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Scanning film


Emanuel
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Flatbed scanners don't really capture the detail and grain of 35mm film properly. And mounting film can be a pain.

Scanners like the Plustek OpticFilm only scan one frame at a time, which takes ages. And mounting the film into the holder, especially if its bent, is a huge pain.

What you really want is a dedicated film scanner with an automatic feeder. Your options are:

  • Frontier or Noritsu - Same as what labs use, but they're very expensive. Most reliable for scanning rolls of film with great colour rendition and resolution. 
  • Pakon F135 - Allegedly has the best colour rendition but when I used it I found I still liked the colour from the labs more. Requires a Windows XP machine (or virtual machine) to run the software. Can load whole uncut rolls of 35mm film at a time and scans pretty quickly. Very convenient. 
  • Pacific Image XAs (aka Reflecta RPS 10m) - The most "modern" of these scanners. More resolution and dynamic range than the Pakon but the automatic feed mechanism is unreliable.
  • Nikon Coolscan (LS-40, LS-50, LS-5000, IV ED, V ED, 5000 ED) - More resolution and dynamic range than the Pakon but apparently the colours are not as good. I am planning to buy one soon so will let you know how it is. Has a reliable feeder mechanism. 
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21 hours ago, RogerRabbit said:
  • Nikon Coolscan (LS-40, LS-50, LS-5000, IV ED, V ED, 5000 ED) - More resolution and dynamic range than the Pakon but apparently the colours are not as good...

What, you don’t like my elephant?!!
What is even more amazing is the price this scanner is going for on Amazon today, 3 grand!

Here is plenty of details about the Coolscan:
https://www.filmscanner.info/en/NikonSuperCoolscan5000ED.html

ScanDig’s opinion on scanner rankings (don’t know anything about this guy) :

“The best film scanners which are available or which were ever available, respectively, are those of the last generation from Nikon, i.e. the Coolscan V ED, Super Coolscan 5000 ED and Super Coolscan 9000 ED. No other scanner has ever achieved the image quality, performance and reliability of these top scanners, except from the Hasselblad Flextight scanners. Too bad, that Nikon has given up its film scanner production in the year 2009.”

https://www.filmscanner.info/en/FilmscannerRangliste.html

I've used my CoolScan V ED since 2005 for 35mm Kodachrome and Ektachrome. Slow scanning but excellent results.

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