# [Wet Thumb Forum]-bad copies amano books



## perrush (Feb 24, 2003)

Hi,

purchased the 3 nature aquarium world books of Amano from a well known on-line shop in the US.

I'm very (understatement) disappointed with the quality of the pictures/books. Some pictures are so bad that I even think it are misprinted books







. On one page I think I even mis a foto









Before I take any further steps, I must be sure those books are not what they supposed to be.

Please take a look at the pics I've taken (straight from the cam, no potoshop)

http://users.pandora.be/perrush/amano/

--
English isn't my native language, but I guess you already noticed that ))
--

Perrush


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## perrush (Feb 24, 2003)

Hi,

purchased the 3 nature aquarium world books of Amano from a well known on-line shop in the US.

I'm very (understatement) disappointed with the quality of the pictures/books. Some pictures are so bad that I even think it are misprinted books







. On one page I think I even mis a foto









Before I take any further steps, I must be sure those books are not what they supposed to be.

Please take a look at the pics I've taken (straight from the cam, no potoshop)

http://users.pandora.be/perrush/amano/

--
English isn't my native language, but I guess you already noticed that ))
--

Perrush


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## Kevin Jones (Apr 4, 2004)

I would be annoyed... those do look like a couple of printing errors


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## BobAlston (Jan 23, 2004)

I would take them back and get a refund. They find another source.

Bob

High Pressure CO2 sources, needle valves, information:
http://members.cox.net/tulsaalstons/AquaticPlants.htm#High%20Pressure%20CO2


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## perrush (Feb 24, 2003)

oke, two replies who say this is not normal. Will mail them and see what they say.

Taking them back isn't a real option because of the shipment costs and taxes ... we'll see

...
to be continued

--
English isn't my native language, but I guess you already noticed that ))
--

Perrush


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## david lim (Mar 30, 2004)

I always thought this was a method that amano used to take pictures for his 3rd book. If this isn't the case I too will be disappointed.


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## walpurgis999 (Feb 6, 2003)

My father is a printer for a major printing plant in Eastern United States. From what he has told me about printing, it looks like the pages were out of sequence when the books were printed. Moreover, the giant white blot on the first page, looks like something went wrong. It is possible that the book was shipped with page number problems, because even apparently 40% of the newest Harry Potter books was missing close to 40 pages (times that by millions printed and think about how many that is).

Im an English teacher in school, not in this forum. Hence, I spell, you spell, we all spell bad.


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## 2la (Feb 3, 2003)

I can't really tell what's abnormal about these pictures because I can't distinguish what's poor printing versus an obscuring reflection from an overhead light source. What, for example, is wrong with the first picture? I looks the same as mine as far as I can tell. What "giant white blot"?


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## david lim (Mar 30, 2004)

are y'all referring to the white spot where nothing is written but there are pictures on the right side?


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## perrush (Feb 24, 2003)

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by 2la:
> I can't really tell what's abnormal about these pictures because I can't distinguish what's poor printing versus an obscuring reflection from an overhead light source.


2la,

http://users.pandora.be/perrush/amano/102_0227_crop.jpg
isn't their suppossed to be a picture on the left top of the right page ? Don't know, but looks weird to me

http://users.pandora.be/perrush/amano/102_0229_crop.jpg
left side is ok. Right side is covered with green dots

http://users.pandora.be/perrush/amano/102_0230.JPG
closeup of the above

http://users.pandora.be/perrush/amano/102_0231.JPG
just look at the fish !!

and so on ...

--
English isn't my native language, but I guess you already noticed that ))
--

Perrush


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## 2la (Feb 3, 2003)

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by perrush:
> http://users.pandora.be/perrush/amano/102_0227_crop.jpg
> isn't their suppossed to be a picture on the left top of the right page ? Don't know, but looks weird to me


That's the layout the publisher intended. I think it was done to preserve a balance between the left and right pages. It looks fine to me, but I guess I never thought it to be weird in the first place.



> quote:
> 
> http://users.pandora.be/perrush/amano/102_0229_crop.jpg
> left side is ok. Right side is covered with green dots
> ...


There is some marked exaggeration of the green speckling in your photo (more evident in the areas of the picture where there are plants and fish), but in my version there is also a suggestion of aberrant exposure particularly in the background on the right page. Not to the degree it appears to be in your book, though.



> quote:
> 
> http://users.pandora.be/perrush/amano/102_0231.JPG
> just look at the fish !!


