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Problem with the Nicon Coolscan V ED


Tor1Amos

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Merry christmas!

 

My new (used) Nikon Coolscan V ED isnt quite delivering what I was expecting. I am now scanning some old B&W negatives. Some of them has scratches, and those are very much showing up in the pics. When I try to use the ICE-function the scans are becomming very dark. Should it be like this, or is it something wrong with the scanner - or me perhaps?

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ICE is not compatible with BW film except for the chromogenic based BW ( uses c-41 process). Unfortunately, you will have to spot them in post process - which can be very time consuming. Try to clean the negs very, very thoroughly before scanning. Scratches are tough. There may be some other tricks but hard work is part of the process.....Good luck. Best. CH

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Like photofile said - Digital ICE works based on the fact that dust and scratches are opaque to infrared light, whereas color film dyes (also used in the C-41 "B&W" films like Ilford XP2) are transparent to IR. It does a separate scan of the film using just IR light, and subtracts any specks that show up from the visible light scan.

 

Unfortunately, metallic silver film grains are also opaque to IR light - so ICE thinks the grain in silver films is a bunch of dust, tries to delete it, and fouls up the whole image.

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Thank you for your replies :)

I should have invistigated this more thoroughly before I bought the scanner it seems :) Well - live and learn.

My masterplan was to use my M6 and M3 and go happily around with B&W film using my Coolscan. Dust isnt the bigges issue, but scraches are worse. And the scanner is good - all the dust and scratches really pops up in the picture. Haven`t been in the darkroom for years, but I remember that dust and scratches was less obvious then.

 

I guess perhaps plan B has to be activated - selling M6, M3 and Coolscan - buying M8.

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I come from the world of analog photogrpahy where you scrupulusy kept your negatives scratch and dust free to avoid manual retouching.

Even using these methods to assure dust free positives with my Nikon CoolScan 5000ED, I still picked up a dust spot on a 16X20 color print that I traced to a very small hair on the slide.

I use a combination of Dust Off Classic first and Tiger Cloth from Kinetronics lastly and have learned to not only assure scrupulouly clean slides but to inspect the scan at high resolution.

If your body of work is dusty and has scratches, your only alternative is to clean as best as possible and the use software to correct. There are other methods that are used in film restoration and if your work is such, you might want to investigate.-Dick

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Thank you for your replies :)

I should have invistigated this more thoroughly before I bought the scanner it seems :) Well - live and learn.

My masterplan was to use my M6 and M3 and go happily around with B&W film using my Coolscan. Dust isnt the bigges issue, but scraches are worse. And the scanner is good - all the dust and scratches really pops up in the picture. Haven`t been in the darkroom for years, but I remember that dust and scratches was less obvious then.

 

I guess perhaps plan B has to be activated - selling M6, M3 and Coolscan - buying M8.

 

If you process your own black and white carefully (very cheap and quick to do), then you shouldn't have any problem with dust or scratches. Because you will have been careful throughout the whole process.

 

I rarely have to spot my b&w scans and never have scratches on them.

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Guest Bernd Banken

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Due to the harsh light of the Coolscan, specks and scratches are more visible compare to other scanners, f.e. Minolta 5400.

 

One DIY solution is the use of this item:

 

Official Scanhancer Site

 

I'm not quite sure wether this company is selling a Nikonspecific glass.

 

To buy a Minolta could be an adventure because it's more out of the market as the Nikon is.

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Home precessing requires lots of care just like a well run lab. Then you need to keep them clean.

 

An old darkroom trick for scratches on the base side is nose grease. Thats right, rub it on your nose. This will not work on the emulsion side.

 

A Nikon scanner will see all the grain.

 

I am going to do a post on easy clean up of dust. Please read.

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Thank you for your replies :)

I should have invistigated this more thoroughly before I bought the scanner it seems :) Well - live and learn.

My masterplan was to use my M6 and M3 and go happily around with B&W film using my Coolscan. Dust isnt the bigges issue, but scraches are worse. And the scanner is good - all the dust and scratches really pops up in the picture. Haven`t been in the darkroom for years, but I remember that dust and scratches was less obvious then.

 

I guess perhaps plan B has to be activated - selling M6, M3 and Coolscan - buying M8.

 

No, No, No!

 

You can photoshop out the scratches etc.

 

New film shot recently will loolk superb scanned with that scanner. Don't eschew it so swiftly...

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Thank you for posting!

 

Some good advises here - some old and some wich are new to me. I do like the Nikon Coolscan V ED a lot. You dont have to mount the film strip in to a holder - very easy to operate. But the light source IS harsh - I have looked at pictures from my days back in the dark room, using a Beseller. Good quality, but dust and scratches are much less visible.

 

Some of my old negatives is, sad to say, somewhat abused. I didnt then take enough care in handling them. The scratches comes from me mechanicly removing the water after the rince. Stupid. But the scratches wasnt visible when using the old techniqe.

 

The nose greese solution I have heard of, but never tried. I will now :)

The Scanhanser looks interresting. I see from their website that they will test the scanhanser on the Coolscan V. (Official Scanhancer Site)

 

I really like the way film based pictures looks - in contrast to fully digital pictures.

I have a load of negatives wich I like to scan. I now understand that this is a process wich will take time - and a lot of work, to get i done properly. I propably should wash all of my negatives all over again, using a good wetting agent. And then carefully dust of and use some antistatic equipment before scanning.

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I believe Silverfast scanning software works withBW film. They use there own method which is similar to digital ice.

 

I belive it to, but Silverfast doesent work with Windows Vista or XP (using XP on my main computer), from what I read on their website.

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