Re: filmscanners: Review of the Nikon CoolScan 4000

["Jeremy Brookfield" <jeremy@percula.com>]

Rob Geraghty wrote:

> Hopefully someone will produce a more balanced review - hopefully comparing
> the Nikon 4000 with another 4000dpi scanner.

I got my 4000 last week. I can only compare it to the 2000. It is clearly a
major improvement
    - the improvment in dynamic range is noticeable
    - the higher resolution does show more detail and not just film grain.
    - I do appreciate the firewire connectivity over SCSI
    - I have no problems with edge to edge sharpness / film curvature with the
(glassless) slide mounts I use.

But.
The software (Nikon Scan 3.0) is so buggy as to render the scanner useless to
all intents and purposes.
In general each and every scan will crash (in one of several dlls). I have found
a technique to avoid the crashes but I need to do the preview / manipulation,
scan and save as TIFF in three separate starts of the product. Totally
unacceptable. The software is not labelled as beta but its quality is not even
of beta level.
Other than scratch removal, I have not played with ICE as it is guaranteed to
crash my scans.

Perhaps Silverfast will support the scanner in the near future. I have never had
much faith in Nikon software.

>
>
> Rob
>
> PS I have no doubt the Nikon 4000 is a nice scanner. :)

Yes, it is a "nice" scanner, shame about the software

Jeremy Brookfield