I'm going to take the half step into the digital world by acquiring a scanner which will enable me to scan both slides and prints (negatives I presume). At first I expect use will be limited to e-mailing pictures, maybe some manipulation in photoshop elements, but inevitably the next step will be to acquire a decent printer and do some printing of my own. Has anyone advice to give on which scanner, say under $1500, might be the one to go for.

Ther is no way

-- Ivor Quaggin (iquaggin@home.com), November 04, 2001

Answers

A thread like this pops up at photo.net every other day or so - i recommend checking it out there. The de facto standard for personal desktop scanners is the Nikon 4000ED, i just got mine from Deltainternational.com at a great price (right now they lowered it even more to something like $1298). This scanner is all i could hope for, and is great for printing with an Epson 1280.

Matthew

-- Matthew Geddert (geddert@yahoo.com), November 04, 2001.

I second that notion about the Nikon. Personally, I just purchased a Nikon LS 40 (the 2900 dpi USB version) and can report that I am generally happy with the function of the scanner. The 4000 dpi extra resolution only comes in handy if you plan on printing really large or do extensive cropping. If you really have the bucks you might want to try the SuperCoolscan 8000. For the big bucks you can do medium and large format as well. I do recommend however, that you get a good line conditioner to minimize the noise in your scans. Works in my system.

And abandon all hope that the Nikon scanner software will work flawlessly in your system. Instead, budget enough money to get SilverFast Ai 5.5. Not as much automation as the Nikon software but definitely more bug-free and versatile. Integrates seamlessly with Photoshop 6.0

-- John (ouroboros_2001@yahoo.com), November 04, 2001.

I definitely agree with the Nikon LS-4000 recommendation. I had another, recent model scanner and had a horrible time with it. The LS-4000 has been wonderful although the Windows software definitely leaves a lot to be desired (the Mac version seems fine). I would recommend VueScan (see http://www.hamrick.com) as a subsitute.

I've used my LS-4000 for most of the scans on my site. I have an Imacon FlexTight II at work and the LS-4000 is very close.

I do think the LS-40 is an excellent deal. It's USB, not FireWire, and is lower resolution but otherwise it's the same (same optics, for example) and is half the price.

Regards,
Fergus

-- Fergus Hammond (fhammond@adobe.com), November 04, 2001.

Ivor,

I've used a LS-2000 for a while and it works very well. I've scanned negs and slides and made prints from an inkjet up to 11x17 inches and they looked great. However, one I was using stopped working one day (some type of hardware problem) and this has happend to a couple of people I know. Nikon did fix them under warrenty. I've heard some great things about the LS-4000, though, so if there isn't much of a price difference I would probably get that.

I must admit that no new scanner that I've used (and I have used a fair amount of them) were as good as the Leafscan 35 (made around 1990). The thing was huge, took forevever, and the software was terrible, but it used a Schneider enlarging lens and the scans were great! I worked for a newspaper that scanned 35mm negs with this scanner, had 4x5 internegs made, and then made mural sized prints that were truely amazing!

good luck, john

-- john locher (locherjohn@hotmail.com), November 04, 2001.

My experience with Nikon was terrible. I bought the Coolscan III and connected via SCSI. In high resolution scans (anything more than about 1000 dpi), the connection with my computer was unable to keep up with the scanner, so the motor in the scanner had to stop repeatedly. I didn't mind the wait, but each and every stop created a jagged streak across the image, sort of like someone had dragged a knife across a wet painting. Many Internet postings confirmed that a lot of people had this problem. Nikon's response? Denials, calling it a "software corruption" issue, and the closing of their Internet support forum when too many people started asking questions there.

Also to dislike about Nikon: The strip film holder stinks. It's hard to use and doesn't keep film flat. The motorized strip film reader jams often, and clearing a jam requires the use of a screwdriver to open the device, after which you have to pull hard to rescue your film from the little compartment where it is curled up and now possibly scratched.

Check out the current problems people are having with banding on NIkon's 8000, the mdium format scanner, and Nikon's response to it. More of the same. It seems ridiculous to have to buy another driver, like SilverFast or ViewScan, just to get something that doesn't crash.

I bought a Minolta Scan Elite to replace my Nikon, and haven't regretted it at all. The software is better, and everything works the way it should.

-- Masatoshi Yamamoto (masa@nifty.co.jp), November 05, 2001.

Many thanks to everyone who has contributed their views. Nikon seemed to be the overwhelming favorite until the last posting. The Minolta only has SCSI interface I believe , but since I am using an iMac that won't work. I need USB or preferably firewire and the Nikon fits that requirement. I am surprised no one has mentioned the Canon FS4000 which has good reviews although it too has been slammed by some. It sure makes for difficult decision making!

-- Ivor Quaggin (iquaggin@home.com), November 05, 2001.

Ivor:

I have Nikon a LS 3 that works great. The instruction that Nikon packages SUCK in that they do not explain what all the fetures do, nor do they mention that the results with silver films and the digital ICE can not be used due to artifacts of the scanning interfering(or so I was told by a Nikon tech in Singapore) with teh silver grains. On C-41 negs, colour negs and slides it is great. I have had no mechanical problems at all with the Nikon.

Have fun

-- RICHARD ILOMAKI (richard.ilomaki@f,mglobal.com), November 05, 2001.

Ivor,

On a completely different approach to what your primary goals will be in the near future - have you considered spending just around some USD 400 for a flatbed scanner including transperency unit, such as the Epson Perfection 1640SU Photo?! At 1600x3200bit optical resolution it gives you plenty of (far more than just) web quality scans, speed (scan up to 4 slides or negs at the same time), formats up to 4x5, Photoshop 5.0 LE and SCSI/USB connections. I still managed to get one (last model with SCSI connections for my last millenium's Powerbook) and scanning (even mass scanning) has turned FUN again! Plenty of possibilities to test and try out for little money indeed. Cheers.

-- Lutz Konermann (lutz@konermann.net), November 06, 2001.