The value of a good scanner (Coolscan V ED)

[Joe Marques]

For those of you looking to digitize your old slides and film, look no further. Nikon leads the pack with the Coolscan V. Superb quality and outstanding feature set (particularly the dust/scratch removal via Digital Ice4). While my slides are in great condition, my negatives are a mess of scratches (even though I THOUGHT I kept them nicely). Digital Ice4 is a savior. As for the specs: 4000 dpi optical scanning with LED light source. Simply outstanding.

Here's a comparison to show the remarkable saving capabilities (untouched - right from the scanner - only resized):

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Digital Ice4 AUTOMATICALLY fixed the mess:
View attachment 5502

BTW, that's my daughter at the beach nearly 8 years ago.

Slide results are far more impressive. Here's a Velvia scan of a rose (N90 & Nikkor 105 2.8 Macro):
View attachment 5503

Thanks for looking.

Joe

 

[Flew]

That is impressive Joe. Without a doubt, the best scanned film shots that I've seen in my brief foray into photography.

Frank

 

[gho]

Ouststanding! I've been thinking of getting the Coolscan 5000. How does the V compare? Looks pretty good to me. My photos aren't quite as good as yours though.

 

[Steve S]

Wow Joe!

These shots look excellent. I priced one of them out @B&H, wow, "spendy" as they say! Looks just like a computer tower.

 

[greyflash]

Yes Joe, I wish I had one.

 

[Joe Marques]

That is impressive Joe. Without a doubt, the best scanned film shots that I've seen in my brief foray into photography.

Frank

Thanks Frank. I had a cheapo scanner (PrimeFilm 1800) which is 1800dpi optical and was never really pleased (didn't come close to the dynamic range that the Coolscan can capture which is far more important than resolution IMO).

Regards,

Joe

 

[Joe Marques]

Ouststanding! I've been thinking of getting the Coolscan 5000. How does the V compare? Looks pretty good to me. My photos aren't quite as good as yours though.

Thanks Gregory. I pretty sure the only difference between the 5000 and V is that the 5000 can use attachments - the best being a slide holder (more than 1 slide at a time). I didn't think it was worth the extra money since I need to sit there anyway while scanning so 1 at a time is no biggie.

Regards,

Joe

 

[Joe Marques]

Re: Wow Joe!

These shots look excellent. I priced one of them out @B&H, wow, "spendy" as they say! Looks just like a computer tower.

Thank you Steven. I must say it's worth every penny to preserve memories at such a high quality. I can print 16x20 without a question and 20x30 is well within reach (a scanned transparency is equal if not better than a D2H NEF).

As for the size, I too thought it was huge based on the photo, however, it's only about 4" wide, 7" high and 12" deep. The photo makes it look much bigger since there's no reference for scale.

Thanks,

Joe

 

[Joe Marques]

Yes Joe, I wish I had one.

Depending on the number of shots you have in film/transparency it's a cheap option compared to having it done at a lab.

Regards,

Joe