Here, too, there are some aberrances related to the way Amano exposed the photo. However, there shouldn't be any suggestion of pixelation as can be seen in the second fish from the right or in the one-lined fish on the left. If this is not an artifact of _your_ camera, then it does indeed look like you got a poorly published version of the book.

Thanks for pointing out the details!


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## Roger Miller (Jun 19, 2004)

Perrush,

I only have books 1 and 2. There are a lot of color abberrations in book 2 and most of them I think were intentional. That is one reason why I never went out of my way to get book 3.

I was only able to identify your first and last photos, and in those cases I can confirm that my copy looks like your photos. Can you give volume and page references for the rest of the pictures?


Roger Miller

"The indispensible first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want" -- Ben Stein


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## perrush (Feb 24, 2003)

tnx for your concerns,

When I looked at them again, I must admit the print problems are mostly on book3. Although I don't like book 1 and 2 as photobooks (that's what they suppossed to be), I can't blame the seller for that.

book 3 is horrible imho, I don't find any pleasure in looking at it







Many foto's remind me on the early jpeg days where high compression made the pictures hardly recognizable.

I uploaded some scans, book volume and page is included this time.
http://users.pandora.be/perrush/amano/

--
edit : I'm sure almost it are print problems because when a picture takes 2 pages, one page is ok, the other has problems.

--
English isn't my native language, but I guess you already noticed that ))
--

Perrush


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## imported_Svennovitch (Feb 1, 2003)

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by perrush:
> Although I don't like book 1 and 2 as photobooks (that's what they suppossed to be), I can't blame the seller for that.


Why don't you like book 1 and 2 as photobooks? I always liked book 1 a lot! Lots of great pictures with nice anecdotes. I miss those anecdotes in the other books.

Sven


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## perrush (Feb 24, 2003)

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by Svennovitch:
> Why don't you like book 1 and 2 as photobooks?


because there isn't a single picture which makes me say "














". Most have a 'standard' quality some have too much light, some not much enough.

It just wasn't what I expected from a professional photographer.

What about the scans svennovitch ? Does your book3 look the same ? I know they come from the same vendor, so you should know.

--
English isn't my native language, but I guess you already noticed that ))
--

Perrush


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## imported_Svennovitch (Feb 1, 2003)

Will check tonight, but I think it will be the same. I have these books for aquascaping ideas, not really for the professional look of it. Btw, I can't take half the pictures he has in his books.

But if I remember correctly, it will be the same. I don't care much for the last book either. Not because of the pictures, but I didn't see a lot of original tanks there. The second book OTOH I like very much.

I don't remember, but this one looks really bad IMO (will check if I have this too):http://users.pandora.be/perrush/amano/amano_3_193_crop.jpg


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## perrush (Feb 24, 2003)

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by Svennovitch:
> Btw, I can't take half the pictures he has in his books.


not that difficult if you can adjust aperture and shutterspeed and if you have a usable (little noise) high iso setting.

I've bought the new 300D, a lot easier to get good (better







) pictures than with a digicam.

--
English isn't my native language, but I guess you already noticed that ))
--

Perrush


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## perrush (Feb 24, 2003)

update :

final mail from vendor :


> quote:
> 
> Dear Stefan,
> 
> ...


So I guess it's better than nothing, given the circumstances (distance between me and seller)

After all I paid less than $45 for the 3 books.

--
English isn't my native language, but I guess you already noticed that ))
--

Perrush


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## BobAlston (Jan 23, 2004)

I think that stinks. I would have wanted my money back.

Bob

High Pressure CO2 sources, needle valves, information:
http://members.cox.net/tulsaalstons/AquaticPlants.htm#High%20Pressure%20CO2


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## perrush (Feb 24, 2003)

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by BobAlston:
> I think that stinks. I would have wanted my money back.


Well it wasn't that simple.

I could have sended them back (that's what they first suggested) but shipment is half the price of the books. Secondly I have already paid taxes for bringing them in to europe, so that I would have lost certainly (again half the price).

What do you do in that case if only book3 is very bad ... ... you bite the bullet









Actually I'm surprised I'm getting anything at all. It's easy to say for them that those books are fine and have a nice day for the rest ... they did not and gave a half my money back on the book I really don't like.

Well hell ... that's life I guess

--
English isn't my native language, but I guess you already noticed that ))
--

Perrush


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## Even Steven (Sep 29, 2003)

I just purchased book 3 as well and noticed the same problems, so it must be something with the last printing of the book...


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## Justin Fournier (Jan 27, 2004)

I have looked through the pages you listed, the first ones in my book are fine, nothing what yours look like, but that last couple have similar problems, but not to the same degree. I think yours is hooped!


