminators, so thatthe system can be quickly incorporatedinto your system.

Simple Software

A single diskette holds the installationsoftware, and is installed in only a fewminutes. When you install the software itbecomes a plug-in for Adobe Photoshopsoftware. The unit we tested was in-

PHOTO LAB MANAGEMENT • JANUARY 1996

stalled and operating in less than 10 min-utes—from opening the box, to capturingslides and negatives into our system.

To operate the system, merely turn onthe unit, start your computer, select thefilm type and slide in the images via thecarrier at the base of the unit. Start theFotovix software on your computer and ina few seconds the first image is on yourscreen. Exposure and cropping is accom-plished using the focus and zoom controlson the lens stage above the images. Asyou adjust each of the controls, a visualrepresentation of the final image appearson the edit screen. Additional softwarecontrols include contrast, color balance,brightness, sharpness and hue.

When the image looks good on the com-puter screen, you can then save it as aBMP/TIFF (PC) or PICT/TIFF (MAC) filefor use in the low resolution applicationswe discussed earlier. Once you have animage set up, similar images placed onthe Fotovix need no adjustment and arequickly added to the saved files.

If you handle a large quantity of 35mmcolor negatives, you can also use the Fo-tovix as a screen viewer. Simply connect avideo jack to the side of the unit and runit to a VCR or TV set. You can thendirect-view the negatives on a TV set orchoose to record video images on a VCRtape. Images captured in this way arealmost instantaneous and can be a greatway for you to discuss problem negativeswith a customer or lab printers. You canalso set up a VCR tape capture servicewhere customers can look at their imageson a TV—just like those images createdand previewed from a photo CD.

If you have customers who want tomake prints or slides from a video source,you can attach either the camera or VCRdirectly to the back of the Fotovix. Thiswill allow you to capture still images fromthe video source and file them or sendthem out to an output device.

One accessory expands the capabilitiesof the Fotovix even more than standardvideo capture system. If you remove thefilm carrier and cover the light sourcewith a special black substage cover, youcan capture images of objects that arefrom 3-5mm thick. Stamps, coins andjewelry are just a few of the 3-D objectsyou can record to create a database.

Since you can capture images in lessthan 10 seconds, the Fotovix is the perfecttool for stock photography. You can digi-tally archive using a database—or modemimages to clients, since the files are small.You can group images together and pre-pare a contact sheet on your desktop colorprinter. In the stock photo world today,

PHOTO LAB MANAGEMENT • JANUARY 1996

speed is a priority. If you can get your im-age to the editor before the next guy, youwin. The Fotovix gives you an edge.

When you need the high quality, highresolution scans, then a film scanner ordigital camera is your answer. Tamron'sFotovix IIIS-D is not meant to replacethese products. Instead, it needs to be sit-ting on the desk right next to your higherresolution systems. The true craftspersonknows how to choose and properly use hisor her tools. Why use an expensive highresolution system to do a job that requires

a lower resolution system? Your profitswill increase when you can correctlymatch the right equipment to the job. Tobecome a photo lab craftsman, includethe Tamron Fotovix IIIS-D as a tool inyour digital lab.

Jack and Sue Drafahl own and operate a cus-tom lab in Portland, OR. They are also profes-sional photographers, specializing in underwa-ter photography.

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We can help youtake those firststeps through

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Photo processing is changing.No big surprise. Everything is changing.

But digital technology, howeverbeneficial, is a doorway you don't wantto enter without a guide.

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Call us now for a consult that'sabsolutely FREE and carries with it noobligation whatsoever.

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