finding a negative scanner

[sheryl_bury_michals]

<p>I've checked on this site in other forums regarding getting a scanner for negative film and negative film strips. My understanding is that the Nikon Coolscan is no longer being made, and after checking on eBay, even the "used" ones are going for over $2K (since they apparently hold their value), and I'm a little gun-shy about getting used stuff.<br>

That said, I plan on getting a new PC within 6 months (or less), and obviously it will have the latest Windows format, which won't be supported by a Coolscan.<br>

I saw a coolscan 2000 on KEH that was about $150 but not sure how well that would even work on a new system.<br>

I have about 10 years of film negatives of rugby matches before going digital, plus film rolls over 20 years old that were give to me to archive as well. Going to a place to do this could prove pricey.<br>

Any suggestions. I saw Pacific Image had a negative scanner over at B&H, but not sure if it has enough resolution to get a quality image as opposed to a Nikon.<br>

Any suggestions would be appreciated. I don't mind going through the process of scanning, but would like something that would produce a quality image that can be printed should a request for such come to me. many of the rugby guys want to buy prints, but if I can scan them, then I can print them up as I get requests in.<br>

also, how much of a learning curve is there in using a film/negative scanner?</p>

<p> </p>

[JosvanEekelen]

<p>If you search the archives/internet you'll find that the choices for filmscanners are limited nowadays. Several(?) Pacific Image models, perhaps a rebranded version as well. Also consider a flatbed scanner with slide/negative holder. Epson makes one (V700?) that seems to be doing quite well.<br>

I'd forget the Coolscan 2000. It uses a SCSI interface which is difficult to get up and running with scanners nowadays.<br>

And yes, there is a learning curve involved. Some of the negatives may have a color shift so some Photoshop skills are required as well. And have a look at Vuescan, it's scanning software that supports lots of scanners, even if the original manufacturer stopped all support. (Alas, it does not solve the SCSI problems)</p>

[JosvanEekelen]

<p>Also see a few links down this one about transparancy scanners. Basically the same equipment, most filmscanners come with attachments for slides and negatives. The rest is done in software.</p>

[rodeo_joe1]

<p>I have a Pacific Image Primefilm 3650pro that works OK with Vista and Win7 via USB. It's a bit slow and "only" has a resolution of 3600 ppi, but to be brutally frank, that's about the limit of what you can get from film anyway. I also have a Canoscan flatbed that supposedly scans at 4800ppi (hah, right!) and does batch scans of 35mm filmstrips much quicker, but at a true resolution of just over 3000ppi. The bottom line is that I can print to A4 size from either scanner and you'd be hard pressed to see any difference. The Canoscan also accepts 120 and 5x4 sheet film, and the quality from these sizes of negative far exceeds what can be got from 35mm film at any scanning resolution.</p>

<p>In your situation Sheryl, I'd look hard at the flatbed option, if only for the increased speed it'll give. After all, I'm sure you don't want to spend the next 6 months solidly in front of a computer scanning and adjusting those old negatives.</p>

<p>Personally I don't like Epson's products, simply because they just plain lie about the "true optical resolution" of their scanners (and printers). I compared my Canoscan to an Epson scanner with a similar published specification, and the Canoscan absolutely wiped the floor with the Epson WRT image quality and true resolution.</p>

<p>To sum up, I think if you stick to a scanner with USB 2.0 connectivity you'll have no problem getting it to work with a current Windoze OS. I also wouldn't worry about resolution too much, because the film will actually be the main limiting factor. Yes, there is a fairly steep learning curve with scanning if you want to get optimum results, but in general the software that comes with modern flatbeds + film attachment is a lot simpler to use than that supplied with older designs of dedicated filmscanner. Plus there's also the excellent independent "Vuescan" software from Hamrick.com, which supports nearly every worthwhile scanner ever made.</p>

[William Kahn]

<p>As far as software support for that Coolscan 2000, you might check this out:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.silverfast.com/product/Nikon/193/en.html">http://www.silverfast.com/product/Nikon/193/en.html</a></p>

<p>But, as the others have said, your biggest problem will be interfacing the scanner with the computer. You'll need an SCSI PCI card like the Adaptec 2906, which you can get pretty cheaply on Amazon. But first, you have to make sure your new machine even has an available PCI slot (not the newer PCI Express series). And, don't even think about trying one of those SCSI to USB adapters, because it probably won't work (see the cautionary note in the Silverfast info about the Adaptec USB2Exchange adapter.)</p>

<p>My solution was to revive an older PC with an available PCI slot (now named Frankenputer) so I can run my old Minolta Multi II scanner. Scanned images are saved to a file on the main PC via a local netowrk. Flash drives can also be used to move the scans over. So, don't be too quick to get rid of your old machine...</p>

[walter_degroot]

<p>a Nikon tech told me 2 years ago they only supported the 4000 and newer.<br>

models. still a Nikon scanner is likely better than some unknown model.<br>

all the talk here has been about newer Nikon models that are selling for more than a decent used car.<br>

and complaints about the Minolta Dimage. that may or may not be supported.<br>

If someone here suggests or reports on a newer ( USB) model. I would go for it.</p>

<p>there is an issue with Older SCSI scanners. Or any device like a flatbed that uses<br>

the ISA "scsi" card. but the work around is described in the link<br>

http://www.photo.net/digital-darkroom-forum/00aVMv?unified_p=1</p>

 

[JDMvW]

<p>AT this very moment, a thread at http://www.photo.net/digital-darkroom-forum/00aVMv is going over your question....</p>

<p>Between the above and the link, you probably have such wisdom as we can offer...</p>

[wgpinc]

<p>Think about sending your negatives to digmypix.com. My brother had a really good experience with them. They are reasonably priced and do the work in Arizona. ScanCafe sends their scan work to India. I have and use a Konica Minolta 5400 scanner but i am in the process of putting together a big bunch of negatives to send to digmypix. Best of luck!</p>

[jon_porter]

<p>Assuming you're talking about 35mm or 120, Plustek scanners have gotten good reviews from Dave Brooks in SHUTTERBUG. Next months they're shipping a very promising 120 film scanner:<br>

http://plustek.com/usa/products/opticfilm-series/opticfilm-120/introduction.html</p>

[roamingstudio]

<p>Im watching these threads with interest, as it is likely a friend and I will get a scanner soon. We were busy out taking photos as the sun set on the old negative days, hence we are definitely late to the bar. Most negatives will be 35mm, 100ISO but some will be from the nice Hesselbad Xpan's... Probably to be chained up with a Mac-Mini. I had thought about the Reflecta 7200 model, but something held me back so far...<br>

So thanks to everyone for providing input; as always P.N. has a great knowledge pool.</p>

[kivis]

<p>Anyone heard of this? </p>

 

<h1 >Wolverine F2D8 8 MP 35mm Slides and Negatives to Digital Image Converter</h1>

<strong id="yui_3_2_0_50_1346119185352434"><br /></strong>