Customer Reviews

Nikon LS-30 Coolscan III Film Scanner for PC (PC/PowerMac)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you're looking for a 35mm film scanner, your research has finally come to an end. Specially now that THE PRICE HAS BEEN LOWERED! I've been using this scanner for about two months and I can only say that it's worth every cent you put on it. Colors are great, detail is incredible, the resolution allows really big output (around 12.5 X 8.5 at 300DPI - even bigger if you use 250DPI). But the biggest star is ICE. Ok, it doesn't work on B&W film, but the time it saves you from retouching on Photoshop more than pays for this scanner. And ICE comes in two flavors - normal or sharpen. You can improve sharpness while removing scratches and dust. Mine came with the latest firmware (1.31), but I updated to the software's latest version (2.5.1) via download. The software works fine. Specially if you know how to use curves to correct color casts, improve details on certain areas, etc. And it has a very special feature that makes it better than all others I've seen - you can resize the preview window to the size of your monitor. You can't imagine how much this little detail helps on correcting or improving each scan. Great. The Nikon Coolscan III (LS-30) is such a good scanner that I don't believe paying more for the LS 2000 makes sense. Ok, the other has 36 bit and multiscan for improved shadow detail. But until now I never felt the need for this. Or for throwing US$ 700 more on a scanner. Better buy another Coolscan III... Ah, with Vuescan, a third party software, you can do multiple scanning on the Coolscan III for better shadow detail. It has a nice place for storing the transport screws on the back, has built-in termination. The connectors are HDI-50. It comes with a cable (HDI-50 to 25 pin SCSI), but if your SCSI chain has other equipment and you want to place it right after the computer, you'll probably need another HDI-50 to other connector cable. As with most things Nikon, it feels solid as a rock. Certainly will last a long time. Hope as much as the faithful Nikon Fs. Looks like. It's hard to go wrong with the Nikon Coolscan III.

I have used this scanner to scan slides, negatives and APS film and it has produced beautiful results. The ICE technology is great because I got a lot of negatives with developing spots and it completely eliminates them. Printing results to 8X10 is no problem.

This is a great scanner - but first time buyers of such a scanner, with Windows XP as an operating system beware! If you purchase the scanner, be sure that the package contains the Installation CD that contains the Windows XP installation update. Many of the inventoried Scanners do not have the update and to trying to get an update is an exercise. You have to download it from the website, but you must first call Nikon support to get this information. The hold times for the support line can take more than an hour. Then, best of luck on the download. After spending 4 hours on the thing myself, I finally had to call Nikon back, wait on hold for an hour and 15 minutes to then learn I had to call someone else to get them to mail me a disk. Hopefully, this tip can save you hours!

A very good scanner and value. Easy to set up and use and with fine results.

The software could use some polishing and the ICE is of limited use. It appears to degrade the image and cleans up only some defects and often not fully. It is not recommended for kodachrome. However for a quick fix for many uses it is handy.

The bottom line is I am happy I bought it. It is superior in every way to Mikrotek scanner I had until I decided to get this scanner.

I've owned this scanner since December 99 and it has been used almost daily without fail. The results are good and ICE is a must have feature.

I've a fuller review with sample scans and more at: http://www.webaperture.com/articles/

This was a great scanner for it's time. It does a good job of scanning slides (haven't used it much for negative scanning). The Color Management System doesn't do the job I wish it did, often the colors are darker than the slide, so I usually adjust them in Photoshop. The shadows can be dark as well.

Overall, it's a good scanner, especially if you're only doing small-print or web work. Nikon now has newer scanner models with greater o/p and bit depth.

The question to ask yourself is "What am I going to do with the images I scan? Produce small prints or put them on the web?" If so, this scanner is perfect. If you're a semi-pro or pro who wants as much detail as possible, then get a newer model (ie: 4000 ED).....which will most likely be my next purchase. :)

I use the LS-2000 with the bulk slide loader. For the price (used thru ebay), it can't be beat. The scans are very good, to my eye. The software works well. I followed Nikon instructions and updated the firmware in the scanner with no problem. The SCSI connector hooked up with no real issues. However, users must accept that the bulk loader is a sloppy contraption that will jam every 20 or so slides. Get used to it and enjoy that you are not having to hand feed every single slide. The major flaw seems to be a lithium lubricant on the rails that carry the scan head, or the lubricant on the screw drive that powers the moving head. I got the same "lock screw not removed" message but it was often after the scanner had sat for months with no use. It finally quit completely. I took it apart, massaged it a bit, cleaned off the old, solidifying grease, and gently applied some WD-40. It still seems to have a rough spot but it is working once again. Once it dies for good, I will take my old slides to a pro photo shop for scanning to CD.