Manage updates with the Download AppNikon Coolscan V LS-50 ED
Manufacturer: Nikon Inc. Part number: 9239
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- Unless your stuff appears regularly in National Geographic, this may be the only film scanner you'll ever need.
Read more
Where to buy
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CNET editors' review
Nikon Coolscan V LS-50 ED price range: $2,987.00
- Reviewed by: Jeff Dorgay
- Edited by: Rebecca Viksnins
- Reviewed on: 10/14/2004
The good: Outstanding film scans; great software; easy to set up; intuitive scanning interface.
The bad: Manual focus is hard to use.
The bottom line: Unless your stuff appears regularly in National Geographic, this may be the only film scanner you'll ever need.
User reviews
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Too much money for a one-pass scanner
Pros: Love Digital Ice Dust and lint software. it really works great.
Cons: 1. Does not do multi-pass scans. 2. Grain noise creeps into the shadow areas really easily. It needs a multi-pass function to lower grain noise in the shadows. 3. DEE Threshold slider is very tricky for the DEE software. 4. 14 bit is kind of silly consid
26 out of 33 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Very Pleased, works as advertised.
by oldthaiger on March 19, 2005
Pros: Very easy to use with both slide and 35mm negative B&W or color film.
Cons: Very slow, you really need an editing program like PhotoShop or Nikon capture 4 to get the desired results.
Summary: Nikon quality throughout, also Nikon software complexity.
Summary: Nikon quality throughout, also Nikon software complexity.
19 out of 21 users found this user opinion helpful.
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I Hate This Thing but it Does a Great Job
by soupyhotness on September 6, 2006
Pros: Excellent quality 35mm negative/slide scanning
Cons: Absolutely HORRIBLE software, capable hardware intentionally handicapped to prevent scanning film other than 35mm, Frustrating experience overall.
Summary: Nikon makes little or no effort to give the consumer a satisfying experience. I purchased an Epson V700 in addition to this scanner because both my parents gave up on ...
Summary: Nikon makes little or no effort to give the consumer a satisfying experience. I purchased an Epson V700 in addition to this scanner because both my parents gave up on it. Vuescan and Silverfast offer great alternatives to the NikonScan interface, but their infrared cleaning options are still too much weaker than the official Digital ICE supplied with the NikonScan interface. If your negatives and slides are in GOOD condition, VueScan or Silverfast will fix your NikonScan woes, and in that case you've got a great 35mm (35mm ONLY) scanner. If you need the Digital ICE, you need to use the supremely awful NikonScan software interface. For that reason alone this scanner becomes just too frustrating to use. The rest of my review/tirade is about NikonScan.
I have spent a LOT of time working with this scanner. So understand these are cumulative complaints over an extended period. Short term occasional use might not show any of these issues, who knows. Maybe the software has a memory leak.. Anyway here's my feeling on it after one year. The NikonScan scanning software supplied with this product is clunky, counterintuitive, crash-prone, and rarely upgraded. It says right out of the box "Not Compatible with Photoshop." Attempts to import with Photoshop CS2 do in fact crash the interface and lock up Photoshop.
Given the amount of time necessary to fix a damaged slide, the defects of NikonScan become overwhelming. Changing almost any of the settings causes the scanner to re-scan the slide, and it really starts to wear on you after a while. This program does way too many "vanishing crashes" where it just blips out of existance with no warning, meaning all work is lost. I have been scanning dust damaged slides from Vietnam with this thing, and it does take up to 15 minutes per slide just getting the initial scan to work right before going to Photoshop to do color corrections. When the program "blips" away in the 14th minute you want to kill something. Unfortunately settings which should be "sticky" reset themselves randomly, and are lost when the program crashes in mid preview.
It's possible to get results from NikonScan, but you better prepare yourself for the troubles ahead.
Just for the record, I've installed and used the scanner on Windows 2000 Pro, XP Pro SP1 & SP2, and XP Home. The problems translate perfectly to each machine.14 out of 14 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Easy to set-up and use, lovely images
by msmarge on October 21, 2005
Pros: Ease of use, easy to set-up, doesn't take much space
Cons: Cost, slowish scanning speed
Summary: I am very happy that I purchased my Nikon Coolscan. I am digitizing a gazillion slide my Dad had taken from the 1950's-1970's. Setting up the scanner was ...
Summary: I am very happy that I purchased my Nikon Coolscan. I am digitizing a gazillion slide my Dad had taken from the 1950's-1970's. Setting up the scanner was easy; install the software, plug in the scanner and you are good to go. The default scan file is a tiff, so I scanned a few images with huge file sizes before I figured out how to set it to jpg (easy), but no other complaints! I've scanned over 100 slides so far and a few b & w negs too!
9 out of 9 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Excellent scanner for slides or film and those on a budget
by banjocat on August 7, 2007
Pros: Have scanned hundreds of slides and not one problem.
Cons: Depending on scan options set, can take a few minutes to complete. Also, noisey during scan.
Summary: I have used the Nikon Coolscan V for over a year now and scanned both slides and negative film with no problems. Most, if not all of what I scan ...
Summary: I have used the Nikon Coolscan V for over a year now and scanned both slides and negative film with no problems. Most, if not all of what I scan is slides since that is what I shoot and 99% of that is Velvia. So I looked for a scanner that would handle the range that Velvia produces. I had never used a scanner so I read reviews and did my homework. Set-up and installation was easy and quick. Within an hour I was scanning my first slides. I generally scan useing only the Digital ICE feature to remove scratches then open the finished scan in Photoshop for any further adjustments. I have used the Tools within the NikonScan software to 'tweek' slides before output with excellent results.
I have thousands of slides but no intention of scanning them all. That would be WAY too time consuming. Instead, I have been going through and picking out my best to save for scanning. I have not encountered any of the problems others have written about.
