RE: [Leica] The new Nikon Coolscan IV ED

["Rodgers, David" <david.rodgers@xo.com>]

Brain,

With all due respect, the Nikon Coolscan IV ED is is a wonderful scanner.
However, you'll probably receive better feedback on your issue if you post
on one of the scan lists, such as "scan@leben.com" and
"filmscanners@lists.cix.co.uk".   

Here's my initial feedback, fwiw.

1) If this is your first scanner, be aware that there's a huge learning
curve to scanning, and only a part of that relates to the actual scanner.
2) Using a laptop for digital imaging, IMHO, is an exercise in frustration.
Can be done, certainly, but it increased the already large learning curve. I
have 3 laptops and never use them for scanning.
3) You're right that dual boot with Linux is probably a non-issue.
4) Buying a Nikon Coolscan and expecting it to yield great images right out
of the box is akin to buying a Leica M and expecting every image to be in
perfect focus and ideally exposed. Hardware is at most 25% of the entire
imaging equation. Sometimes I think it's more like 10%. 

Dave 


- -----Original Message-----
From: bampolsk@csc.com [mailto:bampolsk@csc.com]
Sent: Thursday, August 23, 2001 7:53 AM
To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
Subject: [Leica] The new Nikon Coolscan IV ED


I'm wondering if anyone has tried the Nikon Coolscan IV ED.  I recently
purchased one, and to put it mildly, am very disappointed in it.  I began
scanning my slides from this summer's pyramid climb in Guatemala.  The
slides scan MUCH DARKER on the IV ED than they actually are.  Moreover, the
files...  no matter how dense... show quite substantial pixilization when I
enlarge them on my screen.  I talked with Nikon tech support about this,
and they gave me some mumbo-jumbo about the fact that I'm using a dual boot
(Redhat 7.1/Windows 98SE) laptop and basically said they would not support
me, even though I was only using the scanner under native windows.
Moreover, I have substantially better results from my Digilux Zoom, and
very little pixelization even filling the screen.  Now, I bought the
Coolscan because I expected to have superior results scanning from
Leica-made slides as opposed to the digital photos.

Does anyone have any experience with this device?  Or any suggestions
before I take it back to my camera dealer and request a refund?

Thanks,

Brian