Nikon CoolScan V ED Film Scanner (35 mm)

Product Rating
3.86 of 5
7 reviews

Price Range
$550 - $680

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Product Description

Summary

I found this scanner to be a rugged build, very easy to use out of the box, great software especially the digital ICE which removes practically all dust and somehow does not seem to touch the image or quality in any way. Scans are very sharp as the Auto focus works great and a real time saver. I've scanned negative film and slides and both great results. The strip film feeded, which automatically loads a 6 frame strip is a great bonus. You insert the strip just as you would a dollar bill into a vending machine and it takes care of the job from there. Batch scanning a great time saver as well and great software allows you to set your file names for the batch. Sledes can be tedious as you must insert and scan one at a time ( there is a batch slide feeder optional but is very expensive) When I shoot slide film, I have them developed unmounted so that I can run them through the scanner with the strip film feeder. Slide film is very noticeably less noisy and grainy and overall sharper than negative film.

Strength

Build Software Ease of use excellent scans strip film feeder price reasonable for the quality LED light source keeps scanning and film cool, and should last a very long time

Weakness

none yet . . .maybe the price of the optional slide batch feeder for those interested.

Summary

Made for last, sharp, fast, convenient, unexpensive - real helper.

Strength

ICE is really workable - you can't find even smallest dots on 16 by 20 prints, scanned from oldest negs or slides.

Weakness

Non for the money.

Summary

I agree that when the LS50 works it is of the best quality. However mine has a problem that Nikon UK refuse to acknowledge. When scanning either in Nikonscan 4.03 stand alone or as a plug-in with Photoshop CS, at the end of the scan both Nikonscan and PS CS close discarding the scan you have just made. Most frustrating.

Strength

Good image quality (when you can get one).

Weakness

"Iffy" interface with Windows XP Home.

Summary

The Coolscan LS-50 was my first film scanner so please forgive the newby perspective. I use the Fuji Frontier 330 minilab in my neighborhood but wanted to be able to edit for more creative control. I use Portra 400B&W film and find that I dont miss the multiscan feature that is available in the model LS-5000 in the least as I cannot even detect a trace of noise with one scan. The Fuji lab uses 8 bit files so I dont scan in 14 bit unless I anticipate heavy duty editing where I would appreciate the extra color depth to prevent the possibility of banding. I dont like DEE or GEC or ICE, seems like overkill if a well if a well exposed and clean neg with no scratches is used. The scaling feature helps to keep file sizes in control as the fuji prints at 300 DPI. over all, The LS-50 has added a lot of enjoyment to my favorite hobby

Strength

Build quality, high resolution for more cropping/scaling options

Weakness

Some software options leave somrthing to be desired

Summary

I was rather impressed with the quality of the scans and the software that was provided. The ICE feature that removes dust and blemishes from the scanned slide does remarkably well. The other features such as ROC, GEM and DEE I haven't had much a need for, so I can't comment on them. It scans mounted slides and negatives at 4000dpi and they look great. The unit is very easy to use, compact, quiet, and I had no problems installing the software. The software provided is just fine for an intermediate amatuer. Lots of ways to manipulate and tweak the final image to meet your needs. The only annoying thing I've come across is that the entire mounted slide cannot be scanned. We're talking about a very small amount, but still I'd rather have to crop an image than loose part of it. It can't quite see the outter most edges and with the type of photogrpahy I'm interested in (particularly, lightning shots) I can't always control what area of the slide the lightning will be present. So, it'd be nice if I didn't have to rotate and re-scan the slide to maximize the area of interest on my slide.

Strength

Fast scanning times Small compact design 4000dpi

Weakness

Doesn't quite scan the whole mounted slide