Bottom line - An easy to set-up, consumer friendly scanner that produces excellent results.4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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The best scanner for 35mm
by kraterz on October 6, 2009
Pros: Outstanding scan quality, very robust build, ICE really works.
Cons: Slightly slower scan times compared to the LS-5000.
Summary: I replaced an older Minolta scanner with the coolscan V a few months ago. If you're scanning 35mm, the coolscans are among the best money can buy. I have ...
Summary: I replaced an older Minolta scanner with the coolscan V a few months ago. If you're scanning 35mm, the coolscans are among the best money can buy. I have a lot of Velvia, Provia-F, Kodak technical pan B&W film, Agfa APX-25 and a ton of other old and weird films to scan. I've been scanning these for the past few months. Scan results are far better than I ever expected after getting used to the low bar set by the Minolta. Not to dis the minolta but the Coolscan runs laps around it when it comes to the sheer amount of detail this baby is able to extract. As far as resolution, sharpness and detail are concerned there is simply no comparison.
Update: Just started using the LS-50 with my MacBook Pro, and it works out of the box with Vuescan without installing any drivers. Scan quality is outstanding, as it was earlier.
One small gripe is about black and white film. Maybe it's the nature of the ED glass and the very high precision LED light system, but with the capture of very fine detail, this scanner seems to accentuate flaws in B&W film. Too precise and sharp maybe? However I am not complaining since the results are outstanding.
This is a very high quality scanner that is in a different league compared to those cheaper flatbeds with film scan attachments, and those cheaper Minolta and canon scanners. People often compare the Epson V750 and V700 with this, but look at a scan in full resolution and even though the Nikon has a lower real resolution, the amount of detail captured simply thrashes the Epsons.
Updated on Jun 6, 20112 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great scans, love it
Pros: Does what it is suppose to do very well, thank you
Cons: Could have included the FH-3 film holder in the box.
3 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Very good but not perfect
by weldon-j on August 13, 2005
Pros: Will rescue many bad slides
Cons: Can have a problem with Kodachrome slides
Summary: Has an excellent range of picture modifying tools. It can handle aged slides and over exposed or under exposed usually quite well. Some Kodachrome slides, when using the powerful Digital ...
Summary: Has an excellent range of picture modifying tools. It can handle aged slides and over exposed or under exposed usually quite well. Some Kodachrome slides, when using the powerful Digital ICE-4, can come out with a solid color that ruins the pictiure. How ever, these slides can usually be handled fairly well with other tools
2 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Unreliable with poor support
by tommcgui on April 10, 2007
Pros: Fine scans while it worked
Cons: Broke down and Nikon provides poor support
Summary: My new Coolscan worked well for about six hours and then the film strip adapter it needs broke down. I sent it overnight to Nikon for a replacement under their ...
Summary: My new Coolscan worked well for about six hours and then the film strip adapter it needs broke down. I sent it overnight to Nikon for a replacement under their one year guaranty. They have had it for three weeks and can give me no idea of when they will ship a replacement. It is now a large paperweight on my desk. Not my best purchase.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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slide feeder works poorly if at all.
by ed241 on January 22, 2007
Pros: single slide does wonderfule resolution
Cons: The slide feeder is tin and springs contraption?
Summary: Slide feeder works, then jams. It will not do any slides that do not have plastic jackets.
It jams 10 times a day when doing slides with plastic jackets. I ...Summary: Slide feeder works, then jams. It will not do any slides that do not have plastic jackets.
It jams 10 times a day when doing slides with plastic jackets. I thought Nikon was a quality outfit. They must be desperate to put this design out there. The 35 mm slide feeder is tin and springs contraption that works only some of the time? The item is only good for scanning one slide at a time. Big dissapointment. Very poor product from Nikon, I expected a lot more?1 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Nikon Inc.
- Part number: 9239
- Bottom Line: Unless your stuff appears regularly in National Geographic, this may be the only film scanner you'll ever need.
General
- Packaged Quantity 1
- Type Film scanner (35 mm) - Desktop
- Interface Type USB 2.0
Scanner
- Input Type Color
- Color Depth 42-bit color
- Optical Resolution 4000 dpi
- Scan Mode Single-pass
- Scan Element Type CCD
- Lamp / Light Source Type RGB LED array
- Scan Density Range 4.2D
Media Handling
- Supported Document Type Slides,
Film Storage
- Storage Removable None
- Optical Storage None
Expansion / Connectivity
- Expansion Slot(s) None
- Interfaces USB 2.0 - Type B
Miscellaneous
- Included Accessories Film adapter
- Compliant Standards Plug and Play
Power
- Power Device Internal power supply
- Voltage Required AC 120/230 V
Software / System Requirements
- Software Included ASF Digital ROC,
Nikon Scan,
ASF Digital ICE,
Drivers & utilities - OS Required Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition / Windows ME,
Apple MacOS X 10.1.5 or later,
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition,
Microsoft Windows XP Professional,
Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional,
Apple MacOS 9.1 or later - Peripheral / Interface Devices USB port,
SVGA monitor,
CD-ROM - System Requirements Details Windows 98SE/2000 Pro/ME/XP Home/XP Pro - Pentium - 300 MHz - RAM 128 MB - HD 240 MB,
MacOS 9.1 or later - PowerPC G3 - RAM 64 MB - HD 270 MB,
MacOS X 10.1.5 or later - PowerPC G3 - RAM 128 MB - HD 620 MB Environmental Parameters
- Humidity Range Operating 20 - 60%
Manufacturer info
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Nikon Inc. products on Shopper.com
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- Manufacturer:Nikon Inc.
- Address:
1300 Walt Whitman Road, Melville, NY 11747-3064 - Phone: 1-631-547-4200
