Kodak DCS NC2000e-m. Is it a real Monochrome or not?

Discuss older Nikon-based Kodak digital SLRs, including DCS 100, DCS 200, NC2000, DCS 400/600/700-series, etc. Ask questions, post general comments, anecdotes, reviews and user tips.
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vqscorpions
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Kodak DCS NC2000e-m. Is it a real Monochrome or not?

Post by vqscorpions »

Hi bros.

I recently received one of Kodak DCS NC2000e-m body in excellent cosmetic condition. Thanks God it works well.

However, it seems there is a bit of strange to me. Since the photos coming out of this body will not be monochrome as the DCS460M or DCS760M I have. All the photos have Blue and Purple layers. If I want it to be Black and White, I just reduce all Blue and Purple layers to minimum.

Surely it is not a Color version of NC2000 because i checked carefully and there are only that Blue and Purple.

Furthermore, from the Exif reading by ACDSee , it says the model of the camera is Kodak NC2000F. While with all other models of DCS I have, the Exif reading from ACDSee is always correct. For example, my DCS420C got reading in Exif is Kodak DCS420

Trying to find out more infor on this model seems hard for me until now.

I wonder if you guys have any further information on this particular one, much appreciate.
Last edited by vqscorpions on Thu Oct 30, 2014 1:17 pm, edited 2 times in total.
James
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Stan Disbrow
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Re: Kodak DCS NC2000e-m. Is it a real Monochrome or not?

Post by Stan Disbrow »

Hi,

I never heard of a mono variant of the 2000. It has to be color, if you have blue and red. Is the green not working? The green is also luminance, so if it is out all the pix ought to be fairly dark as well.

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Re: Kodak DCS NC2000e-m. Is it a real Monochrome or not?

Post by NikonWeb »

Actually, according to the DCS Story, there are *two* monochrome versions: NC2000m and NC2000ir.

Source: http://www.nikonweb.com/files/DCS_Story.pdf

I assume you've already checked the label on the camera itself? :) If you send me one of your files, I'd be happy to take a look.

Jarle
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Re: Kodak DCS NC2000e-m. Is it a real Monochrome or not?

Post by vqscorpions »

Yeah, bros.

There are some thing I found that the body I received is not the same specs as any body in the DCS history file.

Looking into the photos out of the camera, while I am a kind of expert in IR photography, I am sure that the body is not IR body. Also, as I already got the DCS 420C and still working well and I can not see the similar color photos between those two.

That means, the name NC2000e-m at the bottom is may be the exact name of the body or may be a fake name / fake body (not likely because the name was made from manufacture print at the label, not easy to do so or there is no point to do that).

However, there are some thing I can point out.

1. The ISO i can get it work with the camera would go from smallest setup which is in the range 6 - 6400 ISO.

Really at between IR 6 or 25 i received only BLACK or BLUE photo.

2. Starting from ISO 50 and up, I already got clearer photos. I took quite a bunch of photos from ISO 100 and it works very well.

If I start the camera and shoot asap, the standard ISO will be 400.

If compare with the ISO 200-1600 of the DCS history file for the NC2000m / NC2000ir, it looks like the normal NC2000 will start or work at 200 - 1600 only, or at least it will start working at standard ISO 200, is this right bros?

Or they actually will have a big range of IS like mine from 6- 6400, then they recommend to use at between 200-1600 only?


While I haven't played with other NC2000 models, I am positive that this one is absolute a NC2000 body because it has the sensor size of AP NC2000 design 1012x1268.

Now the mission is to find out if it is a real body or a fake one with a kind of "bad sensor" of a NC2000/NC2000e color model :D

I will upload more photos here and will send Jarle one original photo so you can help me to see what it is.
James
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Stan Disbrow
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Re: Kodak DCS NC2000e-m. Is it a real Monochrome or not?

Post by Stan Disbrow »

Hi,

I am beginning to suspect a firmware fault. Either the wrong code load for that hardware, or possibly a corruption of the correct code during an update.

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Re: Kodak DCS NC2000e-m. Is it a real Monochrome or not?

Post by vqscorpions »

Here are some of my new points after testing all cameras I have today (DCS420C, DCS460M, DCS760M, NC2000e-m).

1. After trying to find some review of NC2000 and NC2000e (the color versions of NC2000) such as this: http://oldcamerajunk.blogspot.com.au/20 ... 2000e.html. I am sure the NC2000 and NC2000e will produce full color photos at the best it can do, which would produce quite similar colors as the DCS420C one except they are different sensor sizes.

