birdsofearth Posted January 21, 2005 Share Posted January 21, 2005 My Nikon CoolScan III (LS-30) suddenly started giving soft or unsharp scans. Previously it was working fine with a laptop with windows 98. Recently I had to reinstall the OS and sometime after this it started giving the soft scans. To double check, I installed everything on Win XP Pro, and there also the same problem is observed. What could be the possible problem? Anyone had similar problem? I'm attaching a sample soft scanned image.<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdsofearth Posted January 21, 2005 Author Share Posted January 21, 2005 This was scanned previously using the same scanner. But after reinstalling the OS, it suddenly started giving soft scans.<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiswick_john Posted January 21, 2005 Share Posted January 21, 2005 looks like condensation on the internal mirror or lens Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_unsworth1 Posted January 21, 2005 Share Posted January 21, 2005 Do you get a halo effect around dark items against a light background? If so it could be dust on the internal mirror. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdsofearth Posted January 21, 2005 Author Share Posted January 21, 2005 Halo effect: Yes, kind of. I've attached here one more sample image. If there is dust on the mirror/lens, is it easy to clean? any tips?<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carl_pearson1 Posted January 21, 2005 Share Posted January 21, 2005 I also think you've got a dirty mirror. It's strange that you noticed the problem after switching OS's. Maybe your video card and screen on the laptop were not showing the problem? Some do a very poor job at displaying images. Just a thought.<br><br> Here a page I've put together on film scanner cleaning, it's not specific for your model but it may help, links at bottom: <a href="http://www.pearsonimaging.com/ls5000cleaning.html" target="_blank">http://www.pearsonimaging.com/ls5000cleaning.html</a> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdsofearth Posted January 21, 2005 Author Share Posted January 21, 2005 Actually, I had not used the scanner for almost a year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_unsworth1 Posted January 21, 2005 Share Posted January 21, 2005 If you switch the scanner on with the front door open you'll see the scanning assembly move to the front of the scanner and then move to the back. If you switch the scanner off at the right moment the assembly containing the mirror will stop near the front of the scanner. You can then wipe the mirror very carefully. I used a cotton bud in Isopropyl alcohol. The mirror is front coated, like a mirror in an SLR, and if therefore very fragile - don't apply pressure to the surface of the mirror. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert_johnson16 Posted January 23, 2005 Share Posted January 23, 2005 I had the same problem with my Nikon Coolscan III. I followed these instructions with good results: <a href="http://www.vad1.com/photo/dirty-scanner/ls2000-cleaning/" target="_blank">http://www.vad1.com/photo/dirty-scanner/ls2000-cleaning/</a>. I went one step further and removed the mirror from its holder so I could clean it effectively. I used pure ethanol from a new bottle to clean the mirror. Alcohol can absorb water from the air, so you might want to use a fresh bottle to avoid spots. You should clean the mirror carefully to avoid scratching it. Lay a sheet of clean lens tissue on the mirror. Place a few drops of ethanol on the tissue and pull or drag it gently across the mirror. Do not apply pressure to the tissue, but let the capillary effect provide gentle force to remove dust from the mirror. Repeat until the mirror is clean. Do not re-use the lens tissue. To prevent dust from collecting on the mirror, I store the scanner in a clean plastic bag when I'm not using it.<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdsofearth Posted January 28, 2005 Author Share Posted January 28, 2005 Thanks a lot Steve for the million doller tip! Yes, I did that, and yes, the mirror is coated with dust! Thanks Robert for the detailed web page link showing how to clean it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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