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## kherman (Apr 7, 2003)

I have all three books and the uality of some pics is like what you posted. I always thought that this was due to bad photos from the get go and my books are just like everyone elses.

Hrmm. I have to read the second page of comments to see if there is a resolution to this still.

Karl

------------------------------
Karl's Parts And Construction Journal


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## perrush (Feb 24, 2003)

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by kherman:
> I have all three books and the uality of some pics is like what you posted.


tnx for the input Karl,

That's makes it even more strange to me that nobody mentioned this before. Everybody says it are damn fine books and highly recommend them ... well as photo-books ... they are NOT.

On a aquascape base there is nothing wrong with them ... ... I guess

--
English isn't my native language, but I guess you already noticed that ))
--

Perrush


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## imported_Svennovitch (Feb 1, 2003)

I checked them too, and for me it is the same as for you, perrush. But I think the first two books are brilliant. It is only that third book that has really bad picture quality. They are great when you need to set up a tank!

Sven


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## 2la (Feb 3, 2003)

Again, I think part of the problem with the 3rd book is that Amano decided to go with a more dramatic look to his tanks by underexposing a lot of the frames. Some of it, too, may have to do with trying to illuminate such large tanks, though exposure problems are evident in some of the first few (smaller) tanks in the book. However, perrush has definitely acquired a book with faulty printing, beyond the intrinsic exposure problems of Amano's original pictures.


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## otherguy (Feb 2, 2003)

Perrush, I have been in printing for the last 15 years of my life working in the web offset trade and run a press probably similiar to the one that printed your book. Judging from the pictures you posted I really could not give a definite "yes" that is a printing problem. Now let me give you some insight on how this process works. When we run a job customers give us color proofs to match. Now does this mean that we can match proofs 100 percent out on the press "NO" there are so many variables that affect the way color looks that I cant even to begin to explain. Just one example is the kind of proofs you get from the customer, there are different kinds that vary in quality and cost to the customer, kodacks, iris, waterproofs, just to name a few, you put these three proofs side by side and they would all look different. Then there are the different press related issues that could affect the quality of the piece and the book. Also when you start printing your color doesnt just match right away, you have to work at it, now does this mean you throw them away, heck no, not if it is commercially acceptable. Now some customers will come in for color oks and tell you when it is ok to save, but they are paying for the extra waste. I am glad they gave you some money back, and believe me if it was a printing problem that the publisher will let his printer know about it. Hope this helps

Brandon

75gallon tank, wetdry filter, pressurized co2 with controller, uv, flourite substrate, 220watts lighting


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## 2la (Feb 3, 2003)

As someone who has the same book for comparison, I can assure you there's a publishing problem with perrush's copy of the third book, especially evident in the side-by-side photo of the left (normal) and right (abnormal) sides of the page.

http://users.pandora.be/perrush/amano/amano_3_193_crop.jpg


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## perrush (Feb 24, 2003)

indeed 2la, this (http://users.pandora.be/perrush/amano/amano_3_193_crop.jpg) was one of the first pages I opened. And it is as bad as it looks.

Because the left page is OK, I know it's a printing problem. Other pages have difference between the pages too, but are less visual.

never mind. just my 2 cts about those books.

--
English isn't my native language, but I guess you already noticed that ))
--

Perrush


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## otherguy (Feb 2, 2003)

Now I have to ask, these two pictures I see, are they on the same page, different pages, or what???? Just because pictures look different on two different pages doesnt mean a whole lot in the printing world.

Brandon

75gallon tank, wetdry filter, pressurized co2 with controller, uv, flourite substrate, 220watts lighting


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## 2la (Feb 3, 2003)

> quote:
> 
> especially evident in the side-by-side photo of the left (normal) and right (abnormal) sides of the page.


Meaning that the photo of the tank is depicted over two pages side-by-side, and the right side is clearly different and abnormal when compared with the left.


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## otherguy (Feb 2, 2003)

ahhhhhhh, the dreaded cross-match, now it is much clearer to me, print problem without a doubt, not so much a problem probably, but my guess is the person who ran this has a different view of what quality product is.

Brandon

75gallon tank, wetdry filter, pressurized co2 with controller, uv, flourite substrate, 220watts lighting


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## perrush (Feb 24, 2003)

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by otherguy:
> the person who ran this has a different view of what quality product is.


correction :

the person who ran this has absolutely no idea of what quality product is

--
English isn't my native language, but I guess you already noticed that ))
--

Perrush


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