Is a 'cheap' scanner better than my old Nikon LS-2000?

Hi all,

 

I have a Nikon LS-2000 scanner which I am using with Vuescan. Aside from the fact that the only PC I have with a SCSI interface is on its last legs, the scanner is still operational.

 

I was wondering, how would one of the cheaper scanners

(sub-$500, say a Plustek 8100) available on the market stack up against my LS-2000 in terms of image quality? I only have a handful of additional slides and rolls to scan so I don't want to go over the top, but if I can spend a few hundred for higher quality I would.

No flatbed short of a Scitec comes close to the quality of your LS-2000. You can buy an USB to SCSI adapter for as little as $10. You may need another adapter, depending on the LS-2000 connector. The adapters are the DB25 version, not the large one with omega retention clips.

Since You are used to 2700dpi + infrared dust removal with color film + autofocus the current consumer scanners are at hard task. Maybe Plustek 8200 would suit, get one that is advertised with infrared dust removal and enjoy much higher resolution, apparently no autofocus though. Maybe current scanner offers faster speed for the process.

2700 PPI is still better than any consumer flatbed. I had an LS-20, and my major complaint was poor color and brownish blacks. That was long before Lightroom and when I was not as proficient with Photoshop. The LS-20 was 2750 PPI maximum, but i believe the LS-2000 is 4000 PPI.