Coolscan V - Orange cast on edge of Negative scans

[mjcan]

I recently bought a Nikon Coolscan V in December, and it worked flawlessly. Last week I had to pack the scanner in a suitcase for moving - I padded it with styrofoam to keep it from damage.

Suddenly this week, the first image on every strip shows orange casts on the left-edge. Images 2-6 on each strip are unaffected.

I have done a test to prove this malfunctioning: This image (1/6 in the strip) was scanned in the normal direction, and the imperfection is clearly visible. This second image is when I put the negative strip in backwards and flipped the image, and the result is normal.

Has the the mirror / light been somehow damaged or misaligned? Any advice how I could fix this myself?

Thank you

Edited January 11, 2023 by mjcan
New images uploaded

[je ne regrette rien]

I've had that too (I have a Nikon Coolscan 5000 ED). And it behaved somehow erratically, obviously only on colour film. And then it went away by itself. I'm sorry that I cannot be of further help. In any case it seems to me that the orange cast is exactly the same as yours. I will dig out the picture tomorrow and post it. As said, the cast went away. 

[mjcan]

Does anyone have any tips I could try? (Nikon Coolscan V / 5000 ED)

The problem persists, and I don't know what to do from here.

[rodeo_joe1]

All scanners have, and need, a clear calibration area to allow the sensor and light source to be measured across the scan width. This compensates for vignetting in the scan lens, and pixel-to-pixel sensitivity variation, etc. 

If the calibration area is partially blocked - by a stray hair or dust-ball or the like, then the calibration procedure will apply an unneeded compensation that shows up as a darker or lighter* line or streak running across the scan. 

This might be what happened here, but in any case a scanner will need internal cleaning from time to time, because dust in any optical system is never good.

OTOH the fault might have nothing to do with the calibration area, but that would be the first and most obvious thing to check. 

*Depending on whether a positive or negative image is being scanned. Also any coloured obstruction, such as a stray piece of film in the calibration aperture, will give a coloured streak.

 

[john_shriver]

Stray light coming into the scanner would be my guess.