2. After reading a lot about Monochrome Kodak DCS, and also try using at least 2 different models of Kodak DCS Monochrome I have on hands which are DCS 460M body, and DCS 760M. I can also confirm that IF the Kodak DCS / or Kodak AP NC2000 body has ONLY the “M” name on the label, then it WILL ONLY produce Monochrome = Black n White photos, nothing different. This is very similar as if it has only the IR name, it will only produce IR photos.

3. Trying using ISO in the DCS420C and NC2000e-m, I found that both of them actually can go from 6 – 6400 ISO no problem. Photos are good from ISO 50 and up. At ISO 6400, one expects to see a lot of noise as photos here. So, I see no point why Kodak stated that their DCS4xx series only can be used between 100-400 ISO? While both of the bodies I have on hands are working well with this huge ISO range, I am positive that they are not error in ISO setup because the sensor responses very well when I increase the ISO. Except one thing I notice both of the cameras will come back to ISO 400 after I shoot at different ISO than 400.

ISO 50 NC2000e-m
Image

ISO 400 NC2000e-m
Image

ISO 6400 NC2000e-m
Image

ISO 50 DCS 420C
Image

ISO 400 DCS 420C
Image

ISO 6400 DCS 420C
Image

4. As talked from the first post, I found the photos from NC2000e-m are only with Blue and Purple (sorry, not Magenta as before I said). I tried to change all of the other layers of REDS / YELLOWS / GREENS / AQUAS / MAGENTAS (including Hue / Saturation / Luminance) in PS CS3 but nothing changed. Unless I change the BLUES and PURPLES then the photo will change the color.
As far as I know, this would be not normal because it can not be a color version as NC2000 / NC2000e, nor a monochrome as NC2000m.

5. Exif reading for NC2000e-m JPEG file also shows a funny name with KODAK NC2000F FILE VERSION 3, while with my DCS 420C, it simply read KODAK DCS420.

Image

--------
So, overall, with all of my short knowledge, I think that this body is none of the NC2000/ NC2000E / NC2000M / NC2000IR that listed on the DCS History file.

Then what it is?

1. It may be a faulty one with faulty firmware code as Stan said? May be. However, the label at the bottom of the camera is very original with the name KODAK AP NC2000e-m.

I have no doubt to think that the label is not a real one. It was made from Kodak on a hard plastic code label as many other DCS bodies I have.

Also, if the digital camera has a faulty firmware code loaded, then it should be a brick rather than using very function as normal like that.

2. So, it is a real NC2000e-m body made by Kodak for AP at that time which is even not in the DCS History. From the design and working condition and also the Serial number at the bottom, I think they should make at least more than some of this body.

But why it is not there in the DCS History list? This body seems not as very special as the ones DCS425 or DCS435 made for US military before, and this one was made for AP so there should be no reason why it was not in the list except the person / team who created the DCS History forgot to add this one in.

I hope bros would find the best answer better than me. It is very enjoy to discuss here.
James
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Stan Disbrow
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Re: Kodak DCS NC2000e-m. Is it a real Monochrome or not?

Post by Stan Disbrow »

Hi,

As far as crossed up code goes, it would be slightly different for another sensor. So, it would still function but give odd colors because the Color Filter Array isn't there. My thinking being the most common code would be for a visible light color 2000 and you have a visible light monochrome sensor.

In that case, the sensor would be without a CFA and the code would be setting pixel gains to even out the Red, Green and Blue pixel filters.

The other two possibilities are Infrared, both color and monochrome, but then there has to be compensation for the infrared filter in front of everything.

In all four cases, the sensor is electrically the same, so crossed up code would still produce an image. Just a screwed up one....

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Re: Kodak DCS NC2000e-m. Is it a real Monochrome or not?

Post by vqscorpions »

I am sure it is not an IR one or even the IR mixed with Monochrome or mixed with color. I can tell that base on my knowledge of IR photography.

I think the camera was a kind of mixed color and Monochrome with a limit of colors code from the sensor, that's why it says NC2000e in the front as many other NC2000e ones, but the bottom label it has the strange name NC2000e-m with its own Serial no.

I think AP requested something like this in between the Color and the Monochrome, so actually the photos out of the cameras will get a bit different look and may be different benefit for their purposes. However, it may be a very short life of the items because then AP / or Kodak found that this one was not very suitable for their demands and decided to end the project. It means they could think this is a faulty / error product after a trail and would not mind to put into the DCS History list which was considered as the commercial list from Kodak.

That's all what I thought :D
James
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Love IR photography. Love Kodak DCS
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